Easy Air Fryer Honey Chicken

With the popularity of a kitchen appliance called an “air fryer”, fried chicken has become much easier to make. In this recipe for air fryer honey chicken we combine the efficiency of the fryer with a delicious honey soy coating. You don’t have to be a gourmet cook to be successful – and that is certainly a good thing as I am not one. Learn how to use a little honey to whip up a quick meal.

Whenever possible, I love incorporating honey into my recipes. It is such a versatile food. A wonderful gift from the bees.

Sweet Air Fried Honey Chicken

For those of you who are a wiz in the kitchen, I admire your talent. Myself, well I need recipes that are simple and easy to make. Everyone in our family likes chicken so it ends up on the menu a lot.

And being a beekeeper, I always have jars of honey sitting around. Honestly, I usually have a 5 gallon bucket available. One should never let good honey go to waste – honey never goes bad.

Chicken

Even though the recipe calls for chicken thighs, you can use boneless chicken breasts – if that is what you have on hand. However, you may have better results using thighs. They tend to be more flavorful and moist when fried.

Honey

Any honey can be used but I always recommend raw honey. Wildflower is the term used to describe most of the honey sold. This is just an industry term that means the honey was made from the nectar of many different blooming honey plants.

In contrast, variety or types of honey made predominately from a single nectar source is also available. You may know these as: clover, orange blossom, tupelo etc. No need to spend the extra money on special honey for this air fryer honey chicken recipe-but you can.

The color of honey you choose does not matter. Dark honey tends to have a more robust flavor. However, the recipe for the sauce contains soy sauce as an ingredient. It will be dark anyway.

Soy Sauce

You will need a little soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is fine but if you are considered about sodium – choose the low sodium variety.

How to Make Air Fryer Honey Chicken

1. Prepare your chicken by cutting it into bite sized (or slightly larger) pieces. It is important to cut your chicken into similar sized pieces. If the piece vary too much in size, the cooking will be uneven with some over done and some not done enough.

Place them in a bowl and sprinkle a bit of corn starch over them. Stir to coat – then either spray lightly with cooking spray or toss with a bit of oil.

A very light coating of oil (i.e. canola, vegetable or sesame oil) is all that is needed. To remove the chicken skin or not is up to you. I abhor skin so I always take it off.

2. Preheat your air fryer (390°F) and check the instructions with your model. There will be some variety between different brands. What temperature and time does your model recommend for chicken?

Place the chicken pieces in the air fryer in a single layer. They will shrink during cooking but avoid crowding them or overlapping them too much – as this will not allow the hot air to flow around them. (See full instructions in the recipe card below).

3. While the chicken is cooking prepare your sauce on the stove. In a medium sized saucepan – mix soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, ginger and ketchup.

Bring the ingredients to a low boil. They will start to thicken – adding a bit of corn starch helps the process along. Continue until you are pleased with the thickness.

4. When everything is ready, combine the sauce and chicken together. Stir gentle to coat all the chicken pieces in your sauce. Time to enjoy!

Expert Tips

Of course, you can make honey chicken without an air fryer and it will be delicious. It will simply take longer and possibly add more calories due to the extra oil required.

Your honey soy sauce will be sweet and sticky. The dish is easy to reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. It will keep for a few days in the refrigerator.

Sides

Even though it is not a healthy option, you can simply serve it over white rice – if you are a rice fanatic like myself. Or, opt for a healthier option and add some steamed vegetables as a side: carrots, green beans, etc.

More Ideas

Don’t leave that jar of honey sitting on the shelf. Experiment with some recipes of your own. If you are looking for another chicken dish that features honey, try this honey chicken stir fry with the vegetables already in the mix.

For shrimp lovers, my honey shrimp stir fry is made using lime and it is a healthy alternative to fried versions.

Or try “the other white meat” and break out the grill for some honey garlic porkchops – delicious! Any one of these could become your next family favorite for busy weeknights.

For a sweet and tangy treat at your next barbeque – try these honey glazed pineapple rings!