Our Firecracker Chicken features crispy chunks of breaded chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce. We love to serve this over white rice with extra sauce for dipping.
Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Add the cornstarch, salt, and pepper to a shallow dish and stir to combine
Whisk the eggs and water together in a second shallow dish.
Dip each piece of chicken into the cornstarch to coat. Dip in the egg, and then back into the cornstarch.
Spray an air fryer basket with non-stick spray and arrange the chicken in an even layer, leaving space for air to flow between each piece.
Spray chicken liberally with non-stick spray, making sure to coat each piece.
Air fry at 380 degrees for 5 minutes.
Carefully flip the chicken and spray again with non-stick spray. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 165 degrees.
To make the sauce:
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk well to combine
Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the air fryer and drizzle with enough sauce to coat the chicken.
Serve extra sauce on the side for dipping.
Notes
The breading is a bit delicate and it can be a bit tricky to flip the chicken in the air fryer basket. If you're struggling, you can skip this step - the breading just won't be quite as crisp on the underside. Still delicious!For a less spicy sauce, omit the red pepper flakes. It may not seem like a lot, but as the sauce cooks down they really amp up the heat.