Make a great take-out-style meal at home with Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken, plus easy to make gluten-free too!
Air Fryer Mongolian Beef is one of my all-time favorites, but this Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken is a great option if you prefer chicken over beef. It’s the same concept with a different protein.
This recipe is made with pantry-style ingredients along with either chicken breast or chicken thighs, either one will work. The best part is you can easily make this in your Air Fryer or Ninja Foodi!
What do you need for Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken?
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Cornstarch
- Vegetable Oil
- Ginger
- Minced Garlic
- Regular Soy Sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
- Water
- Brown Sugar
This is all you will need for this recipe. We typically prefer to pair it with Ninja Foodi Rice and Green Beans or Broccoli.
Tips for making Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken:
Chicken thighs tend to work the best as they do not dry out as quickly as chicken breast; however, either can be used.
It’s best to cut the chicken thighs into chunks and then coat them with cornstarch before putting them in the air fryer basket. The cornstarch will help them get a crispy texture.
Another must is oil spray, a little bit of oil spray such as Grapeseed Oil Spray will help crisp up the chicken and get rid of the floury texture.
The chicken needs to be cooked to the point that there are tender chicken pieces with a crisp texture.
Since all air fryers heat differently, it’s best to have a meat thermometer on hand. The internal temperature of the chicken needs to be at least 165 degrees F to be fully cooked.
Another tip is that if you prefer, you can use aluminum foil in the air fryer that you can roll up on the sides. This will help with mess and clean up too! Just be sure if you use aluminum foil in the air fryer that you leave room for the air to circulate.
Also, make sure that you have food weighing the foil down so that it does not blow into the heating element.
The sauce ingredients will be cooked on medium heat in a small saucepan. This can be made while the chicken is cooking or you can make it in the pot of the Ninja Foodi using the SAUTE function once the chicken is cooked.
If doing this method, just add the chicken back into the pot when the sauce is done and coat. This makes a great Mongolian sauce!
What sauce do you use for Mongolian Chicken?
The sauce used varies depending on which recipe you choose; however, it’s typically a brown sauce made with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, or sesame oil. In this case, I stuck to soy sauce as there are easily gluten-free options for it.
It can also have other flavors such as ginger or added green onions depending on the recipe that you are accustomed to.
How to store leftover Mongolian Chicken:
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When ready to reheat, place chicken in a microwave-safe dish and heat up for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally if needed.
More Asian Chicken Recipes that you may like:
Asian Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken
Air Fryer Chicken Teriyaki Bowls
Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken is a great alternative to your restaurant favorite without the excess oil, plus it’s a delicious dish!
Air Fryer Mongolian Chicken (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1/4 Cup Cornstarch
- 2 Tsp Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Ginger
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar Packed
Extras
- Cooked Rice
- Green Beans
- Broccoli
- Green Onions
Instructions
- Sliced the chicken into small chunks and coat with cornstarch.
- Line the air fryer basket with foil and grapeseed oil spray or spray the basket directly with oil spray.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer and coat with olive oil spray.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes at 390°F.
- Stir up the chicken and coat with grapeseed oil spray.
- Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes at 390°F. It's best to check the temperature with a meat thermometer it needs to have an internal temperature of at least 165°F to be considered well done. All air fryers heat differently so timing can vary.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce in a small saucepan on the stove.
- Add the oil, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, water, and sugar to the saucepan.
- Whisk well to combine.
- Warm-up to a low boil.
- Once the chicken is done and the sauce is cooked, place the chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over the chicken.
- Let it soak in for about 5-10 minutes.
- When ready to serve, use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the chicken and let the sauce drip off.
- Serve it over cooked rice and beans or broccoli.
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