Air Fryer Prawn Paste Chicken (Har Cheong Gai 虾酱鸡)

Step 1

Marinate 900 g chicken thighs with 1.5 tbsp shrimp paste and 2 tbsp sesame oil. Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

Step 2

When ready to air fry, remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour before cooking and let it come to room temperature. Coat marinated chicken with thin layer of corn starch evenly.

Step 3

Pre-heat air fryer at 180C / 356F for at least 3 minutes. Place chicken in the air fryer basket leaving some space between each piece.Brush a thin layer of cooking oil all over the coated chicken pieces.

Step 4

Air fry at at 180C / 356F for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway during air frying at least once or twice (every 5-7 minutes) to ensure even cooking.

Step 5

Test the chicken with a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should be at least 74C / 165F. Remove the chicken from the air fryer and serve warm with chilli sauce.

Step 6

If you do not use an air fryer, you can deep fry the coated chicken in a pot of oil over medium high heat. Simply heat a pot of oil, enough to cover a few pieces of chicken, over medium high heat. Test the oil readiness by dipping in a pair of metal or wooden chopsticks, if the oil sizzles around the chopsticks, the oil is ready for deep frying. Deep fry a few pieces of chicken at a time. The ideal temperature of oil for deep frying should be between 149-177C / 300-350F,Fry each piece for about 14-15 minutes, turning each piece about half way, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 74C / 165F.