The Air Fryer Chicken Sandwich

A few months ago, we got an air fryer (thanks to my husband being an incredible human being and employee). We started off slow by air-frying Trader Joe’s hashbrowns and some breakfast sausage. You know, nothing crazy. FYI, if you’re getting the pre-formed hashbrowns from TJ’s…400 F for 10 min, flip halfway through, and…*chef’s kiss*. Seriously. You’re welcome.

Once we realized that the air fryer was rocking breakfast food, we started trying more things. I air-fried chicken thighs, chicken breasts, chicken wings, sausage, potatoes…you get it. We really started putting this appliance to the test. I haven’t ventured into actually reviewing any air fryer-specific recipes…until today.

Today’s recipe is a little different. It’s by Sam The Cooking Guy, who you can very easily find posting delicious recipes on Youtube.

This recipe does not have a written step-by-step card, but you can follow along on this video found right -> here!

No Recipe Card? No Problem

Sam goes through the steps in this video quickly but clearly. If you watch it a few times, you’ll be able to pick up on the ingredients as well as the amounts quite easily. That’s exactly what I ended up doing when I actually made this.

Also, if you’d like to see me actually make this, don’t forget to check out my Youtube video! With us now getting settled in our new home, you’ll be seeing a lot more cooking content going up there, I promise! 🙂

Okay, again…this recipe is easy to follow, but for my gluten-free friends, I’ll remind you what ingredients I used to make this gluten-free.

• Tamari
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour (only AP I had one hand)
• Trader Joe’s Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns

Does My Air Fryer Brand Matter?

It’s no surprise that there are plenty of air fryer brands out there now. For this recipe, however, the main thing you’d take notice of is the size of your air fryer basket. Mine is on the smaller side—only about 3.57 quarts. So if you’re planning on making something like this chicken, then just keep in mind that you may need to make the chicken in batches. There was no way I was going to fit all the chicken in one go.

And with a sticky batter? Forget it.

For this recipe, you need to keep the chicken in a single layer. If it’s crowded and overlapping, it won’t get crispy and you’ll just be left with mushy chicken. Ick.

Grey’s Trial and Error

I definitely had a trial-and-error situation happening when making these. First, I tried to save myself the mess by lining the air fryer basket with aluminum foil. Mistake. Afterward, I tried two pieces of chicken, but I still ran into the issue of the chicken not getting crispy enough and getting stuck to the basket. Mind you, the chicken is perfectly cooked within the time given in the video, however, it’s the coating that could use more time.

For my remaining pieces, I experimented with temperature. For each remaining piece that I made, I cooked for 10 more degrees than indicated in the video. I will confirm that you can go up as high as 390, but your chicken won’t be as juicy.

Verdict? If you happen to have a large enough basket like Sam, you should be able to follow the instructions exactly. If you’re like me? These are your tips to modify the recipe. If your equipment isn’t the same, just like using an oven–times and temps may vary :).

Where to Find Kewpie Mayo?

One of the easiest parts of this recipe is making spicy mayo. Sam does mention that he uses kewpie mayo, which is a Japanese mayonnaise. What’s the difference between kewpie and regular mayo, you ask? Well, Kewpie mayo uses only egg yolks for color and texture while regular mayo uses the entire egg. To put it simply, it’s super smooth, and it does have a slightly different flavor (thanks to MSG). It’s perfect for any Asian cooking you’re doing, or with anything, honestly. I definitely prefer Kewpie to regular mayo.

But where do you get it?

I was able to find the bottle that I currently have on hand at our local Target. I was shocked, but very pleasantly surprised. Normally, you’d be able to find this in an Asian grocery store like H-Mart, or perhaps in a grocery store that has a well-stocked International aisle.

If you aren’t near any stores like that, then Amazon will be your next best bet.

Grey’s Grade: 4.5/5

I think an air fryer is a fantastic appliance. People have certainly put it to the test over the years to see how much it can handle. And the answer to that is–it can handle A LOT. This recipe is a great example of the use of an air fryer to make a delicious sandwich. Now, I had my own hiccups in recreating this, but I feel that if you do this exactly as Sam makes it, then you’ll be left with a delicious result. Trying this gave me an opportunity to experiment with temperatures and see how close I could get to his result.

Just because you may not have the exact tools, doesn’t mean that you cannot make this. Don’t have an air fryer? Try deep frying it. Of course, that would defeat the purpose of the air fryer portion of this recipe, but you’d still have a crispy chicken sandwich, right?

So all in all, I would give this recipe a 4.5/5. I would have liked to see a written recipe for this one to make sure my spices were measured properly, but measuring with my eyeballs and my heart did do the trick. Flavor-wise? This was pretty damn tasty. I’m sure with an actual brioche bun and regular AP flour, it would have knocked this recipe out of the park.

I highly recommend that you check out this recipe as well as other videos by Sam the Cooking Guy. Looks like they have a new cookbook out too, so a great opportunity to support a creator as well as to get some delicious recipes for your home. 🙂

Have you used an air fryer before? What is your go-to creation? Let me know in the comments below!

Check Out My Reviews!

• Quick & Easy Spicy Pork
• Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
• Gluten-Free Mini Cheesecakes

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