Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken Skewers

Valentine's Day this week. Raj bought me flowers again (tulips this year — he's evolving) and also a gift that made me ugly-cry: a leather-bound journal, engraved with "For the recipes she'll need to know." He knows about the food journal. He's never read it, but he knows. He knows that I sit in the rocking chair at night and write about Amma's sambar and Appa's silence and the wet grinder on the 7 train and the difference between a pinch and a generous pinch. And he bought me a journal to continue. Damn this man and his quiet, precise love. I transferred the best entries from my notebook into the leather journal. It's the beginning of something — a curated version of the messy pages, a gift-in-progress for a girl who doesn't have a birthday yet. Valentine's dinner: I made chettinad pepper chicken (my way of saying "I love you" — through black pepper and fire) and Raj made pancakes for dessert (his way of saying "I love you" — through the only thing he can cook). We ate by candlelight, which sounds romantic but was actually because the overhead light bulb burned out and neither of us felt like replacing it. "Happy Valentine's Day," I said. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said. "You're beautiful." "I'm enormous." "You're beautifully enormous." "That's not the compliment you think it is." "You're carrying our daughter. Everything about you is magnificent." Okay. That one landed. Twenty-four weeks tomorrow. Viability week — the point where, if something went wrong, the baby could potentially survive outside the womb. I've been carrying this milestone in my head like a countdown, the pharmacist in me tracking gestational age with clinical precision while the rest of me just wants to feel her kick and know she's there. She kicked during the chettinad chicken. She always kicks during spicy food. Raj says she's expressing preference. I say she's expressing protest. Either way, she's loud about it. Anaya. We haven't said it out loud yet as THE name. But we both know. The name is decided. It's just waiting for the right moment to be spoken.

Chettinad pepper chicken is my love letter — the one I don’t say out loud, the one written in black pepper and smoke and the specific patience it takes to coax flavor from whole spices. But on the nights I want that same bold, fiery spirit with a little less ceremony, these Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken Skewers are where I land: crispy, unapologetically spicy, and finished with a sauce that somehow manages to be both reckless and precise. Anaya kicked through every bite of the spicy chicken that Valentine’s night, and I’m already convinced she’s going to be someone who demands her food loud and her love louder. This one’s for her — and for Raj, who deserves something with a little fire too.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, divided
2 tablespoons sriracha, divided (adjust to taste)
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg, beaten
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
Wood or metal skewers (if using wood, soak in water 20 minutes)

Instructions

Make the bang bang sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce, and 1 tablespoon sriracha until smooth. Set aside half for dipping and reserve the other half for glazing.
Season the chicken. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce, 1 tablespoon sriracha, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Let marinate for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the breading station.
Set up the breading station. Place the cornstarch in one shallow bowl and the beaten egg in a second. Combine the panko breadcrumbs in a third bowl. Working in batches, dredge each chicken piece in cornstarch, dip in egg, then press firmly into panko to coat on all sides.
Thread the skewers. Thread 4—5 breaded chicken pieces onto each skewer, leaving a small gap between pieces so air can circulate.
Preheat the air fryer. Preheat your air fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 3 minutes. Lightly spray the basket with cooking spray.
Air fry the skewers. Working in batches as needed, arrange skewers in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray the tops of the chicken lightly with cooking spray. Cook for 12—15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the coating is deep golden and crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Glaze and serve. In the final 2 minutes of cooking, brush the reserved glaze portion of the bang bang sauce lightly over the skewers and return to the air fryer. Plate immediately, drizzle with the dipping sauce, and scatter green onions over the top. Serve extra dipping sauce on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Air Fryer Bang Bang Chicken Skewers — My Spicy Love Language