Thai Sweet Chili Chicken - Air Fryer

For the Thai Chicken Bites:

• 1 lb chicken thighs, boneless & skinless, chopped
• kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp gochugaru (Korean chili flakes), optional
• avocado oil spray

For the Thai sweet chili sauce:

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsps coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsps light tamari (or light soy sauce)
• 1 1/2 tbsps sambal oelek
• 1 tsp arrowroot flour

For serving:

• sliced cucumber
• Thai basil
• sesame seeds

For the chicken bites:

1. Add the cubed chicken to a bowl and season with kosher salt.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together both flours, garlic powder, ginger and gochugaru.
4. Dredge each piece of chicken into the flour and tap off excess and place in the buttermilk. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. 
5. Remove chicken pieces from the buttermilk one at a time and transfer back to the flour and coat on all sides. Place the chicken bites on a large plate or lined baking sheet and let them sit for 10 minutes. This helps the coating stay on better.
6. Preheat the air fryer to 390℉ and spray with a bit of avocado oil. Place chicken bites into the air fryer, leaving space between each bite. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. There is no need to flip pieces, just open halfway through and spray with more oil as needed to make sure the flour is coated and can get crispy.

For the Sauce:

1. While the chicken is marinating in the buttermilk, make the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine the rice vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, tamari and sambal oelek. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer for eight to nine minutes.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the arrowroot and about 1 tsp water. Pour this into the simmering sauce and whisk to combine.
3. Turn the heat off once thickened, about 30 seconds to one minute. Set aside.

To assemble:

1. Remove the crispy chicken bites and place in a bowl. Toss with the Thai sweet chili sauce and transfer to a serving dish.
2. Garnish with sliced cucumber, Thai basil and sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!