Chicken skewers a spicy-sweet revelation

I’m pretty old-school when it comes frying or roasting chicken, usually cooking breasts and thighs in the trusty cast-iron skillet I inherited years ago from my mother.

My kids? Now that they’re on their own, they prefer to do all their frying in an air fryer, a time-saving, user-friendly appliance that makes cooking faster, easier and, in most cases, a little healthier, too.

The egg-shaped cookers produce crispy fried foods with a fraction of the oil used in traditional cooking. All you need is a tiny spritz of oil in the fryer basket or on the food being cooked and you’re good to go.

So when one of my twin daughters came to visit, I felt obligated to pull my air fryer off the shelf in my pantry, dust it off and actually put it to use for the first time in, well, forever.

It helps that I had the perfect recipe already in hand: a banh mi-like sandwich featuring tender chunks of chicken thigh doused in a spicy-sweet sauce.

Every family makes their own version of the creamy, mayonnaise-based dip that’s often associated with the shrimp dish of the same name.

Per my daughter Catherine, ours includes a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a squeeze of fresh lime juice along with the requisite Sriracha and spicy-sweet tang of another favorite Asian condiment: Thai sweet chili sauce.

A perfect balance of heat, salt, sweet and acid, bang bang sauce is often used as a dressing or dipping sauce for egg rolls or french fries. Here, it’s a tasty marinade for chicken thigh kebabs cooked to crispy perfection in the air fryer, and then stuffed into a soft roll and topped with pickled carrots and radish.

Garnish with chopped scallion or chives and, if you really want to spice it up, a dusting of red pepper flakes.

Additionally, you also could serve the chicken with the veggies on top or with rice as a bowl.

Bang Bang Chicken Skewers

Serves 4. Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette

For sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Juice 1/2 lime

Pinch of salt

For quick-pickled veggies:

1 cup julienned or shredded carrot

1 cup julienned or shredded daikon radish

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

For skewers:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh

Wooden or metal skewers, for cooking

1 baguette, cut into 6-inch lengths, and sliced open (you should get 4 pieces)

Chopped chives or green onion, for garnish

Japanese or Korean chili flakes, for garnish (optional)

Prepare sauce: Place mayonnaise, Sriracha, chili sauce, garlic, paprik, rice vinegar and lime juice in a large bowl. (You will be adding chicken.) Stir well to combine, then season to taste with salt. If it’s not spicy enough, add more Sriracha. Reserve about 1/4 cup in another small bowl (for drizzling) and set aside.

Place shredded carrots and radish in a small bowl. In small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and bring to boil on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool it down.

Pour over carrot mixture. Let cool to room temperature; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cut chicken thigh into large cubes. Add to large bowl with bang bang sauce, and stir to combine, making sure all the cubes are well coated in sauce.

If using bamboo skewers, make sure they have soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. (If you score them with a sharp knife, bamboo skewers will easily break into smaller pieces that fit into the air fryer.)

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees. Thread chicken cubes onto skewers, 6 or 7 pieces on each. Place in the air fryer and cook for 8 minutes. Using tongs or your fingers (the meat will be hot!), rotate the skewers and air fry again for another 8 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and internal temperature of chicken is 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove from air fryer to platter. Place one chicken skewer in each of the baguette pieces, and slide out the skewer. Top with pickled vegetables and a drizzle of reserved bang bang sauce.

Garnish with chopped chives or scallions, and chili flakes, if using, and serve.