How to cook Chinese food in an air fryer - with 3 easy recipes to try

It’s that time of year again when we have the perfect excuse for eating Chinese food. Not that we ever need one of course.

I love that you can cook all your favourites more easily and quickly with an air fryer, saving you money on your energy bills and on ordering in takeaways.

The air fryer is particularly good for Chinese food as it can replace the oven, the grill, the microwave and the wok - and you'll get the crispiest food imaginable.

But if you are celebrating Chinese New Year, how do you get started with your air fryer?

I'm a best-selling Sunday Times air fryer author and cook, with more than 10 years experience, and I've got all the tips you need.

How to get started cooking Chinese food in an air fryer

• The simplest way (perfect for the complete air fryer beginner) is with frozen food. A great starting point is a bag of frozen stir fry vegetables. You can air fry them with some diced chicken breast and you have a chicken and veg stir fry.
• Same meal but make it from scratch. Chop up your favourite stir fry veg, then add a little olive oil and seasoning, and cook in the air fryer. You can also mix and match with favourite Chinese sauces - such as teriyaki, black bean, sweet and sour or oyster. 
• Then using the same method why not step it up a level and add your favourite protein and then you have a lovely dinner?

Our best tip for a stir fry in the air fryer

Use fresh egg noodles not dried. You can pick them up from your local supermarket.

These are the kind that you would quickly warm up in the wok and just like the wok cook fast in the air fryer making this recipe an easy go-to. 

Chinese food to cook in an air fryer

1. All your favourite hors d'oeuvres – The prawn toast, spareribs, steamed dumplings, spring rolls, and such like can all be made in the air fryer, or you can buy them and reheat in the air fryer.
2. Crispy Duck – We have an air fryer oven which comes with a rotisserie. We can cook a whole duck in it and smoother it in our favourite Chinese marinade and then serve it with pancakes. Its amazing. You can do the same. Or if you have a smaller air fryer you can opt for just done duck legs with this marinade.
3. Fried Rice – You can also cook most rice recipes in the air fryer, making it ideal if you would like some egg fried rice and such like. Think of rice in the air fryer like you would for baked rice in the oven. And the liquid evaporates as the rice cooks, and you have a delicious fried style rice to enjoy with your Chinese food.
4. Salt & Pepper Chips – Make chips and cook the peppers and chilli at the same time. Toss in Chinese five spice and you have delicious salt and pepper chips.
5. Leftovers Are The Best – Of course, if you have made too much you can always enjoy your leftovers in the air fryer the next day. 160c/320f is the ideal air fryer temperature for reheating food. 

2 easy Chinese air fryer recipes to try

Teriyaki Duck Noodles

Our favourite simple Chinese food, which was inspired by a favourite Chinese restaurant, is duck and noodles.

We make this in the air fryer with duck breast, egg noodles and a mix of your favourite stir fry ingredients.

Then we use teriyaki, but like I mentioned before, you can mix and match to your personal tastebuds. Super-simple and perfect for busy weeknights. 

• Serves 2
• Air Fryer Type: basket/dual
• Prep 8 minutes, cook time 25 minutes
• Calories 1450 

Ingredients

• 2 x 225g/8oz skin-on duck breasts
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
• Salt and black pepper 

For the teriyaki sauce

• 2 x 120g/4¼oz pouches thick teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp ginger purée
• 2 tsp garlic purée
• A splash of soy sauce 

For the stir fry 

• 2 spring onions/scallions
• 300g/10½oz stir fry vegetable mix (we use a mix with carrot, green cabbage, bean sprouts, red (bell) pepper/capsicum and water chestnuts)
• 1 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ½ x 275g/9¾oz pack of fresh egg noodles 

1. Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, into the air fryer basket/ drawer. Rub the tops of the duck with half the olive oil, sprinkle with the Chinese 5-spice powder, and season generously with salt and pepper. Set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and air fry for 5 minutes. 

2. Mix all the teriyaki sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. When the air fryer beeps, flip the duck over with tongs and season the skin side with salt and pepper. Brush about ½ tablespoon of the teriyaki sauce over each duck breast using a pastry brush. Air fry the duck at the same temperature for a further 7 minutes, then remove it from the air fryer and allow it to rest. 

3. For the stir fry, slice the spring onions and set the green parts aside. Put the spring onions whites and the stir fry vegetables in a mixing bowl and add the Chinese 5-spice powder and the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix well with your hands. Tip the stir fry mix into the air fryer basket/drawer and spread it out. Air fry at 180ºC/360ºF for 8 minutes, or until the stir fry mix is starting to get crispy. 

4. Put the remaining teriyaki sauce and the egg noodles into a silicone pan with handles. Once done, add the stir fry vegetables and use a fork to mix everything together so that the noodles and veggies are evenly coated in the sauce. 

5. Place the silicone pan into the air fryer basket and air fry at 180ºC/360ºF for a final 5 minutes, or until the egg noodles are heated through.

6. Slice the duck breasts and serve them on top of the stir fried teriyaki noodles, sprinkled with the spring onion greens.

 Crispy Duck and Pancakes

The first food I ever tried at a Chinese restaurant was crispy duck and pancakes.

It’s now my go-to when I order a Chinese takeaway, but you can do it at home in your air fryer.

• Serves 4
• Air Fryer Type: oven
• Prep 5 minutes, cook time 45 minutes.
• Calories 302 

Ingredients

• 1 tsp garlic purée
• ½ tsp ginger purée
• 2 tbsp clear honey
• ½ tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1.2kg/2lb 10oz whole duck
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp Chinese 5-spice powder
• 12 Chinese pancakes
• ½ cucumber a few spring onions/scallions
• Salt and black pepper 

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic and ginger purées, honey, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Set half aside in another bowl for serving. 

2. Use a knife to create score slashes across the skin of the duck breast, cutting through the fat but making sure you don’t pierce the flesh so it stays juicy. Drizzle the duck with olive oil, sprinkle with the Chinese 5-spice and season with salt and pepper. Rub the seasonings into the duck with your hands until it’s evenly coated. 

3. Next, coat the duck with the sauce using a pastry brush, making sure you cover it completely. 

4. Tie up the duck legs with string, then push the rod all the way through the duck until it comes out the other side. Feed a clamp onto the rod until the spikes of the clamp are firmly skewering the duck. Repeat for the opposite end so that the bird is clamped in place. Make sure the clamp is attached to duck meat, not the bone. 

5. Position the duck so that it is in the middle of the rod. Once in the middle, tighten the screws. Carefully place the duck in the air fryer oven, positioning the rod in the rotisserie socket. Make sure that it is hooked in properly on both sides and that it won’t fall off. 

6. Set the temperature to 180ºC/360ºF and air fry the duck for 45 minutes, or until the duck reaches an internal temperature of 60ºC/140ºF or above, depending how you like your duck. Remove the duck from the rod and allow it to cool before carving. 

7. While the duck is resting, make your crispy duck platter. Add the reserved sauce to a bowl, get out your pancakes and slice your cucumber and spring onion into thin matchsticks. 08 Once the duck is cool enough to handle, shred the duck. Pile it onto a serving platter with the pancakes, cucumber and spring onion and serve with the sauce on the side.

Everyone can help themselves, filling the pancakes with a layer of the sauce, shredded duck, cucumber and spring onion, then an extra drizzle of the sauce. Crispy duck