copycat recipe

Air Fryer Salt & Pepper Calamari Recipe

August 21, 2022 Leave a Comment

Air fryer Salt & Pepper Calamari is a Chinese takeout classic! This air fried calamari is crispy, crunchy, and spicy. A healthy & easy copycat recipe to make at home! Delicious squid coated in seasoned flour, air fried till golden brown & topped with stir fried garlic, chili, and green onions.

Air fryer Salt and Pepper Calamari with chilli sauce

Tips on how to best prep calamari / squid

Squid / Calamari does require attention to detail when preparing for cooking, here are some tips on how best to prepare squid safely and cut into your desired shape.

How to clean calamari

The best way to clean squid / calamari will depends on whether it is purchased whole or already pre prepped into squid rings. Frozen and fresh squid rings tend to be cleaned already so just require washing under cold water and placing on paper towels to drain. For whole squid cleaning is more rigorous as you need to remove the innards, head, beak, cartilage tube, cut the tentacles off and pullback the skin. Once completed wash in cold water and prep for cooking, you should be left with clean white squid tubes.

How to tenderize calamari

Calamari can be tenderised by marinating and soaking the calamari in a bowl of buttermilk for a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge, which will help the squid be less chewy. The acidity in the buttermilk will help to tenderise the flesh. You can rinse the buttermilk off when ready for cooking or keep the buttermilk for breaded calamari recipes.

Find more great air fryer recipes below

How to cut calamari rings

Place a freshly cleaned whole calamari tube onto a chopping board, press down on the calamari with one hand so it lays completely flat and then slice vertically into thin strips.

How to cut calamari so it curls

To make calamari that curls simply slice a freshly cleaned whole calamari tube down one side, on a chopping board. The calamari should now be lying flat. Using a very sharp knife to gently score the calamari diagonally across from each side, leaving a 1cm gap approximately between each scored line. Ensure not to pierce through the calamari fully. Repeat the process again on the same side but in the opposite direction, this will create little diamond pattens on the flesh. Once completed cut into a diamond shaped calamari pieces or strips. The diagonal criss-cross pattern will help the squid curl whilst deep frying, air frying, cooked in an oven, grilled, or sautéed

How to tell if squid is bad

There are a few signs to look out for to know whether squid has gone bad.

Although fish naturally has a smell and can be slippery to touch, the squid should not be excessively smelling or slimy
Another sign is if the squid is no longer white and has changed colour slightly to red/yellow
If the squid is no longer shiny but dull this could also be a sign the squid has gone bad

Is calamari squid or octopus

Although similar in appearance calamari is not octopus. Calamari and fresh squid are also not the same often confused as just the Italian word / pronunciation. Squid and calamari are two different species with squid tending to be cheaper compared to calamari which is more expensive and more tender in texture.

How to bread calamari

Calamari can be breaded with various ingredients such as panko breadcrumbs, semolina flour, golden breadcrumbs, all-purpose flour, corn starch / cornflour, and rice flour. To get the breading / flour to stick to calamari you need to lightly cover the calamari in flour first then dip into an egg mixture before dipping into your chosen breadcrumbs or seasoned flour.

Can you cook calamari without flour?

Calamari can also be great without flour and served on its own with a marinade, sauteed in a frying pan with butter, olive oil or deep fried in hot oil with a gluten free flour coating as a substitute for dietary needs.

How long to cook calamari

One of the worst things you can do is overcooking calamari as it can become very chewy. Cooking calamari at a high temperature with a short cooking time will ensure its tender when eating. For this air fryer recipe, the fresh coated calamari pieces are air fried for 6-7 minutes at 374 degrees f /190°C. The size of the pieces are quite small so you would need to increase the cook time if you cut them larger. When cooking frozen calamari, you will need to increase the length of cooking time.

Air Fryer Salt & Pepper Calamari Recipe

Copycat salt and pepper calamari can be made at home as a fakeaway recipe that tastes pretty close to the version from Chinese restaurants. This Chinese seasoning can be found on wings, chips, king prawns, chicken thighs, and calamari. You will need the following key ingredients to make at home:

Squid

Fresh whole small squid tubes / calamari tubes or Fresh squid ring
Fish Sauce
Shaoxing wine
Egg whites

Seasoned salt & pepper flour

Rice flour
White pepper
Ground black pepper (or ground Sichuan peppercorns)
Garlic powder
Chinese 5 spice
Salt

Salt & Pepper Stir fry Vegetables

Fresh garlic minced
Spring onions / green onions
Red & Green chillies
Sesame seed oil
Salt

Garnishes

Lime wedges, sweet chilli sauce and fresh herbs (coriander)

Air fryer Salt and Pepper Calamari raw squid

Air fryer Salt and Pepper Calamari ingredients

How to make calamari in the air fryer

Preparing calamari: Clean, prep and cut squid tubes (if purchased whole) into your desired shape, either a diamond pattern or squid rings. *Check the recipe notes for tips

Marinating calamari: Place the calamari into a shallow bowl, add Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, and stir.

Dredging: In a separate bowl mix together all the seasoned flour mixture ingredients. Add a handful of the marinated calamari pieces into the bowl, using your hands to coat each piece. Then dip the floured calamari into a bowl of whisked egg whites and finally dredge again in the seasoned flour mixture. The double coating will help to fully cover the calamari. Place them on a greased wire rack as you will need to do this process in batches

Air frying calamari: Add to the calamari into the air fryer basket in a single layer, use a nonstick cooking spray or brush with oil to generously cover the floured calamari. Air fry for 5 minutes at 375 °F /190°C, flip over and then air fryer for a further 2 minutes.

Salt & Pepper Stir fry Vegetables: Place a small frying pan onto the stove at a medium heat. Pour in some sesame oil and stir fry the 2 minutes, adding the green onions last.

Combine: Mix together the crispy calamari with the stir fried vegetables and serve with lime or lemon slices, sweet chilli dipping sauce with a coriander garnish.

Air fryer Salt and Pepper Calamari in a basket

How to reheat calamari

Calamari is best eaten hot once cooked however leftover calamari can be reheated in 3 ways, the microwave, air fryer and in the oven. Though it should be noted reheating squid does make the texture chewier.

How to reheat calamari in microwave

Now although reheating calamari in a microwave, by placing it on a microwave safe plate, is one of the quickest options at 2-3 minutes (depending on the portion size) the texture of the calamari will no longer be as crispy if breaded and will become slightly soggy.

How to reheat fried calamari in air fryer

Place the calamari in small batches into the air fryer basket, make sure you do this in a single layer to maximise crispiness and even cooking. Air fry for 3 minutes at 356 °F /180°C.

How to reheat fried calamari in oven

Lay the calamari on an oven sheet, ensuring they do not overlap. Preheat the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes at 356 °F /180°C.

How do you cook frozen calamari in an air fryer

For the best results using fresh calamari will ensure the most tender texture. However, you can buy raw frozen calamari rings and leave to thaw overnight in the fridge in a sealed container. Once thawed you can continue, clean, season or flour coat the calamari.

How to cook calamari rings from frozen

Premade frozen calamari squid rings are a great connivence product that can be cooked in the air fryer from frozen without the need to thaw. Once the calamari rings have been removed from the packaging place into the air fryer spray or brush with oil and cook for 365 °F /185°C for total time of 8-10 minutes. Flip the calamari rings halfway through cooking.

2. Air fryer Salt and Pepper Calamari dipped in sriracha mayo

Air fryer Salt and Pepper Calamari dipped in chilli sauce

What do you dip calamari in

Crispy calamari taste’s even better when dipped in sauce! There are a variety of sauces and ingredients that you can add to a small bowl and serve as an appetizer. Here are some of the best dipping sauces to choose from below:

Sweet chilli sauce
Thai Chilli Lime Sauce
Siracha chilli sauce
Cocktail sauce
Siracha mayo
regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
red chili pepper and garlic sauce
Garlic aioli
Chilli oil
Creamy lemon sauce
Marinara sauce
Ginger, garlic, oyster sauce dip
A squeeze of lemon juice

Nutritional information

How healthy is calamari

Calamari is a good choice as it has high levels of high levels of omega-3s, vitamin b12 and protein. Another great thing is that air frying is a healthy version of cooking calamari instead of deep frying.

Keto calamari air fryer

Calamari cooked in the air fryer can be a great low carb delicious appetizer. The rice flour could be substituted for a low carb flour alternative or the calamari without bereding ding will also be keto compliant

How many calories in salt and pepper squid

This easy air fryer calamari recipe yields for servings at 180 calories per portion approximately.

What to serve with fried calamari

Calamari can be served with many dishes or as a stand-alone dish. Here are some suggestions of what to serve calamari with.

Stir fried noodles
AIR FRYER GARLIC PARMESAN TRUFFLE FRIES
Stir fried vegetables
Egg fried rice
Tempura vegetables
Pasta dishes

Air Fryer Salt & Pepper Calamari Recipe

Author: Catherine
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Ingredients

Scale

Squid/Calamari

Fresh whole calamari/squid – 4 x small squid tubes cleaned no tentacles / 230 – 250 g (do not use frozen squid, *check recipe notes below)
Fish Sauce – 2 x tablespoons
Shaoxing wine – 1 x tablespoon
Egg whites – 2 x eggs whisked

Seasoned flour

Rice flour – 1 x Cup
White pepper – 1 x teaspoon
Ground black pepper – ½ teaspoon
Garlic powder – 1 x tablespoon
Chinese 5 spice – 1 x teaspoon
Salt 1 x teaspoon

Salt & Pepper Stir Fry Vegetables

Fresh garlic minced – 1 x tablespoon
Spring onions / green onions – 2 x stalks finely sliced
Small Red & Green chillies – 1-3 finely sliced
Sesame seed oil – 1 x tablespoon
Salt – ½ teaspoon

Garnish

Lime wedges, sweet chilli sauce and fresh herbs (coriander)

Instructions

Preparing calamari: Clean, prep and cut squid tubes (if purchased whole) into your desired shape, either a diamond pattern or squid rings. *Check the recipe notes for tips
Marinating calamari: Place the calamari into a shallow bowl, add Shaoxing wine, fish sauce, and stir.
Dredging: In another bowl mix together all the seasoned flour mixture ingredients. Add a handful of the marinated calamari pieces into the bowl, using your hands to coat each piece. Then dip the floured calamari into a bowl of whisked egg whites and finally dredge again in the seasoned flour mixture. The double coating will help to fully cover the calamari. Place them on a greased wire rack as you will need to do this process in batches
Salt & Pepper Stir fry Vegetables: Place a small frying pan onto the stove at a medium heat. Pour in some sesame oil and stir fry the 2 minutes, adding the green onions last.
Combine: Mix together the crispy calamari with the stir fried vegetables and serve with lime or lemon slices, sweet chilli dipping sauce with a coriander garnish.
Air frying calamari: Add to the calamari into the air fryer basket in a single layer, use a nonstick cooking spray or brush with oil to generously cover the floured calamari. Air fry for 5 minutes at 375 °F /190°C flip over and then air fryer for a further 2 minutes.

Notes

*How to cut calamari rings: Place a freshly cleaned, whole calamari tube onto a chopping board, press down on the calamari with one hand so it lays completely flat and then slice vertically into thin strips.

*How to cut calamari so it curls: To make calamari that curls simply slice a freshly cleaned whole calamari tube down one side, on a chopping board. The calamari should now be lying flat. Using a very sharp knife to gently score the calamari diagonally across from each side, leaving a 1cm gap approximately between each scored line. Ensure not to pierce through the calamari fully. Repeat the process again on the same side but in the opposite direction, this will create little diamond pattens on the flesh. Once completed cut into a diamond shaped calamari pieces or strips. The diagonal criss-cross pattern will help the squid curl whilst deep frying, air frying, cooked in an oven, grilled, or sautéed

*Check blog post for tips on how to clean squid/calamari

*Fresh squid will provide the best tender results, raw frozen whole squid or pre cut frozen squid rings tend to be more tougher. Though you can use this if you are unable to source fresh squid

Prep Time: 18
Cook Time: 7
Category: appetizer
Method: Air Frying
Cuisine: Chinese

Keywords: Air fryer chinese salt and pepper calamari squid

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Pf Chang’s Air Fryer Orange Chicken

July 14, 2021 Leave a Comment

Crispy, Sweet and Healthy Copycat Air Fryer Easy Orange Chicken Recipe inspired by the P.F Chang’s Asian Table restaurant! This easy recipe is so mouth-wateringly good! The combination of juicy chicken thighs coated in a sweet and TASTY orange peel sauce is so DELICIOUS!

Now who doesn’t love some crispy orange chicken! Drenched in homemade sweet and sticky orange sauce!

What is orange chicken

Orange chicken is a family favorite recipe combining boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs coated in corn starch, deep fried or air fried, mixed in a small saucepan with healthy orange chicken sauce and topped with spring onions and sesame seeds. Homemade orange sauce can be made using various ingredients similar to the takeout version: trader joe’s mandarin orange chicken recipe and other fast food chains renditions of this delicious recipe.

Who invented orange chicken

Orange chicken is such a popular takeaway dish and can be made healthier by cooking it in an air fryer ! Many versions of this recipe dish has been recreated by various restaurant and supermarket chains such as Panda express, Trader Joes – Pre cooked frozen orange chicken (in the US) and PF Chang’s Asian Table.

When I visited P.F. Chang’s Asian Table restaurant in London I was blown away by the amazing flavours. Of course, I had to recreate this amazing dish at home with a copycat recipe! P.F. Chang’s is an Asian restaurant concept founded on making food from scratch every day in every restaurant. P.F. Chang’s has 210+ U.S. restaurants, plus over 95 restaurants in more than 25 countries across the globe.

Find more great air fryer recipes below

How to make air fryer PF Chang’s orange chicken

(Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full list or ingredients and instructions on the recipe card)

Air fryer prep: Preheat the air fryer
Prepare chicken batter: Add the diced chicken thighs into a large bowl, pour in the egg whites, then mix. In a separate large bowl mix the dry ingredients together (cornflour, salt, white pepper, garlic powder).
Dredging the chicken: Pour the seasoned flour into a large food bag, slightly drain off the excess egg whites from the chicken mixture, place into the food bag and seal. Shake the food bag continuously until each piece of chicken is coated. Use your hands to massage the chicken into the flour to ensure each piece is coated well.
Air fry: Brush or spray the air fryer basket with a light layer of vegetable oil or avocado oil spray. Shake off the excess flour from the chicken and then place the chicken cornstarch mixture in a single layer into the air fryer. Spray or brush the top of the dredged chicken with a little oil before cooking. Air fry the chicken for the cooking time of 15 minutes at 170°C / 340 °F , turning the chicken pieces half way through the cooking process. The crispy air fryer chicken should be golden brown. If you are unsure if the chicken is cooked you can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken is a minimum of 165 degrees f (75ºC) or over.
How to make p.f changs orange peel chicken sauce: Whilst the chicken is in the air fryer heat a pan to a medium level, add all the orange juice sauce ingredients listed into the pan, bring to the boil and then simmer for 6-8 minutes until the sauce is thick in consistency.
Final step: Mix the cooked chicken pieces and orange sauce in a large serving bowl. Serve with white rice or noodles and enjoy! Store any leftover orange chicken in an airtight container once cooled.

Air fryer orange chicken pieces raw 1 inch cubes

What ingredients are in crispy air fryer orange

This crispy air fryer orange chicken recipe comprises of fresh ingredients for the coated chicken and the flavorful orange sauce. Here’s the ingredients you need below! (you can find the full measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom on this blog post);

Crispy air fried chicken

Boneless chicken thighs
Cornflour/ cornstarch
Egg whites
Salt
Ground white pepper
Garlic Powder
Vegetable oil cooking spray

P.f changs orange peel sauce

Freshly squeezed orange juice
Orange Zest
Light Soy Sauce
Rice vinegar
Fresh garlic cloves
Fresh ground ginger
Siracha sauce
Granulated white sugar or brown sugar
Sesame oil
Cornstarch slurry – 1 x teaspoon
Green onions / spring onions, sesame seeds (optional)

Other alternative ingredients you can also find in orange chicken include: black pepper, potato starch, coconut aminos, oyster sauce, all purpose flour, premade orange sauce packet, olive oil, rice wine vinegar, chicken nuggets, maple syrup, orange marmalade.

Air fryer orange chicken in the basket uncooked

Air fryer orange chicken cooked in the basket

AIR FRYER ORANGE CHICKEN FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is orange chicken spicy

Orange chicken is not typically spicy however you can adjust the flavour by adding red pepper flakes or fresh chillies. Chili flakes add a medium heat to the dish whereas fresh chillies would make this great meal pack a very spicy punch!

What to serve with orange chicken

Asian recipes I find work so well with freshly boiled rice or egg fried rice. Making it an easy dinner using pantry staples from the grocery store.

What to serve with orange chicken besides rice

Besides rice you could also serve orange chicken with lo mein egg noodles, stir fried vermicelli noodles, stir fried vegetables, and brown rice.

Is orange chicken healthy

Air frying pieces of chicken instead of deep frying will reduce the amount of fat in the recipe which in turn lessens the calorific content compared to ordering the takeout version which can be quite greasy like other popular dishes such as general tso chicken, sweet and sour chicken, and sesame chicken. Also, small steps like lining a medium bowl with paper towels to place the crispy chicken pieces on top can help to train off excess oil. Swapping chicken thighs for chicken breast pieces will make the dish leaner and higher in protein.

How to make orange chicken without cornstarch

A great alternative to cornstarch which is also gluten free is Arrowroot flour. This can be a substitute for the chicken flour coating and also used as a thickening agent in the orange sauce.

Reheat orange chicken in the air fryer

The best way to reheat air fryer orange chicken is to place the leftover chicken and sauce into a small bowl or casserole dish which is oven/heat proof, add an ice cube on top, cover with foil and air fry for 5-6 minutes at 170°C / 340 °F. You can add additional time if you use a larger deep bowl rather than a shallow bowl. This technique of reheating will ensure the sauce does not spill into your air fryer and will keep the chicken moist throughout the reheating process.