Make authentic Chinese lamb skewers using an air fryer to create perfectly charred lamb pieces that are juicy and seasoned with a bold savory spice mix. The dish takes no time to put together and it’s so fun to eat either as an appetizer, a snack, or a part of the main course of your grilling party! {Gluten-Free adaptable}
Chinese lamb skewers, or chuar (串儿), originally came from Xinjiang, the largest region in the northwest of China. It has become an iconic street snack in Northern China and I considered it a hometown food growing up in Beijing.
Xinjiang lamb skewers are similar to Middle Eastern style lamb kebabs, but vary in the size of the cut and the way they’re seasoned. The most common type you’ll find in Beijing are the smaller skewers. For a dinner for two, it’s not strange that they’d start by ordering a few dozen skewers paired with cold beer. The skewers are marinated with a rich savory sauce and aromatics, then heavily seasoned with cumin powder and Chinese chili powder while on the grill.
I’ve shared the grilled version of the lamb skewers in the past. Today I can’t wait to share this air fryer version, which is super easy to prepare, takes no time to cook, and lets you enjoy the lamb skewers throughout the year without a grill!
Air fryer lamb skewer ingredients
What cut of lamb to use
Chinese street vendors usually use a combination of lean and fat pieces. The lean pieces are larger, with smaller fat pieces in between. The lamb fat will mostly melt away during grilling and become crispy brown bits. The combination of grilled lamb meat with fat tastes even better than crispy bacon.
I found lamb leg is the best cut to make air fryer lamb skewers. You can either use a boneless cut or a bone-in one. You can choose to trim off the fat part and thread it between the pieces of lean meat on the skewer. If you do not like fatty cuts, it’s also OK to skip the fat pieces in between. However, I do prefer to leave a very thin layer of fat on the lean lamb meat, which keeps the skewers juicy.
Marinating ingredients
You should always marinate the lamb before air frying, which makes the skewers burst with flavor.
The marinating ingredients are quite simple and you probably already have most of them in your pantry, including soy sauce, cumin powder, and chili flakes.
Shaoxing wine is an ingredient that was not originally used in Xinjiang lamb skewers, since they are supposed to be halal. But when the food got popular and spread all over Northern China, we preferred to use a little wine to add richness to the flavor. Plus, the wine also masks the gaminess of the lamb.
Sichuan peppercorn is another optional ingredient that adds a lot of umami to the dish. Replace it with black pepper if you do not have Sichuan peppercorns on hand.
How to make air fryer lamb skewers
Making air fryer lamb skewers is super easy. All you need to do is:
- Soak the skewers so they won’t burn in the air fryer
- Marinate the lamb at room temperature for 30 minutes
- Thread the lamb pieces onto the skewers
- Air fry for 10 minutes, rotating them halfway through
NOTE: to make the authentic tasting Xinjiang lamb skewers, you should heavily sprinkle cumin and chili flakes during the air frying process. I recommend sprinkling both at least once halfway through the cooking. You can sprinkle a bit more towards the end, when there’s only 1 to 2 minutes left.
How to serve and store air fryer lamb skewers
The lamb skewers taste the best when they’re just cooked and still piping hot. You can serve them as an appetizer, a snack, or one of the main courses. Although we usually snack on the skewers by themselves at a restaurant, it’s totally OK to serve them on the side or serve them as a main course. Steamed rice, sweet potato fries, a bed of hummus and a green salad are all perfect options for sides.
If you have leftover lamb skewers, simply reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F (176°C) until warmed throughout.
More delicious air fryer recipes
- Air Fryer Garlic Ribs (蒜香排骨)
- Air Fryer Char Siu Pork
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries
- Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Chicken
- Air Fryer Fries with Spice Mix
- Air Fryer Tofu with Broccoli and Carrot
Air fryer Lamb Skewers (羊肉串儿)
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) lamb leg (or stew meat, or medallions) (*See footnote 1)
- 1/2 onion , sliced
- 20 6" (15 cm) bamboo skewers
Marinade
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry) (Optional)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons cumin powder , and extra for cooking
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes , and extra for cooking
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn (or ground black pepper)
Instructions
- Combine oil, soy sauce, cornstarch, cumin powder, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl. Mix well.
- Trim fat from the lamb meat if necessary. Cut the lean part into 1.5-cm (1") cubes. Cut fat into thin pieces half the size of the lean pieces.
- Add the lamb and onion into a big bowl. Pour the marinade over the lamb. Mix well so the lamb is covered evenly with the marinade. Let marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.
- Thread lamb cubes closely onto skewers, alternating between lean meat and fat pieces.
- When ready to cook, preheat the air fryer to 400°F (200°C). Place skewers into the preheated air fryer and air fryer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until charred on the outside and tender on the inside. Halfway through, turn the lamb skewers and sprinkle a generous amount of cumin powder and chili powder on both sides. Serve hot.
This was an incredible winner! I used a couple of shoulder blade lamb chops. I marinaded them for about 4 hours in the fridge.The marinade created the perfect velvet-y texture for the meat. I don’t have a countertop air fryer, but I have a Samsung oven with an airfryer feature. It doesn’t scorch as hot as the countertops, so I cranked it up to 490 for most of the cooking, then gave it a flash under the broiler. The crispy outside mixed so well with that very tender velvet inside. It was, no lie, the most velvet-y tender lamb I’ve had. And the spice mix was just perfect!
Love your recipes. Just a question: Is 1.5cm correct for the lamb pieces? They look larger in the picture and I worry that at 1.5cm they’ll be well done or maybe burned.
Thanks, Ken
Yes they are! I used very small skewers (6″ / 15cm) and they might look big on the photo, but in reality the skewers are quite small (much smaller than kebab size).
This looks amazing! My family doesn’t enjoy lamb, any tips if I sub with beef?
You can definite use beef. Happy cooking!
Hello. Was wondering what you do with the onion? Thanks.
The onion is for marinating only and I usually toss them afterwards. But I did had reader who ended up grill these onion on a griddle and had great result.
I love lamb and the spices look terrific but I just want to be sure that the lamb is cut into 1/2″ cubes. This seems so small and the picture seems to show larges pieces of lamb. Thanks for clarifying this for me.
Hi Ken, I’m sorry for the typo! It’s more like 1″ pieces. I just updated the recipe and now the measurement is correct. Hope you like the dish!