Air fryer teriyaki chicken is full of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors and is so easy to whip up in the air fryer! Made with simple ingredients, it’s a restaurant-quality meal that you can make at home.
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken: A Tasty Weeknight Dinner Idea
Mahalo to Foodland Hawai’i for sponsoring this post. As always, thoughts and opinions are my own.
We’re huge fans of teriyaki in my house! I just can’t get enough of the sweet, savory, and umami flavor. I’m not the only one on the Island that loves it!
When Japanese immigrants arrived in Hawai’i in the 19th century, they created a new marinade (dubbed teriyaki) by combining local ingredients like pineapple juice with soy sauce. Today’s version is slightly different, but it still boasts a combination of sweet and salty flavors that are associated with the original sauce.
I’ve already shared recipes like air fryer teriyaki salmon, grilled teriyaki burgers, and air fryer teriyaki meatballs. Today’s dish is another yummy teriyaki recipe: air fryer teriyaki chicken!
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Key Ingredients
(Full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post)
- Chicken. I typically use boneless skinless chicken thighs that I chop into bite-sized pieces. You could also use whatever kind of chicken you have on hand.
- Shoyu. A type of Japanese soy sauce, shoyu is bursting with umami flavor.
- Mirin. Another Japanese ingredient, mirin is sweetened Japanese rice wine. It adds more sweetness to this dish!
- Sake. Most traditional teriyaki sauce recipes will call for sake, a type of Japanese alcohol made from fermented rice.
- Sugar. I told you that teriyaki sauce is sweet! You’ll only need a few tablespoons, but it makes all the difference.
- Ginger. I love incorporating a bit of fresh sliced ginger into the mix. It balances out all of the sweetness and adds a bite to your teriyaki sauce.
- Maika’i Whole Peeled Garlic. Save time by having already peeled garlic. You can find this in the produce section at your local Foodland.
How to make perfect Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Create the teriyaki sauce. Add the shoyu, mirin, sake, sugar, ginger, and garlic to a medium bowl and mix until well combined. Place ¼ to ½ cups of your teriyaki sauce in a separate container — you’ll need it later!
Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in the bowl with the teriyaki sauce, cover, and place it in the fridge. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight is better if you have the time.
Preheat your air fryer. Once the chicken has marinated, preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees F.
Make the teriyaki glaze. Pour the reserved ¼ to ½ cup of teriyaki sauce into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the cornstarch and water to a small bowl and mix to create a slurry. Pour it into the saucepan and stir until the glaze is heated through — it should also thicken.
Place the chicken in the air fryer. Spray your air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray, then add the chicken in a single layer.
Air fry. Allow the chicken to cook for 6 minutes, then flip it over. Brush the teriyaki glaze on top and cook for another 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
Cool & serve. Let the chicken cool a bit and serve with your side of choice. Enjoy!
Tips
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Aim to air fry your chicken in a single layer for the best results. You can always work in batches if you have to!
- Save time with my homemade teriyaki sauce. I use teriyaki sauce so much that I decided to create and bottle my own to have on hand. You can find it here — just remember to add in the garlic and ginger before you make your cornstarch slurry!
- Add more spices and seasonings. I tried to keep this recipe as simple and straightforward as possible. That said, you can add in more seasonings if you want. Red pepper flakes are great for my spicy food lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! You don’t need to worry about pre-cooking your chicken before you place it in the air fryer basket to cook. The most important thing to keep in mind is that your air fryer teriyaki chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F for it to be safe to eat.
Teriyaki sauce and teriyaki marinade are typically made of the same ingredients, but the sauce is used to add flavor to whatever you put it on when you cook it. You’ll use the marinade to add flavor to your protein (like chicken) before you bake or air fry it, then add the sauce later as a glaze.
Other Air Fryer Chicken Dishes You’ll Love
- Delicious and Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Bites
- Air Fryer Pesto Chicken Bake
- Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
- Easy Crispy Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shoyu
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 1/3 cup sake
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 inch ginger sliced
- 3 Maika'i Garlic Cloves finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch cubes
Instructions
- To a medium bowl add shoyu, mirin, sake, sugar, ginger, and garlic. Mix until well combined. Reserve ¼ to ½ cup of the teriyaki sauce in another container.
- Add the chicken to the teriyaki sauce bowl, cover, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Once the chicken has marinated, preheat the air fryer to 380F.
- While the air fryer is preheating, make the teriyaki glaze. Add the reserved teriyaki sauce to a small saucepan set over medium heat. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl and pour the slurry into the pan. Stir until heated through and the sauce thickens up.
- Once the air fryer has preheated, spray the basket with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken in the basket in a single layer.
- Cook the chicken for 6 minutes, flip, and brush the teriyaki glaze over the chicken. Cook for another 5-6 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165F.
- Allow to cool slightly and ENJOY!
Notes
Tips
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Aim to air fry your chicken in a single layer for the best results. You can always work in batches if you have to!
- Save time with my homemade teriyaki sauce. I use teriyaki sauce so much that I decided to create and bottle my own to have on hand. You can find it here — just remember to add in the garlic and ginger before you make your cornstarch slurry!
- Add more spices and seasonings. I tried to keep this recipe as simple and straightforward as possible. That said, you can add in more seasonings if you want. Red pepper flakes are great for my spicy food lovers.
Nutrition
© Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!
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