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Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken

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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 on a white plate

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!  

chopstick picking up 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.
air fryer teriyaki chicken ingredients

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.

air fryer teriyaki chicken marinating in a bowl

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 fryer teriyaki chicken in the air friyer

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.

basting air fryer teriyaki chicken

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. 
air fryer teriyaki chicken on a spoon

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you put raw chicken in an air fryer?

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.

Is teriyaki marinade the same as teriyaki sauce?

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.

air fryer teriyaki chicken on a white plate with a side of rice

Other Air Fryer Chicken Dishes You’ll Love

air fryer teriyaki chicken on a white plate

Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken

Relle Lum
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.
4 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Marinate 2 hours
Course Dinner
Cuisine Local
Servings 4
Calories 237 kcal

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

Serving: 1gCalories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 25gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 108mgSodium: 2002mgPotassium: 434mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 27IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 1mg
Keyword air fryer, air fryer teriyaki chicken, chicken, keeping it relle, teriyaki, teriyaki chicken
Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag @keeping.it.relle on Instagram so I can see all your delicious creations and Let me know how it was!

© 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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By on February 23rd, 2023

About Relle

Aloha, my name is Relle and welcome to my little home on the internet where I like to share all my favorite Hawaiian recipes (and local ones too).

I am a wife, mom of two, and nurse practitioner here in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I was born and raised in Hawai’i and I am of native Hawaiian descent. In my spare time I love to cook and bake and I have compiled many of my favorite recipes here for you to enjoy.

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