Try this air fryer teriyaki chicken recipe for an effortless dinner ready in 30 minutes or less! Chicken thighs are infused with sweet and savory teriyaki flavors, then crisped to golden-brown perfection. Serve them as-is or with a side of vegetables for a balanced, high-protein meal.
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Why this recipe works
- Easy: Only simple, everyday ingredients are required for air fryer chicken, making this recipe approachable for all levels of home cooks.
- Healthy: Using an air fryer is a healthier alternative to deep-frying or pan-frying, yielding a similar texture with less oil.
- Quick: In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have dinner on the table for your family to enjoy.
What is air fryer teriyaki chicken?
Teriyaki chicken is a popular Japanese dish that’s full of bold, savory, sweet, and umami elements. The chicken is typically marinated in a sauce made primarily of soy sauce, brown sugar, mirin, garlic, and ginger, then cooked over high heat.
On the other hand, air fryer teriyaki chicken utilizes similar ingredients but crisps everything up in the air fryer. This way, you’ll have your oven free to make flavorful sides like honey-roasted carrots or mashed potato squash!
With how quick and simple this recipe is to prepare, you can understand how it’s become a go-to for my house. Serve it for your own household, and watch as they sprint for seconds!
Ingredient notes
Full ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken thighs: I prefer chicken thighs to chicken breasts since they are much more flavorful and fit in my air fryer better. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work best.
- Soy sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce will result in a perfectly seasoned teriyaki sauce. If you only have regular soy sauce, your sauce may turn out overly salty. Opt for gluten free soy sauce, tamari, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos if you are following a gluten-free diet.
- Mirin: Mirin is a type of Japanese rice wine that imparts a subtle tang while also thickening the sauce and tenderizing the chicken. You can find mirin in the Asian section of your grocery store, or online. You can replace it with rice vinegar. It’s sweeter than rice vinegar, so make sure to add a touch more sugar if you are replacing it though, and you will need to thicken the sauce. (See instructions in the helpful tips section below).
- Brown sugar: For a deep, rich, and complex sauce, brown sugar is the best option. If you don’t have brown sugar, substitute coconut sugar, muscovado sugar, or turbinado sugar.
- Garlic & ginger: Both classic teriyaki seasonings, add garlic powder and dried ginger. If you prefer fresh ginger and garlic, make sure they’re grated or finely minced.
How to make air fryer teriyaki chicken
Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- First, trim any visible fat off of the chicken thighs, then place the chicken in a non-reactive dish or a zip-lock freezer bag.
- Stir together the soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a bowl.
- Pour half of the sauce over the chicken. Cover it with plastic wrap, and leave it to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- When the chicken is almost done marinating, preheat the air fryer to 400°F, and spray the basket lightly with cooking oil.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and discard the marinade. Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving some space around each piece. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, add the remaining teriyaki sauce to a saucepan, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. The sauce will bubble and foam as it cooks.
- Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, whisking frequently to stir down any foam. Remove the teriyaki sauce from the heat immediately. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, brush teriyaki sauce on all sides of each piece.
- Cook the chicken for another 5 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. For accurate readings, use an instant-read thermometer.
- Brush more teriyaki sauce over the chicken before serving.
Storage & reheating
For any leftover air fryer teriyaki chicken, follow these quick and easy storage tips to keep it fresh:
- Fridge: Transfer the leftover chicken thighs to an airtight container, and they will last for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: To freeze leftovers, let the chicken thighs completely cool. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag, then store them for up to 1 month.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw the chicken in your fridge overnight. Reheat the chicken thighs in an air fryer for 4-5 minutes at 375°F. Alternatively, you can heat them in the microwave in 60-second bursts, or until warm.
Variations
- Spicy: Make a spicy teriyaki sauce by adding fresh chilis, cayenne powder, red pepper flakes, or your favorite hot sauce.
- Sesame: Add sesame oil to your teriyaki sauce for a toasted flavor. You could even add sesame seeds for a unique textural element!
- Hoisin: For an equally umami-rich flavor, replace the teriyaki sauce with homemade or store-bought hoisin sauce.
Helpful tips
- Air Fryer Liners: I always use a silicone liner in my air fryer. It eliminates the need for any oil in this recipe and others. It also makes cleanup a breeze.
- Don't overcook: Be careful not to overcook as it may result in dry chicken. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165° using an instant read thermometer.
- Brush halfway: Don’t forget to brush the chicken with teriyaki sauce after 15 minutes, which helps infuse the flavors and prevent it from drying out.
- Thickening the sauce: If you replaced the mirin with rice vinegar, make a cornstarch slurry with ½-tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, then add this to the simmering sauce. If you do have mirin, the sauce might seem too thin. Don't worry, though, it will thicken as it cools.
Common questions
Air fryers don’t have to be preheated. However, most manufacturers recommend 3 minutes of preheating, depending on the make and model.
This recipe is gluten-free because I use gluten free soy sauce. You can also use tamari, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos to make this recipe gluten-free. Just double-check the brand to make sure it’s certified gluten-free.
Store-bought teriyaki sauce often contains high amounts of sugar. Making your own teriyaki sauce gives you control over the ingredients, meaning you can make healthier choices and customize your marinade.
Yes, you can bake this teriyaki chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°. Place chicken pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, brushing the sauce on in the last ten minutes. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reads 165° using an instant read thermometer.
Serving suggestions
Make this air fryer teriyaki chicken a full meal with vegetable-forward side dishes like Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables, Air Fryer Zucchini, Air Fryer Spaghetti Squash, Air Fryer Carrots, or Irish Mashed Potatoes.
Related recipes
If you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner, try some more of these quick and easy proteins made in the air fryer:
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup soy sauce use gluten free if needed
- ¼ cup mirin
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger
Instructions
- Trim chicken of visible fat.
- Place the chicken in a non reactive dish or a zip lock freezer bag.
- Stir together soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
- Pour half of the sauce over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer to 400° and spray lightly with cooking oil spray
- Discard the marinade and place chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving space around each piece.
- Cook the chicken for 15 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, put the remaining teriyaki sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to low. The sauce will bubble and foam.
- Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes, whisking often to stir down any foam. Remove from heat immediately. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, brush teriyaki sauce on all sides of each piece.
- Cook the chicken for another 5 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165° using an instant read thermometer.
- Brush more teriyaki sauce over the chicken before serving.
Notes
- Air Fryer Liners: I always use a silicone liner in my air fryer. It eliminates the need for any oil in this recipe and others. It also makes cleanup a breeze.
- Don't overcook: Be careful not to overcook as it may result in dry chicken. The chicken is done when the internal temperature reaches 165° using an instant read thermometer.
- Brush halfway: Don’t forget to brush the chicken with teriyaki sauce after 15 minutes, which helps infuse the flavors and prevent it from drying out.
- Thickening the sauce: If you replaced the mirin with rice vinegar, make a cornstarch slurry with ½-tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, then add this to the simmering sauce. If you do have mirin, the sauce might seem too thin. Don't worry, though, it will thicken as it cools.
- This recipe is gluten-free because I use gluten-free soy sauce. You can also use tamari, liquid aminos, or coconut aminos to make this recipe gluten-free. Just double-check the brand to make sure it’s certified gluten-free.
- Fridge: Transfer the leftover chicken thighs to an airtight container, and they will last for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freezer: To freeze leftovers, let the chicken thighs completely cool. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag, then store them for up to 1 month.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw the chicken in your fridge overnight. Reheat the chicken thighs in an air fryer for 4-5 minutes at 375°F. Alternatively, you can heat them in the microwave in 60-second bursts, or until warm.
- Oven: You can bake this teriyaki chicken in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°. Place chicken pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, brushing the sauce on in the last ten minutes. Chicken is done when the internal temperature reads 165° using an instant read thermometer.
Enri Lemoine
THis recipe is simply perfect. I have a chicken "expert" at home, and he said: "Momma, we should have this chicken once a week." What a compliment!
Colleen
That is a compliment indeed, Enri. It's great to hear that your chicken expert loved the teriyaki chicken! Thanks so much for sharing.
Marie-Pierre
I like your recipes, they are always so well explained and I'm such a visual person, the pictures help a lot. As for this lovely Chicken Teriyaki, going to try this for the kids this weekend. Thanks for the lovely idea!
Colleen
Hi Marie-Pierre. This is wonderful to hear! I strive to make my recipe posts as helpful as possible. If I'm succeeding, that is great to know! Enjoy!
Kristen
We airfry chicken drumsticks all the time but I never even thought to do chicken thighs especially boneless skinless - but they were incredible. A little crispy, super juicy and great flavour. The kids loved it so that's a HUGE win at my house.
Colleen
Hi Kristen! This makes me so happy to hear! I'm glad your family loved this teriyaki chicken. Thanks for letting me know!
Jessica
This was an easy weeknight family dinner - and the sauce was so good! Chicken was cooked to perfection, just like a restaurant meal 😉
Colleen
Hi Jessica, this is great to hear! I'm so happy you & your family loved the teriyaki chicken. Thanks for commenting!
Bernice
What perfect timing! I had chicken out for dinner last night and not a long time to cook it. Enter the air fryer! What a life saver. We both loved this quick and easy chicken recipe and will be making it again.
Colleen
Hi Bernice, I agree, air fryers are a life saver. I'm so glad the timing was perfect and you loved the teriyaki chicken!
Veronika
I love trying new easy recipes in air fryer. This one looks amazing, cannot wait to try it 😉
nancy
this air fryer teriyaki chicken was easy to make and super flavourful! everyone love this easy recipe!
Colleen
I'm glad to hear that your family loved the teriyaki chicken Nancy!
Amanda
I made these last night and loved how they turned out! They had a nice crisp texture, and that teriyaki sauce was so good and added a ton of flavor. Perfect weeknight meal!
Colleen
Great to hear that you loved the teriyaki chicken, Amanda! Thanks for commenting!
Linda
This recipe came out fantastic in my air fryer! The chicken had a wonderful teriyaki flavor and still kept its crispness. Plus it was so easy that I know I'll b making it again and again.
Colleen
Hi Linda, I love hearing this!
veenaazmanov
Thanks for this delicious Teriyaki Chicken recipe. Looks moist, easy and quick to make . Love the glaze and healthier Air Fryer cooking too.
Colleen
You're welcome, Veena. Enjoy!
Marta
We always order teriyaki chicken when we eat out at Japanese restaurants. Your air fryer version makes my life so much easier, and it's tastier to boot.
Colleen
Wow, that's amazing to hear, Marta! I appreciate your feedback.
Stephanie
I am just getting to know my air fryer better, so I'm always on the hunt for new recipes. I love the idea of the chicken coming out crispy rather than soggy from the sauce.
Colleen
This teriyaki chicken is a great place to start getting familiar with your air fryer, Stephanie!
Dannii
I am always looking for new ways to use my air fryer and this looks amazing. Perfectly cooked chicken.
Colleen
I would love to hear how it turns out for you, Dannii!
Beth
I love my air fryer, and I'm always looking for new recipes. This one looks great. I love that teriyaki glaze.
Colleen
Hi Beth, I hope you give this chicken a try!
Jess
I love that these are made in the Air Fryer. It makes life so much easier!
Colleen
You've got that right, Jess! Enjoy!