This Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken has the crispiest skin and is tossed in a homemade teriyaki sauce. Serve these juicy chicken thighs over a bed of steamed white rice for the perfect weeknight dinner.
If you can't get enough crispy chicken skin, try my Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings.
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What is Teriyaki Chicken?
Teriyaki is from Japan originally. Traditionally, it is a cooking method that consists of grilling meat and glazing it with a simple sauce made of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy air fryer basket recipe
- Crispy chicken skin
- The best sweet and spicy teriyaki sauce that is great for meal prep
- Tender & juicy bone in chicken thighs
- Healthy recipe
- Ready in less than 30 minutes
- The best weeknight dinner
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken Thighs: Swap for boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast. You may need to reduce the cooking time.
- Sesame Seed Oil: Be sure to use dark or toasted sesame oil. It has much more flavor than the lighter colored sesame oil.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: Swap for sriracha. I find the chili garlic sauce to have more flavor than sriracha, but it will work in a pinch. Reduce to ½ teaspoon or omit if you are very sensitive to spice.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How To Make Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Quick Overview
- Air fry the chicken thighs, flipping.
- Make the homemade teriyaki sauce.
- Serve crispy thighs with sauce over rice.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the air fryer basket. Season lightly with salt and pepper if desired.
Step 2: Air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Flip the thighs and season again if desired.
Step 3: Air fry for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the chicken skin is crispy and browned. (The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees.)
If the skin is not as crispy as you would like, continue cooking it in 2-3 minute increments.
Step 4: In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce, except the oil & garlic, until well combined.
Step 5: In a small pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until it begins to brown.
Step 6: Reduce the heat the medium low. Add the sauce and simmer until thickened.
Step 7: Finish the chicken thighs with the teriyaki sauce.
The sauce should coat the back of a spoon, but not be too thick. It continues to thicken as it cools. If the sauce gets too thick, add a splash of water to thin it out.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
The bone-in chicken thighs are begging to be served over a bed or rice or noodle. Here are some of my favorite sides to serve with this air fryer teriyaki chicken recipe:
- Instant Pot Basmati Rice
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Spring Rolls
- Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Rice
- Rice Noodles
Expert Tips & Variations
- Every air fryer is different. There are so many different brands, sizes, and types on the market. They all cook a little differently. These cook times and temperatures work for my model but might vary for yours. I always recommend checking on the food as it cooks.
- Don’t overcrowd the basket. This ensures that the chicken skin is crispy. Don’t stack the thighs. Place them in a single layer and space them out.
- Use a meat thermometer. Using a meat thermometer is the best way to ensure the protein is cooked perfectly. Chicken thighs have to be cooked to 165 degrees, but because of their fat content, stay moist even if the internal temperature is higher. So if the chicken is cooked, but the skin is not crispy enough. Continue cooking it in 2-3 minute increments.
- Don’t leave any of the sauce ingredients out. The key to a good sauce is balanced flavors. All of the ingredients are crucial to creating a perfectly balanced teriyaki sauce.
- Don’t overcook the sauce. If you let the sauce simmer for too long, it will become too thick. It will continue to thicken as it cools. On the other hand, if you remove it for the heat too early and it has not thickened, you can always reheat it to thicken it more.
- Serve over rice with extra sauce. I highly recommend serving these teriyaki chicken thighs over a bed of jasmine rice and spooning any extra sauce on top. The rice will soak up and catch all of the extra sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. The air fryer can fully cook chicken in much less time than an oven.
Yes, if the chicken looks dry or the spices look like they are burning, spray the chicken with oil. This also helps moisten the chicken and crisp the skin.
Yes. You can marinate proteins, like chicken, shrimp, beef, or fish. Marinated chicken can be cooked in the air fryer as well. I recommend reserving some of the sauce to glaze the protein after cooking for the most flavor.
Teriyaki sauce should taste sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and have lots of savory notes or umami.
Use cornstarch. I find one tablespoon of cornstarch to plenty to thicken up the sauce. Whisk the cornstarch with water before adding it to the sauce to ensure the cornstarch does not become lumpy.
More Air Fryer Recipes
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Crispy)
Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 4 large bone-in skin on chicken thighs, about 2 pounds*
Teriyaki Sauce
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce*
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil*
- 5 cloves garlic, pressed
Instructions:
- Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the air fryer basket. Season lightly with salt and pepper if desired.
- Air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Flip the thighs and season again if desired.
- Air fry for another 15 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the chicken skin is crispy and browned. (The internal temperature should be at least 165 degrees.)
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the ingredients for the sauce, except the oil & garlic, until well combined.
- In a small pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Sauté the garlic until it begins to brown.
- Reduce the heat the medium low. Add the sauce and simmer until thickened.
- Finish the chicken thighs with the teriyaki sauce.
Notes:
- Chicken Thighs: Swap for boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast. You may need to reduce the cooking time.
- Sesame Seed Oil: Be sure to use dark or toasted sesame oil. It has much more flavor than the lighter colored sesame oil.
- Chili Garlic Sauce: Swap for sriracha. I find the chili garlic sauce to have more flavor than sriracha, but it will work in a pinch. Reduce to ½ teaspoon or omit if you are very sensitive to spice.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer. This ensures that the chicken skin is crispy. Don’t stack the thighs. Place them in a single layer and space them out.
- Don’t overcook the sauce. If you let the sauce simmer for too long, it will become too thick. It will continue to thicken as it cools. On the other hand, if you remove it for the heat too early and it has not thickened, you can always reheat it to thicken it more.
- Serve over rice with extra sauce. I highly recommend serving these teriyaki chicken thighs over a bed of jasmine rice and spooning any extra sauce on top. The rice will soak up and catch all of the extra sauce.
Could I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes. They might dry out a bit though.
Goodness my first try at air fryer chicken and it came out great!! I just bought it the other day and then found your recipe. It was fate!!
Loved the use of the air fryer for these chicken thighs! It made it so easy to make a quick and delicious dinner with little cleanup!
This teriyaki chicken turned out nice and crispy! And the sauce was delicious- next time I am going to double it to have extra for on some rice and veges.
I happen to think chicken thighs are the best part. Air fryers are so great. All the crispiness with less oil.
Teriyaki is my favourite flavour. These teriyaki chicken thighs are the perfect meal for busy weeknights. Packed full of flavour and so easy and quick to make.
This sauce sounds delicious. Can't wait to try this recipe!
Since I bought an air fryer, I can't live without it! It's amazing how useful it is!