Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Crispy)
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.
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 465kcal
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 259mg | Sodium: 1872mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g