Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs with homemade teriyaki marinade and sauce are tender and juicy and cook to perfection in under 30 minutes. Delicious and easy dinner recipe the whole family will love.
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This air fryer chicken teriyaki recipe with easy homemade teriyaki sauce is a delicious dinner that comes together quickly with simple ingredients.
The flavorful teriyaki sauce is easy to make and does double duty as a marinade and basting sauce.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs or skin-on bone-in chicken thighs are both are great choices for this delicious teriyaki chicken recipe because they're way more flavorful than chicken breasts -- and hard to overcook.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes with a side steamed broccoli or roasted green beans and a fresh spinach salad.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
Easy weeknight dinner with minimal prep that cooks in under 30 minutes
Juicy, flavorful chicken thighs with a simple homemade teriyaki sauce
Air fryer teriyaki chicken is a versatile dish that's delicious on rice, mashed potatoes, or a fresh salad
Ingredients
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients.
Chicken thighs. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken thighs.
Soy sauce. I use reduced-sodium soy sauce, which is still plenty salty, so there's no need for additional salt.
Rice vinegar. Rice vinegar, aka rice wine vinegar, is a light, mild flavored vinegar. Apple cider vinegar will also work in this recipe.
Ground ginger. If you have fresh ginger, 1-2 tablespoons of that instead. It will be even more delicious!
Cornstarch. Cornstarch is used to thicken the unused portion of the marinade into delicious teriyaki sauce.
How to Make Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
1. Marinate the chicken.
Combine the teriyaki marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar and honey have completely dissolved.
Place the chicken and ½ cup marinade into a ziptop bag or a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes, up to overnight.
2. Make the homemade teriyaki sauce.
Place the unused marinade in a small saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Make a cornstarch slurry with 1 teaspoon each cornstarch and water.
When the marinade comes to a boil, add the cornstarch slurry, and reduce to a simmer. Stir and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce thickens and reduces by about ⅓.
While the sauce is simmering, you can start prepping the air fryer and cooking the chicken.
Place ¼ cup of the teriyaki sauce in a bowl for basting the chicken while it cooks.
Set aside the remaining sauce in a separate bowl for serving with the cooked chicken.
4. Prep the air fryer.
Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees.
Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup. You can also spray the basket with pure olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray.
5. Air fry the chicken.
Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and discard the used marinade.
For boneless skinless chicken thighs:
- Arrange the chicken thighs top side down in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 9 minutes.
- Brush with sauce, flip the chicken, and air fry for 5 more minutes.
- Brush with sauce and air fry for 4 - 6 more minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165 degrees F, up to 175-195
For bone-in skin-on chicken thighs:
- Place the chicken thighs in the air fryer basket skin side down.
- Air fry for 10 minutes.
- Brush with sauce and air fry for 5 more minutes.
- Flip the chicken, brush with sauce and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Turn the heat up to 400 degrees and air fry for 2-4 more minutes or until the skin is crispy and they reach an internal temperature of at least 165, up to 175-195
Discard any leftover basting sauce since it has been in contact with raw chicken.
Total cook times will vary for larger or smaller chicken pieces.
6. Let the chicken rest, serve, and enjoy!
Rest the chicken for about 5 minutes.
If desired, brush on some of the reserved teriyaki sauce, or serve it on the side. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and white sesame seeds.
Serve on a bed of white rice, brown rice, or mashed potatoes, a side of steamed broccoli or roasted green beans, and a spinach salad.
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover teriyaki chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat in the air fryer at 350 degrees until warmed through to 165 degrees, about 7 minutes for boneless chicken and 9 minutes for bone-in chicken.
Success Tips
Cooking time will vary by the size of the chicken pieces. Brush the sauce on during the last 5 minutes of cooking time so the sauce doesn't burn.
Cook chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165 to ensure it's fully cooked in the center. Then take it up to 175-195 for the juiciest, most flavorful chicken thighs.
Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to allow the meat to fully absorb the flavors.
FAQs
Air fry boneless skinless chicken thighs for 18-20 minutes and bone-in chicken thighs for 22-24 minutes.
Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil or spray it with olive oil or avocado oil.
Marinate the chicken for at least 15- 30 minutes, up to 24 hours, to allow the flavors to absorb into the meat. Marinating the chicken for over 24 hours can cause the chicken to become mushy.
Stuff I Use
My 6-quart Instant Vortex Plus air fryer has a nice roomy basket and a window in the front so I can see what's going on inside.
This instant read digital meat thermometer is also magnetized -- I keep ours stuck to the side of the fridge for easy access.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
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Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (Boneless or Bone-In)
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs boneless skinless or bone-in skin on
Teriyaki Marinade and Sauce
- ½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 clove minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- cornstarch slurry 1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
Make the Teriyaki Marinade
- Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, water, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Place the chicken thighs and ½ cup of the marinade in a covered bowl or ziptop bag in the refrigerator for at least 15-30 minutes, up to overnight. If making ahead, refrigerate the rest of the marinade in a covered container.
Make the Teriyaki Sauce
- Place the unused marinade in a small saucepan over medium to medium high heat. Stir together 1 teaspoon each cornstarch and water in a small bowl.When the teriyaki mixture comes to a boil, add the cornstarch mixture, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer and stir for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about ⅓. While the sauce simmers, tart prepping the air fryer and cooking the chicken.
- Place ¼ cup of sauce in a bowl for basting the chicken as it cooks. Place the rest of the sauce in a separate bowl to serve with the cooked chicken.
Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees. Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy cleanup.
- For boneless skinless chicken thighs: Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and discard the used marinade. Arrange the chicken thighs top side down in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 9 minutes. Brush with sauce, flip the chicken, and air fry for 5 more minutes. Brush with sauce and air fry for 4 -6 more minutes.
- For bone-in skin-on chicken thighs: Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and discard the used marinade. Place the chicken thighs in the air fryer basket skin side down. Air fry for 10 minutes. Brush with sauce and cook for 5 more minutes. Flip the chicken, brush with sauce and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn the heat up to 400 degrees and air fry for 2-4 more minutes to crisp up the skin.
- Discard any unused basting sauce. Cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of at least 165 up to 195.
- If desired, brush cooked chicken with additional sauce, or serve on the side.
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