The teriyaki chicken you love made easy and healthy in an air fryer! This recipe is ready in under 30 minutes and is sure to please the whole family.
I love teriyaki chicken and had a craving for it the other day. I just had to make it for dinner and decided to make it healthier by cooking up the chicken in an air fryer instead of deep frying. You get all of the flavor and crunch, without all the fat! So much healthier for you, yet you don’t compromise at all on taste!
If you do not have an air fryer, I highly recommend getting your hands on one! I debated the purchase for so long, trying to resist the urge to add yet another appliance to by crowded cupboard. In the end, I am so happy I took the plunge! We actually purchased an XL fryer which is bigger and can hold more food in it. It is now on our counter full-time because we use it so often!
The chicken in this recipe is seasoned and dipped in cornstarch, then set into a pre-heated fryer to cook while you whip up the teriyaki sauce. It honestly is so easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes! Perfect for a weeknight meal.
I like to serve it with rice or noodles but to keep it healthy, you can also serve it with low-carb options like cauliflower rice, zoodles, or just veggie sides!
Ingredients in Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
- Chicken: breast or thigh, cut into bite sized pieces.
- Cornstarch: to coat the chicken and also to thicken the teriyaki sauce.
- Soy sauce: I use low sodium soy sauce. If you are using regular soy sauce, I recommend adding only half of the soy sauce to start and then taste and adjust it as needed. You may find you need to replace some of the soy sauce with water to avoid the sauce getting to salty.
- Sweeteners: Brown sugar and honey.
- Garlic
- Seasonings: ground ginger and black pepper. I opt to use ground ginger because I don’t use fresh ginger enough to make it worth having on hand as it would go to waste. If you prefer to use freshly grated ginger instead, you may do so.
- Oil or nonstick cooking spray
- Optional garnishes: sesame seeds and green onion.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
- Coat the chicken. Mix the cornstarch and black pepper in a large bowl and add the chicken. Toss the chicken to coat evenly.
- Air fry the chicken. Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or oil and add the coated chicken, spreading the pieces out so they do not overlap. If you’re air fryer is too small to allow for this, cook the chicken in batches. Cook at 400F for 7 minutes. Shake the basket and cook for an additional 7 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- Make the teriyaki sauce. While the chicken is cooking, in a saucepan, mix all of the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce except for the water and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Stir cornstarch and water in a bowl to create a slurry and then add it to the saucepan. Stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
- Toss the chicken in the sauce. Place the cooked chicken into a serving dish or large mixing bowl and pour the sauce over it. Toss together to coat evenly.
- Garnish. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or green onions before serving, if desired.
Storing leftovers and reheating
Once cooled completely, leftover teriyaki chicken can be placed in an airtight container and stored in the fridge.
To reheat it, place it in a saucepan with a little water and warm over medium heat.
Alternatively, you can microwave leftovers in 20 second intervals until heated through.
What to serve with Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
I love to serve this teriyaki chicken dish over my simple Baked Rice and add a nice vegetable side dish like steamed broccoli.
If you wish to keep this recipe lower in carbs (keep in mind it will not be keto because of the cornstarch, sugar and honey added to this recipe), you could opt for zoodles (zucchini noodles) or cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!
-Cathy
You may also like these Asian takeout inspired favorites:
Baked Orange Chicken
Crispy Vegetable Spring Rolls Recipe (Fry, Bake, or Air Fry)
Pork Pot Stickers
Baked Egg Rolls
Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
Grilled Vegetable Ramen
Teriyaki Shrimp and Asparagus
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast or chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- black pepper, to taste
- oil or nonstick cooking spray
Teriyaki Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low sodium
- 1/4 cup brown sugar loosely packed
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cups water
Garnish (optional)
- sesame seeds
- green onion, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400F.
- Mix the cornstarch and black pepper in a large bowl and add the chicken. Toss the chicken to coat evenly.
- Spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray or oil and add the coated chicken, spreading the pieces out so they do not overlap. If you’re air fryer is too small to allow for this, cook the chicken in batches. Cook at 400F for 7 minutes. Shake the basket and cook for an additional 7 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
- While the chicken is cooking, in a saucepan, mix all of the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce except for the water and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium.
- Stir cornstarch and water in a bowl to create a slurry and then add it to the saucepan. Stir until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
- Place the cooked chicken into a serving dish or large mixing bowl and pour the sauce over it. Toss together to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds or green onions before serving, if desired.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
