This Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken is downright scrumptious! Crispy chunks of panko-coated chicken with an easy, sweet, and savory, homemade Teriyaki sauce will satisfy even the picky eaters. Can easily be made gluten-free and paleo.
If you’re like me, you want a tasty dinner that will satisfy the whole family. It’s hard to come up with a winner every night, but this teriyaki chicken can solve that problem a few times a month.
A couple of weeks ago, I shared a simple Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Breasts recipe which is super quick and can be used in different dishes. I also have Air Fryer BBQ Chicken, so now you have loads of options for busy weeknight meal ideas.
Using the air fryer is my new favorite way to cook dinner! Seriously — it’s easy, no fuss and everything comes out perfectly — every time! It cooks in 20 minutes, so you won’t have to spend all evening preparing dinner.
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
- Chicken breast
- Eggs
- Cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- Panko breadcrumbs or gluten-free breadcrumbs
Teriyaki Sauce Ingredients:
- Soy sauce or coconut aminos
- Water
- Brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- Sesame seeds, optional
How to make air fryer chicken:
- Cube chicken and pat dry.
- Dip chicken into eggs.
- Stir together cornstarch and panko.
- Add chicken to panko mixture.
- Cook for 10 to 18 minutes, flip halfway through.
- Cool chicken and add the sauce.
How to make teriyaki sauce:
- Whisk together all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Simmer until it thickens and has a consistency similar to caramel sauce.
- Remove and allow to sit for a couple of minutes.
- Pour over chicken and toss.
Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds for an extra touch.
Tips:
- Don’t overcrowd the chicken in the air fryer basket.
- Letting the chicken rest before adding sauce will help them stay crispy.
- Spray the AF basket with an oil mister, do not use aerosol spray or you run the risk of chipping the coating of the basket.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What to serve with teriyaki chicken?
I love this chicken over white rice, but if you want, you can make Garlic Fried Rice and add extra vegetables.
It’s also great with vegetables like steamed broccoli or carrots. I think anything with an Asian flair would be nice like sauteed bok choy or any other leafy greens.
Whatever you serve it with, it will be the stickiest sweet and savory, crispy bite-sized chicken you’ll have all week.
How to make it gluten-free:
You’ll need to use gluten-free breadcrumbs and gluten-free soy sauce or a soy sauce alternative. Soy sauce is made with wheat so it is not gluten-free, but no worries there are alternatives.
Kikkoman Gluten-free Soy Sauce can easily be found at Walmart. If you’d rather, you can also substitute the soy sauce for coconut aminos which can be found in health food stores, a well-stocked grocery store or of course, online.
Or try liquid aminos like Bragg’s. Both of these are gluten-free and relatively easy to find.
Also be sure to use gluten-free breadcrumbs. Just substituting these two ingredients does the trick for turning this into a gluten-free meal.
Paleo option
This is how I usually make it. I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch, and I just omit the breadcrumbs.
It still comes out great and it’s even a little healthier without the breadcrumbs.
Why use the air fryer?
If you have one, you know it’s super convenient! It’s healthier because it uses less oil which also means it’s easy to clean up.
The best thing with this teriyaki chicken is I don’t have to stand over a hot boiling pot of oil to make the chicken or heat the house by turning on the oven.
Plus, it saves me time because the air fryer cooks food faster than other methods!
If this doesn’t convince you to get you’re own, you should check out these Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies or these Air Fryer Brownies! That’s right, you can also make sweets in air fryers!
Other easy air fryer recipes
- This Popcorn Chicken is a perfect after-school snack or fun family dinner. Kids will love them!
- These Frozen Chicken Wings are amazing appetizers. There’s no thawing, so just pop them in the air fryer, slather with your favorite sauce and serve.
- These Turkey Burgers are healthy and delicious! They can be prepped ahead of time or taken straight from the freezer to the air fryer and in no time, dinner is served.
- Another fabulous twist to weeknight meals are these Air Fryer Fish Tacos served with this Mango Habanero Salsa, everyone will be surprised.
- For family gatherings, nothing is easier than Air Fryer Ham! It’s super because you can be baking the desserts while this ham cooks in the air fryer.
- These Air Fryer Baked Apples are terrific as a healthy dessert or fancy breakfast.
What’s your favorite air fryer recipe?
If you make this Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken or any other recipe here, I definitely want to hear about it! Leave a comment below or snap a pic 📸 and tag #fooddoodlesrecipes on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter so I can see them easily! Enjoy!
Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- ½ cup cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs (if you're gluten-free, use GF breadcrumbs)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound (453 grams) boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 large (50 grams, out of shell) egg beaten
For the Sauce
- ½ cup (120ml) soy sauce
- ¼ cup (120ml) water
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
For the Chicken
- In a bowl large enough to dip chicken chunks into, stir together the cornstarch, panko and salt. Set aside.
- Cut the chicken into 1” cubes.
- Then dip the chicken into the beaten egg.
- Let it dry off any excess egg, then dip into the panko and starch mix. The chicken should be evenly coated on all sides.
- Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil and add the chicken, making sure to not overcrowd the basket. Spray the chicken with olive oil to help it fry up better.
- Set the air fryer to 375 °F (190 °C) and cook for 10-18 minutes, turning the chicken after about 7 minutes. After turning, give it another spray of olive oil if it looks dry.
- Remove the basket and let the chicken to cool for 3-4 minutes before you sauce them. This will help keep them crispy.
For the Sauce
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients.
- Bring this to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the sauce until it has thickened nicely.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the sauce cool a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken (I recommend only saucing what you'll eat immediately) and toss until thoroughly coated. Serve it over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.
- Let leftovers cool and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Comments & Reviews
LaKita says
This teriyaki chicken is so delicious and I absolutely love the simple ingredient list and how easy it is to make. Perfect weeknight meal!
Kari | Chef and Steward says
I absolutely adore cooking in my Ninja Foodi Deluxe 9-in-1 and I think this is.a fun recipe to experiment with in there so I will do just that.
Nicole says
I have an air fryer Md most of these ingredients. This is definitely going on the menu!
Katie Crenshaw says
It is so fun to find new recipes for the Air Fryer. This one was AMAZING! I loved the flavors. I also loved that it is healthier than frying the battered chicken in a bunch of oil.
Natalia says
Such fabulous combination and one which I am going to try. As the thought of sesame seeds and teriyaki already sounds so delicious.
Amy Liu Dong says
I love teriyaki chicken, and this one looks really delicious. I am so excited to make this for tonight’s dinner. Yum!
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for this amazing teriyaki chicken recipe! Tasted good and super easy to make! Will have this again!
Linda says
Oh yum! This chicken recipe is so good and perfect for a quick weeknight dinner
Priya Maha says
I love the teriyaki sauce and am so glad to be able to make it on my own from scratch. This is a delicious meal!
Susan Pridmore says
This looks absolutely fantastic. I love finding new dishes to use my air fryer on. And this one is perfect!
Megan Ellam says
I love how simple and delicious these are. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Liz says
Sounds like a quick and easy recipe! Thanks for sharing!