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Pieces of air fried teriyaki chicken on a white plate.
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Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken

These air fryer teriyaki chicken bites are coated in flavorful homemade teriyaki sauce that is both gluten free and soy free. It's a healthy air fryer recipe that is easy and ready in 30 minutes.
Course Appetizer, dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 12 minutes
Air Fry 13 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 300kcal
Author Sara

Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients

  • ½ cup + 2 tbsp. water, divided
  • ½ cup coconut aminos
  • 1 tbsp. honey (can omit if you want sugar free)
  • 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger (or ¼ tsp. ground ginger)
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced (or ½ tsp. garlic powder)
  • 2 tbsp. tapioca starch
  • 2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1" cubes

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, whisk together ½ cup water, coconut aminos, honey, rice vinegar, ginger, and garlic. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining water (2 tablespoons) with the tapioca starch. This is your slurry which will thicken your sauce. Set aside.
  • After the sauce begins to simmer, turn heat to low and add in the slurry. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick enough that it coats a spoon (this should only take 30 seconds to a minute).
  • If desired, reserve ¼ cup of sauce to brush on the chicken after frying. Then, place chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and pour remaining sauce over chicken. Stir chicken and teriyaki so that all pieces are fully coated.
  • Using a tongs, place chicken pieces in bottom of your air fryer basket. It's okay if pieces are touching, but try not to overlap pieces.
  • Set timer for 13 minutes and cook at 380 degrees F (if your air fryer requires pre-heating, make sure it was preheated). Stir chicken, or shake basket half way through cooking time.
  • Cut one of your largest pieces of chicken in half to ensure it's cooked through. If needed, continue cooking in 1-2 minute intervals.
  • If you saved some teriyaki, brush chicken pieces with additional sauce before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

  • The thicker the sauce the better - don't remove teriyaki sauce from heat before it's nice and thick. It should coat a spoon and resemble more of a caramel sauce type thickness. 
  • Try to make sure chicken pieces are about the same size for uniform cooking. 
  • For extra crispy chicken, you can continue to cook for a few additional minutes even after the chicken is cooked through.
  • I find it best to use a tongs for getting chicken in and out of air fryer basket. 
Substitutions: Soy sauce can be used in place of coconut aminos. Brown sugar or coconut sugar can be used in place of the honey. And to thicken the sauce, corn starch can be used instead of tapioca starch/flour. 

Nutrition

Calories: 300kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 268mg | Potassium: 857mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 68IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg