Tickle your tastebuds with a tender, juicy, and flavorful air fryer teriyaki chicken breast! This easy 3-ingredient recipe uses bottled teriyaki sauce as a quick marinade, and the chicken cooks perfectly moist and delicious in only about 15 minutes. Serve alongside your favorite Asian-inspired side dishes for a satisfying dinner in under one hour!
Pesto chicken tenders in air fryer is another recipe you will enjoy if you like leaner parts of chicken meat.
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Chicken teriyaki is a classic Asian-American fusion dish that I just can't get enough of! It's always a hit at restaurants, but is surprisingly easy to make at home with only 3 simple ingredients. So skip the takeout and give this terrific air fryer teriyaki chicken breast recipe a try!
The secret to this essentially foolproof air fryer recipe isn't actually secret at all... We are using our preferred store-bought teriyaki sauce for convenience and great taste! Not only does cooking with bottled sauce save time, it can be much more economical if you don't happen to keep the individual ingredients on hand - like soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
Plus, because the sauce already has the perfect proportions, you are practically guaranteed to cook a delicious chicken breast every time you make the recipe.
The chicken marinates in the teriyaki sauce for a quick 30 minutes and air fries in 15 minutes or so, which is roughly half the time of baking. From start to finish, fork-tender and flavorful chicken breast teriyaki is ready to pair with your favorite Asian-inspired sides in under an hour!
Recipe ingredients
- 1 Chicken Breast: This lean and lightly-flavored protein is perfect for marinating! Here we are air frying just a single boneless and skinless breast; one approximately 8-10 oz breast is enough for 1-2 servings. You can double the ingredients to make 3-4 portions.
- Cooking Spray: Use a high-heat non-aerosol spray oil that is has a neutral flavor, like canola or vegetable cooking spray.
- ½ cup Teriyaki Sauce: In this recipe I'm using store-bought bottled sauce to make things super fast and easy. Choose whichever brand and type of teriyaki sauce you most prefer. Consider a low sodium sauce if you are sensitive to salt. But if you like, certainly feel free to quickly whip up a homemade teriyaki marinade with just a handful of ingredients.
Step by step instructions
Begin by marinating the chicken breast. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or a resealable plastic bag and pour the teriyaki sauce over it. Make sure the chicken is well-coated; if using a bag, you can seal it and shake gently to cover the chicken evenly. Allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. You can marinate overnight too ,even better.
To cook the chicken in the air fryer, start by spraying the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray to prevent the chicken from sticking. I used air fryer liner and it worked instead of oil spray, also no cleaning required!
Place the marinated chicken breast in the basket but try not to overcrowd the basket. Cook the chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Cooking times might vary slightly depending on the thickness of the chicken breast and the specific air fryer model. Halfway through the cooking time, flip the chicken.
Check the chicken if its done by using the instant meat thermometer. You want to make sure that the chicken breast reached at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit, but do not overcook or it will become very dry and chewy.
Once the chicken is fully cooked and juicy, remove it from the air fryer and let it rest for a couple of minutes. You can slice the chicken or serve it whole, accompanied by your favorite sides, such as steamed rice or vegetables.
Leftovers and reheating
To store leftover air fryer teriyaki chicken breast, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. For reheating, preheat your air fryer to 350°F. Place the chicken in the air fryer basket and heat for about 3-5 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed. Check to make sure chicken is heated through before serving.
Chicken internal temperature
The safest way to enjoy chicken is by making sure it's fully cooked. The easiest way to do this is by using a meat thermometer. Once the timer goes off, open the air fryer and carefully insert the thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh, without touching the bone.
You're looking for a temperature of at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If it's not there yet, close the air fryer and cook for a few more minutes before checking again.
Frequently asked questions
Marinate the chicken breast for a minimum of 30 minutes and air fry for the recommend cook time... Start on the low end, and test for doneness. Continue to cook in brief increments and check, and remove from the fryer as soon as the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
A classic Japanese-style teriyaki sauce is typically made with a combo of soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin (both rice wines). Together the sauce has deep umami flavor, with a delicious balance of sweetness and saltiness, and a nice tangy kick from the alcohol.
You sure can! But it is a good idea to line the basket with parchment paper to help cut down on mess a bit. Slip a piece of parchment or liner into the basket after the air fryer has preheated, right when you're ready to add the marinated breast.
I recommend marinating the breast for at least 30 minutes, ideally an hour or so. This helps the meat to become tender and infused with flavor.
You can let the chicken marinate for up to 24 hours, but I would not let it sit for much longer. After a full day, the meat can get too tenderized - almost to the point of being mushy.
It isn't totally necessary, but I usually do flip boneless and skinless chicken in the air fryer. I also use a liner in my air fryer... Which cuts down a lot on mess, but does keep the fryer from distributing heat evenly around the meat. Flipping the chicken halfway through helps it to get a more even cook on all sides.
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Hope you will like this air fryer teriyaki chicken breast as much as we do. Rate the recipe if you made it and leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Recipe
Teriyaki Chicken Breast in Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- cooking oil spray
- ½ cup teriyaki sauce
Instructions
- Marinade chicken breast in teriyaki sauce for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes
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