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Teriyaki is a Japanese cooking technique that involves glazing meats with a sauce made of mirin, soy sauce, and some kind of sweetener. This method not only enhances the taste of the meat but also gives it a beautiful, glossy finish. When prepared in the “teriyaki” style, food is seasoned with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sometimes sugar, resulting in a savory-sweet flavor profile that’s hard to resist.

The best teriyaki sauce is undoubtedly homemade, and it’s incredibly easy to make. It requires only four base ingredients: soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar. It’s essential to use Japanese soy sauce, as its flavor profile is distinctly different from Chinese soy sauce, offering a more balanced and authentic taste.

Ingredients

To create the perfect teriyaki sauce, mix equal parts of soy sauce, sake, and mirin. The sugar, however, should be adjusted to taste. I usually add 2 teaspoons of sugar for every 1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce for a well-rounded sweetness. This basic teriyaki sauce can be enhanced with additional ingredients such as grated ginger and garlic to add depth and complexity to the flavor.

Store-bought teriyaki sauce often fails to deliver the rich, authentic flavor of homemade versions. Therefore, it’s always worth making your own with the ingredients below;

• Soy Sauce (Japanese): 1.5 tbsp
• Sake: 1.5 tbsp
• Mirin: 1.5 tbsp
• Sugar: 2 tsp (adjust to taste)
• Ginger (Grated): 1 tsp
• Garlic (Grated): 1 tsp
• 2 Pcs Chicken Thighs/Legs
• Salt

Procedure

Begin your preparation in advance by crafting the marinade. It’s crucial to incorporate salt into the marinade mixture. For optimal results, it’s highly recommended to let the chicken marinate overnight.

This extended marinating time allows the salt and spices to thoroughly infuse the chicken, ensuring the flavors deeply penetrate the meat.

Teriyaki Marinade:

1. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar until the sugar is fully dissolved.
2. Add grated ginger and garlic to the mixture and stir well.

Preparing the Chicken:

1. Choose your preferred cut of chicken. I prefer thighs because they are meatier and easier to prepare than breasts, especially thighs with skin, also more nutritious compared to breasts
2. Place the chicken thighs in a zip-lock bag and pour in the teriyaki marinade. Seal the bag and let the chicken marinate for at least an hour, do overnight if possible.

Cooking the Chicken:

1. Preheat your air fryer to 180°C (356°F), then oil your inside with a light brush of oil layer to help with nonsticking the chicken
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place it in the air fryer basket.
3. Air fry the chicken for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through, until the chicken is cooked through and has a nice, glazed finish.
4. While cooking, occasionally pour some of the leftover marinade over the chicken to keep it moist and enhance the flavor.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs/Legs

Teriyaki chicken is a classic Japanese dish that's all about that sweet and savory balance.

This recipe keeps it simple with a homemade sauce using Japanese soy sauce, sake, mirin, and a touch of sugar.

Marinate your chicken thighs or legs, toss them in the air fryer, and you’ll have perfectly glazed, flavorful chicken in no time.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Resting Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 2 people

Calories 335 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Airfryer

Ingredients

  

• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce Japanese
• 1.5 tbsp sake
• 1.5 tbsp mirin
• 2 tsp sugar adjust to taste
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• Chicken legs or thighs

Instructions

 

• Prepare Marinade: In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, grated ginger, and garlic until sugar dissolves.
• Marinate Chicken: Place chicken legs or thighs in a zip lock bag. Pour in the marinade, seal, and marinate for 5-10 minutes (or overnight for deeper flavor).
• Preheat Air Fryer: Set air fryer to 180°C (356°F).
• Cook Chicken: Remove chicken from marinade, place in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Glaze Chicken: Occasionally brush chicken with leftover marinade during cooking for extra flavor and moisture.
• Rest and Serve: Once cooked through and nicely glazed, remove from air fryer. Let the chicken rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

For the best flavor, marinate the chicken for at least 5-10 minutes, but ideally overnight to allow the flavors to fully penetrate the meat.

Use Japanese soy sauce for an authentic taste, as its flavor profile is different from Chinese soy sauce.

Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. A good starting point is 2 teaspoons of sugar for every 1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce.

Ensure the ginger and garlic are finely grated to evenly distribute their flavors in the marinade.

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (356°F) to ensure even cooking.

Turn the chicken halfway through cooking to ensure it cooks evenly and achieves a nice, even glaze.

Brush the chicken with leftover marinade during cooking for added flavor and moisture, but ensure any marinade used for brushing is cooked before consumption.

Allow the cooked chicken to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving to let the juices redistribute and the flavors settle.

Discard any marinade that has come into contact with raw chicken to avoid cross-contamination.

Keyword AIR FRYER TERIYAKI, TERIYAKI CHICKEN AIRFRYER

Serving Suggestions

Serve your delicious air-fried teriyaki chicken with a side of crispy fries and a dollop of yogurt for a balanced meal. The rich, savory-sweet flavor of the teriyaki chicken pairs perfectly with the crunchy fries, while the yogurt provides a refreshing contrast.

Nutritional Information

To estimate the calorie content of air fryer chicken teriyaki legs or thighs, we need to consider the ingredients and their approximate quantities. Here’s a rough breakdown:

1. Chicken Thighs (4 pieces, approximately 600g total):
   • Calories: ~1200 kcal (300 kcal per 150g thigh)
2. Soy Sauce (1.5 tbsp):
   • Calories: ~15 kcal
3. Sake (1.5 tbsp):
   • Calories: ~23 kcal
4. Mirin (1.5 tbsp):
   • Calories: ~65 kcal
5. Sugar (2 tsp):
   • Calories: ~32 kcal
6. Ginger (1 tsp):
   • Calories: ~2 kcal
7. Garlic (1 tsp):
   • Calories: ~4 kcal

So, the total calorie content for this recipe is approximately 1341 kcal. If you divide this by 4 servings (one thigh per serving), each serving would be around:

Therefore, each serving of air fryer chicken teriyaki thighs would be roughly 335 kcal.

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