Sweet Chili Air Fryer Chicken (Printable Version)
Sticky sweet chili glazed chicken thighs, air-fried to crispy golden perfection in just 30 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs)
→ Marinade & Glaze
02 - 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
03 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
04 - 1 tablespoon honey
05 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
06 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
07 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
→ Garnish
09 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
10 - 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
11 - Lime wedges, for serving
# How-To:
01 - Preheat your air fryer to 380°F for 3–5 minutes to ensure even cooking and crispy skin.
02 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt until fully combined. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the mixture for glazing later.
03 - Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with paper towels. Add them to the bowl with the glaze and toss until every piece is evenly coated.
04 - Arrange the thighs skin-side down in the air fryer basket in a single layer. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Air fry at 380°F for 10 minutes.
05 - Flip the chicken thighs skin-side up using tongs. Brush generously with the reserved glaze mixture.
06 - Continue air frying for another 8–10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the skin is golden and caramelized.
07 - Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes to allow juices to redistribute. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, and serve alongside lime wedges.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The glaze caramelizes in the air fryer into something that tastes like you spent an hour at a wok when you barely lifted a finger.
- It converts people who think chicken thighs are boring, which is a personal crusade of mine at this point.
02 -
- Do not skip the resting step because cutting into the chicken immediately releases all the juices onto your plate instead of keeping them inside the meat where they belong.
- If you are using boneless thighs, shave off two to three minutes from the second half of cooking because they finish faster than you expect and dry out quickly once they pass done.
03 -
- Flip the chicken halfway through cooking every single time because the side touching the basket crisps differently than the top and you want even texture on both sides.
- Patting the chicken dry before marinating is the one step people skip that ruins the result, so take the extra thirty seconds.