Sweet Chili Air Fryer Chicken (Printable)
Crispy glazed chicken thighs air-fried with a sweet and spicy chili finish in under 35 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
→ Marinade & Glaze
02 - 1/3 cup sweet chili sauce
03 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce
04 - 1 tablespoon honey
05 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
06 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
07 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
08 - 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
10 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
→ Garnish
11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
12 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
13 - 1 lime, cut into wedges
# How To Make:
01 - Pat the chicken thighs thoroughly dry with paper towels to ensure optimal crisping.
02 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, salt, and black pepper until well combined.
03 - Place the chicken thighs in a large zip-top bag or shallow dish. Pour 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken, reserving the remaining third for glazing. Seal and marinate for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate overnight for deeper flavor.
04 - Set the air fryer to 390°F and allow it to preheat fully.
05 - Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Place the thighs skin-side down in the air fryer basket in a single even layer, working in batches if necessary.
06 - Cook for 12 minutes at 390°F until the bottom is golden brown.
07 - Flip the chicken thighs using tongs and brush generously with the reserved marinade. Continue air frying for another 10 minutes, or until the skin is deeply caramelized and crispy and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
08 - Transfer the chicken to a plate and let rest for 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- That sticky, caramelized glaze gets impossibly crispy in the air fryer without needing a single drop of oil in a pan.
- It genuinely tastes like something you would order at a restaurant, but the whole thing comes together on a random Tuesday with almost no effort.
02 -
- If the chicken is wet when it goes in, the skin steams instead of crisping, so dry it like you mean it.
- Crowding the air fryer basket is the fastest way to ruin the texture because air needs room to circulate around each piece.
03 -
- Marinate overnight if you can because the flavors penetrate deeper and the skin dries out slightly in the fridge, which actually helps it crisp better.
- Brush on the reserved glaze during the last two minutes of cooking instead of at the flip for an even stickier, more concentrated coating.