Air Fryer Chicken Karaage

5 from 3 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Karaage is a crispy Japanese fried chicken made with tender pieces of chicken thighs, an easy marinade and minimal oil!

Prep Time15

Cook Time26

Marinating Time1

Total Time1 41

Course: Appetizer, Dinner

Cuisine: Japanese

Servings: servings

Calories: 297kcal

Cut the chicken into 2" pieces.
Combine all the marinade ingredients and mix the chicken in. Let it marinate in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Mix the salt and cornstarch together, then coat the chicken with the cornstarch mixture.
Spray the air fryer basket lightly with oil and place the chicken in a single layer, leaving space in between each piece (you'll need to cook in 2-3 batches).
Lightly spray the chicken with oil and cook at 400F degrees for 11-13 minutes, tossing once or twice during the cooking time.
Serve hot with Kewpie mayonnaise to dip it in.

To ensure your chicken pieces cook evenly, make sure you cut them into roughly the same size pieces (about 2 inches).
To get the chicken browned and crispy on all sides, be sure to toss the chicken around in the air fryer basket a few times while cooking.
You’ll also want to give the chicken pieces space, by arranging them in a single layer and not overcrowding the air fryer.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you’ll need to air fry the chicken in 2-3 batches.
Make sure you use a good quality spray oil to spray the air fryer basket and the chicken pieces. I like to use this oil sprayer and fill it with my favorite oil.
If your air fryer model requires preheating, you should preheat it before adding the first batch of chicken pieces
When dredging the chicken pieces in cornstarch, make sure they’re well coated but shake off any excess.
Each air fryer is a little different, so you may need to adjust the temperature and air frying time slightly.