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Air Fryer Korean Soy Garlic Chicken Thighs

Air fryer Korean soy garlic chicken thighs with a sweet soy-garlic glaze, caramelized edges, and crispy skin. The Korean-style marinade thickens into a sticky finish—savory-sweet, garlicky, and lightly spicy.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
marinating 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 37 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Korean-American
Calories: 590
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

bone-in chicken thighs
  • 5 bone-in chicken thighs Use 4–6 bone-in thighs; pat dry before cooking if they’re very wet after marinating.
soy garlic marinade
  • 0.25 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp mirin or rice vinegar
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced Minced for better glaze sticking and flavor distribution.
  • 1 tbsp ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp gochujang (Korean chili paste)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
garnish
  • 1 sesame seeds and green onions for garnish Sprinkle over right after brushing with glaze.

Equipment

  • 1 air fryer
  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Make the soy-garlic marinade
  1. In a bowl, whisk soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, mirin or rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, gochujang, and black pepper until smooth and glossy.
Marinate the chicken
  1. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade, ensuring each piece is coated, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Air fry until crispy
  1. Preheat the air fryer to 400F, then shake off excess marinade from the chicken.
  2. Place thighs skin-side down and air fry for 10 minutes to render and crisp the skin.
  3. Flip the chicken and air fry for 10 to 12 minutes, until the skin is crispy and caramelized and the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Glaze and serve
  1. Pour any remaining marinade into a saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes to thicken into an extra glaze.
  2. Brush the glaze over the hot chicken and garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

Notes

For best caramelization, let the chicken sit at room temperature for 10 minutes after marinating, then shake off excess marinade before air frying. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days; reheat in the air fryer at 375F for 5 to 7 minutes to re-crisp. Freezing is not recommended due to texture changes in the glazed skin. For a milder heat profile, reduce gochujang to 1/2 tablespoon or substitute with a mild chili paste.