Thanks to the air fryer, these chicken skewers turns out perfectly juicy with lightly caramelized edges without ever needing to fire up a grill. The chicken gets brushed with an Asian-inspired glaze of oyster sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and cilantro that packs a lot flavor without needing any marinading time, making this an easy recipe for weeknight dinners.
- Prep Time:
30 mins - Cook Time:
15 mins - Total Time:
45 mins
The problem with most chicken skewer recipes I’ve seen is that they require some amount of marinading time (like in this recipe for Sambal Grilled Chicken Skewers). I wanted to develop a recipe that would be just as delicious without needing that extra time. This recipe hits that mark.
Seasoning the chicken pieces with a some garlic powder, onion powder and minced garlic before they’re threaded onto skewers is the first step. However, the real magic is the glaze of oyster sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and brown sugar that gets brushed on towards the end of the cooking time. It caramelizes beautifully in the air fryer, coating the chicken in tangy-sweet goodness.
It’s a fast, flavorful recipe that feels like it took far more effort than it actually did.
If you’re looking for more delicious chicken recipes, try this Singapore-style chicken satay or this Moroccan chicken.
No air fryer? Use an oven with a broiler.
I get that not everyone has an air fryer. I was slow to get one myself. If you don’t have an air-fryer, you can get almost as good results using an oven with a broiler. Baking the chicken until it is almost cooked through and then broiling it to finish it off allows the glaze to caramelize and char slightly.
This technique also works great if you’re wanting to make these skewers for a crowd and cooking multiple batches in your air-fryer just isn’t practical.
See the recipe card below for details on how to cook these chicken skewers in the oven.
Air-Fryer Asian-Glazed Chicken Skewers
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air-Fry
- Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Description
Thanks to the air fryer, these chicken skewers turns out perfectly juicy with lightly caramelized edges without ever needing to fire up the grill. The chicken gets brushed with an Asian-inspired glaze of oyster sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and cilantro that packs a lot flavor without needing any marinading time making this an easy recipe for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
For chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Non-stick cooking spray (I use avocado oil spray)
For glaze
- 4 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice plus extra lime wedges for serving if desired
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro plus more for serving if desired
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such sambal oelek)
Instructions
-
Prep. Cut chicken into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces and place in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Season. In a small bowl, mix together garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle spice mixture and minced garlic over chicken pieces and mix until chicken is evenly coated.
-
Thread skewers. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers (make sure they fit in your air fryer). Place the threaded skewers on a large plate or small baking sheet as you go (see Note 1).
- Make glaze. In a small bowl, whisk all the glaze ingredients together until combined.
-
Air fry chicken. Heat the air fryer at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes (see Note 4 for oven directions). While the air fryer is heating, drizzle 2 tablespoons of the glaze over the skewers (see Note 2). Spray the bottom of the air fryer tray with non-stick cooking spray then place skewers on the tray in a single layer (see Note 3). Spray the tops of the skewers then air fry for 10 minutes. Brush the skewers with glaze then flip the chicken skewers and brush the second side with more glaze. Continue air frying for an additional 4-6 minutes until nicely browned and chicken is cooked through. (The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F).
-
Serve. Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the skewers and serve with extra lime wedges if desired.
Notes
- For 2 pounds of chicken, I use 8 (10-inch) skewers.
- The glaze doesn’t need to be perfectly even at this point. More glazed will be brushed on later.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the skewers in batches. I have a small air fryer and can only fit 4 skewers at a time in it.
- Oven directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Place chicken skewers on prepared baking sheet then drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of glaze. Cook chicken in oven for 10 minutes. Brush the skewers with glaze then flip the chicken skewers and brush the second side with more glaze, reserve some glaze for the broiling step. Continue cooking for an additional 4-6 minutes until beginning to brown on top. Turn oven to Broil setting. Brush remaining glaze on chicken and broil for 3-4 minutes until chicken is lightly charred and cooked through. (The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F).
Tip: For easier clean up you can line the baking sheet with aluminum foil. Don’t use parchment paper as it can catch fire under the broiler.
Leave a Reply