Super Crispy Air Fryer Thai Pandan Chicken Recipe

Q: Is Pandan Chicken Deep Fried?

Yes, pandan chicken is typically deep fried. However, this recipe will involve air frying the chicken instead because it will help create a crisp exterior while keeping the chicken juicy inside. It’s a lighter and easier way to enjoy pandan chicken without sacrificing flavour or texture. Deep frying also causes the pandan leaves to get extremely hot very quickly, which can lead to more of their aroma and flavour being lost into the oil. In the air fryer, those same aromatics circulate within the drawer, allowing each parcel of chicken to absorb more of the pandan fragrance as it cooks.

✦ Join the Kitchen

About this recipe

Crispy, golden Thai Pandan Chicken made effortlessly in the air fryer. Fragrant pandan leaves wrap tender, marinated chicken for an authentic Thai treat that is faster and lighter than deep frying.

↓ Jump to Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy

Watch the recipe

What is Thai Pandan Chicken?

Pandan Chicken (known as Gai Haw Bai Toey) is a popular Thai appetizer that involves wrapping marinated chicken in pandan leaves, and then cooking it. The pandan leaves help protect the chicken as it cooks while adding their signature sweet, floral aroma. Traditionally, the chicken is deep fried, but this air fryer version delivers the same delicious results with less oil and less mess.

Hand holding a pandan leaf-wrapped chicken parcel secured with a toothpick, with more pieces on a dark plate in the background.

To follow along with all the steps on how to make this air fryer pandan chicken at home, check out the video! It would mean a lot to me if you could please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to hit the bell button to be notified when all my latest video recipes go live! Let’s get air frying!

What are Pandan Leaves?▼

Pandan leaves, also known as krupine leaves, are a type of long and thin bright green topical leaves. These leaves have been cherished across Southeast Asia for centuries, often called the “vanilla of Asia” or “vanilla of the East” because of their enchanting, sweet floral aroma. In Thai cuisine, wrapping foods in pandan leaves is more than just a cooking technique—it’s a way to infuse dishes with subtle fragrances that evoke memories of home and celebration.

With that being said, since the aroma and flavor of pandan leaves is so distinct, unfortunately there is no direct substitute. As a result, if you don’t have these, then you can’t make the dish! I was able to find both fresh and frozen pandan leaves at my local Asian market, so you should be good to go there.

Pandan leaf-wrapped chicken parcels arranged on a dark plate around a small bowl of black sesame dipping sauce.

Pandan Chicken Cultural Roots

Gai Haw Bai Toey, or pandan chicken, originated as a street food favorite in Thailand, where vendors would carefully wrap marinated chicken in pandan leaves and deep fry them to crispy perfection. The role of the pandan leaf is to protect the chicken as it cooks, and to impart its sweet flavor.

This culinary tradition reflects the Thai appreciation for balance—combining aromatic herbs, textures, and vibrant flavors into every bite. By air frying pandan chicken instead of deep frying, we honor this heritage while embracing modern, healthier cooking methods that let the pandan’s essence shine through more intensely.

Is Pandan Chicken Deep Fried?▼

Yes, pandan chicken is typically deep fried. However, this recipe will involve air frying the chicken instead because it will help create a crisp exterior while keeping the chicken juicy inside. It’s a lighter and easier way to enjoy pandan chicken without sacrificing flavour or texture.

Deep frying also causes the pandan leaves to get extremely hot very quickly, which can lead to more of their aroma and flavour being lost into the oil. In the air fryer, those same aromatics circulate within the drawer, allowing each parcel of chicken to absorb more of the pandan fragrance as it cooks.

Benefits of Using an Air Fryer For This Pandan Chicken Recipe

The air fryer I’m using for this recipe is the Cosori TurboBlaze 6 quart air fryer. It’s nearly a year old and it’s been great! The basket is quite large, there are plenty of handy settings on it depending on your needs. One of my favourite things about this air fryer is that it’s really not noisy at all. Sometimes I forget whether I’ve started the air fryer or not because it’s so quiet!

Easier to prep and cook than deep frying
Shorter prep time than deep frying
This version of the recipe is healthier than deep frying
It’s much less messy to air fry this chicken in pandan leaves recipe than to deep fry

Pandan leaf-wrapped chicken pieces arranged on a black plate around a dipping sauce with sesame seeds.

Tools Needed To Make Pandan Chicken in the Air Fryer

Grilled pandan leaf-wrapped chicken parcels secured with toothpicks, served on a dark plate with dipping sauce.

Ingredients for Air Fryer Pandan Chicken

The FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD has all ingredients and their quantities, so be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button to save it for later! The recipe card will also allow you to scale the recipe based on how many chicken thighs you’re working with. By default, we’ve got a pound of chicken thighs, which is about six medium-sized chicken thighs.

Ingredients for Thai pandan chicken: chicken thighs, pandan leaves, lemongrass paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, maple syrup, lime juice, garlic, white peppercorn, and oil.

Pandan leaves: Fresh or frozen will work just as well, says the guy from the Asian store I purchased mine from! I’m using frozen pandan leaves here.
Chicken: Make sure to choose the right cuts. Great options include wings, chicken drumsticks, or boneless thighs. These are perfect choices because they’re small and with higher fat content that will be juicy and nicely absorb the marinade. We’ll be
Soy sauce: Adds some umami flavour to the chicken.
Oyster sauce: A key ingredient here that provides umami and sweetness to the chicken.
Fish sauce: A few drops of fish sauce will really go a long way.
Garlic cloves: Add whole garlic cloves into a mortar and pestle and crush them with the peppercorns.
Lime juice: Fresh or bottled lime juice will work. Additionally, you could also use lemon juice.
White peppercorns: I had a problem finding white peppercorns anywhere near me locally, but they’re quite accessible online. However, if you don’t want to buy whole white peppercorns, then don’t worry! As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!!, using what you already have on hand can save you a trip to the store and prevent you from having some niche products sit in your pantry untouched. Instead, what I did is that I had some rainbow peppercorns, so I simply picked out the white ones from this blend.
Lemongrass paste: Ideally you would have fresh lemongrass, but I have a hard finding it at my local grocery stores. This is a great substitute! We’ll add this to the marinade. If you’re using fresh lemongrass, then you can smash about one to two teaspoons of it into the marinade.
Maple syrup: You could use palm sugar, brown sugar or even regular table sugar if you’d like, but maple syrup is my preferred sweetener. Plus, I find liquid sweeteners dissolve better.
Vegetable oil: Add this to a spray bottle to spray on some oil either onto the chicken pieces or on the pandan leaves to help roll up the chicken in the leaves.

How to Make Air Fryer Thai Pandan Chicken

Preparing The Chicken

If using frozen pandan leaves, thaw completely and pat dry.

Hands patting fresh pandan leaves dry with paper towels on a flat surface.

Lay 1 to 3 pandan leaves on a clean cutting board and straighten them as needed.

Gloved hand pressing and straightening fresh pandan leaves flat on a wooden cutting board.

Lightly spray the leaves with vegetable oil so they stay pliable and help crisp during cooking.

Pandan leaves laid flat and straightened on a wooden cutting board, lightly oiled and ready for wrapping.

Hand pressing flat 2-3 pandan leaves on a wooden cutting board, leaves lightly oiled and neatly stacked

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly and are easy to wrap.

Hands cutting raw chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces on a wooden cutting board with a chef's knife.

Hands cutting raw chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces on a wooden cutting board with a chef's knife.

Set aside while you prepare the marinade.

Marinating The Chicken

In a mortar and pestle, crush the white peppercorns and garlic into a smooth paste.

White peppercorns in a small wooden bowl held over a stainless steel mortar, ready to be crushed.

Three peeled garlic cloves in a small white bowl, held by hand, ready to be crushed into paste.

Crushing garlic and white peppercorns into a paste using a metal pestle in a small stainless steel mortar.

Transfer to a bowl and mix in the lemongrass paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and maple syrup until well combined.

Squeezing lemongrass paste from a tube into a glass bowl with crushed garlic and white pepper paste.

Dark soy sauce being poured over garlic-lemongrass paste mixture in a clear glass bowl.

Dark marinade with garlic paste in a glass bowl, with soy sauce being poured in from above.

White liquid being poured into a glass bowl containing dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and garlic paste mixture.

Whisking a dark marinade with lemongrass, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a glass bowl.

Dark brown marinade in a glass bowl, lifted with a spoon, showing a glossy, chunky sauce with visible garlic and spices.

Add the chicken and toss thoroughly to coat every piece.

Raw chicken pieces in a glass bowl with dark Thai marinade of lemongrass, soy, fish sauce, and lime juice.

Raw chicken pieces coated in a dark marinade being tossed with tongs in a glass bowl.

Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for the best flavour.

Step By Step Cooking Instructions Using the Air Fryer

Place a piece of marinated chicken at the bottom edge of the pandan leaf or leaves.

Hands placing a piece of raw marinated chicken onto flat green pandan leaves on a wooden cutting board.

Wrap snugly without pressing too firmly, then tuck in the ends or secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining chicken. About half the length of a standard pandan leaf is usually enough for each piece.

Gloved hands wrapping marinated chicken in pandan leaves on a wooden cutting board, with toothpick-secured parcels nearby.

Hands in gloves securing a pandan-wrapped chicken parcel with a toothpick on a wooden cutting board.

Preheat the air fryer to 375°F. Arrange each piece of chicken in a single layer to guarantee airflow and achieve that irresistible crunch. Spray generously with vegetable oil.

Cosori air fryer control panel set to 375°F with PREHEAT mode illuminated in red

Pandan-wrapped chicken parcels secured with toothpicks arranged in a single layer in an air fryer basket.

Pandan-wrapped chicken pieces secured with toothpicks arranged in a single layer in an air fryer basket, ready to cook.

Hand pulling open the basket drawer of a black Cosori air fryer

Air fry for 15–18 minutes at 375°F, flipping halfway through cooking, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly golden brown.

Pandan-wrapped chicken pieces cooked in an air fryer basket, secured with toothpicks, leaves charred and darkened.

Hand holding a cooked pandan-wrapped chicken parcel over an air fryer basket filled with more golden-charred bundles.

Serve hot and unwrap before eating.

Golden-brown air fryer pandan chicken piece held on a skewer, unwrapped and ready to eat.

Pandan-wrapped chicken pieces arranged on a dark plate, one being dipped into a dark soy dipping sauce with sesame seeds.

Troubleshooting Tips

Ensure to preheat the air fryer for consistent cooking times and more even cooking.
Pat the pandan leaves dry with paper towel to remove excess moisture, which will allow the pandan leaves to get crispier more easily.
Use chicken thighs for the juiciest and most flavourful result.
Marinate overnight if to develop for deeper flavour.
Spray generously with oil to help the pandan leaves stay pliable while making the parcels and to let the chicken char slightly and stay juicy as it air fries.
Depending on how thin your pandan leaves are, you may need to wrap a single chicken piece with two or three pandan leaves. Use the same number of toothpicks as
Wrap snugly, not tightly so the chicken stays secure while cooking evenly, while allowing the aromatic steam from the pandan leaves to circulate into the chicken.
Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket so hot air can circulate properly and crisp the outside. If you’re going to make a large amount of chicken in pandan leaves, then you’ll need to air fry them in batches.
Flip halfway through cooking for even browning on all sides.

Variations of Thai Pandan Chicken

There are quite a few variations of this Thai favorite! Here are some examples:

Cooking Method

Deep frying: The traditional method for this dish.
Steamed: You could steam these in a steamer basket to make these oil-free.
Air frying: As we’re doing here, and this gives the best of both worlds! The chicken is still juicy and crispy and we use significantly less oil.

Marinade Ingredients

Red curry paste: To add some spice and intensity to the chicken.
Coconut milk: Some variations add coconut milk to make the chicken even more tender and for richness.
Aromatics: You could also add in ginger or coriander root (cilantro root) into the marinade.

Serving Suggestions and Pairing Ideas

I paired my pandan chicken with a dipping sauce that’s a sweet soy sauce. This is simply made of soy sauce, maple syrup, and sesame seeds. There are lots of other dipping sauces that would work great here, such as a nice peanut sauce.

This Thai chicken wrapped in pandan leaves is served as an appetizer, so you can pair this with any Thai main dish of your choice!

Pandan-wrapped chicken parcels arranged in a ring on a dark plate, with a dipping sauce of soy, maple syrup, and sesame seeds.

Can I Make Air Fryer Pandan Chicken In Advance?▼

No, I really would not encourage you to do that! You just won’t get the same texture and juiciness as when you eat these straight out of the air fryer!

However, what you can do is prep all the way up to the rolling the chicken in pandan leaves stage. This will help set you up so when it’s time to eat, all you need to do is air fry! Keep the rolled up chicken in pandan leaves in the fridge for up to 4 hours before air frying.

Conclusion: Enjoying Authentic Thai Flavors At Home

Experience Thai cooking at home with this Air Fryer Thai Pandan Chicken recipe. With its crispy exterior and juicy, flavorful chicken, this recipe is perfect for impressing your family or guests. Don't miss out on the chance to explore Thai cuisine with this recipe as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Gather your ingredients, follow the steps provided, and get started on your culinary adventure today. Share your cooking experience, and be sure to tag @cooking.with.anadi on social media with the hashtag #cookingwithanadi.

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!

Recipe by Anadi Misra