Name: Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 26 min
Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on or boneless, skinless (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds); 2 tbsp olive oil (or enough nostick cooking spray); 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp paprika; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 2 tsp salt (Use 1 tsp salt for every pound of chicken); 1 tsp Italian seasoning (or another dried herbs of choice such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary)

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Cook these air fryer chicken thighs, either bone-in and skin-on or boneless and skinless, in less than 30 minutes for a quick and easy dinner tonight. Find out the simple secret to make them super crispy and delicious! Check out our air fryer chicken wings too!

Would you like to have some fried chicken without all the saturated fat? These air fryer chicken thighs fit the bill! Moreover, they require a few ingredients and are mess-free, crispy and delicious.

Discover our easy secret method for super crispy chicken without almost no added fat!

Ingredients and Substitutions:

All that you need to cook chicken thighs in the oven are 3 ingredients:

Chicken thighs – our recipe is for both bone-in, skin-on and also boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Just keep in mind that boneless chicken thighs usually cooks in half the time required to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer.
Non stick spray – Choose one with good flavor! But you can lightly brush olive oil all over the chicken thighs instead.
Seasonings – you can use any seasoning blend of your liking such as pre-packed Cajun or taco seasoning. I made my own at home by mixing together onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. It is enough to season about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of chicken.

Can I make air fryer chicken drumsticks or legs instead?

Yes! Just keep in mind their cooking time will not be the same as chicken thighs.

Can I cook them from frozen?

Yes, you can cook frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer, especially when they are skinless. But I don’t advice to make skin-on chicken thighs in the air fryer because the skin won’t get as crispy as when the chicken is thawed. The excess water in the frozen chicken is the main barrier to achieve crispness.

Moreover, either the chicken thighs are bone-in or boneless, it will take more time to cook from frozen.

Should I rinse chicken before cooking in the air fryer?

Whatever is the cooking method that you choose to cook chicken, do not rinse chicken thighs before cooking. By rinsing you are getting rid of some of the chicken flavor and may contaminate your sink and work surfaces. Just pat the chicken dry and prep as required in our recipe.

How long to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer?

The time will depend on the following factors:

The weight/size of your chicken thighs: larger thighs take more time to cook. The reason why is important that you choose pieces with similar size/weight. You don’t want to either undercook or overcook them!
The temperature that you cook them in the air fryer: The highest the temperature, the quickest to cook. If they are skin-on, they will get crispier too especially if you air fry them skin side down first. It will render the fat without browning too much while sealing the juices in.
Whether they are boneless or bone-in: for example, at 390° F (220° C) thawed 6-ounce boneless chicken thighs take about 8-10 minutes to cook; while bone-in 6 to 8-ounce thighs take around 18-22 minutes.
Whether the thighs are frozen or thawed: frozen chicken thighs take about double the time to cook compared to defrosted thighs. In either case, chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temp of 160°-165° F (71°-74° C)

Will boneless skinless chicken thighs in the air fryer get crispy?

No if they are skinless. The reason is obvious: without skin there isn’t much to crisp! If you want crispy chicken thighs, skin on is the way to go!

What’s the secret for crispy skin?

Basically the following steps will get crispy chicken in the air fryer in no time:

Use thawed chicken (excess water from frozen chicken is a great barrier to achieve crispness).
Chicken must have skin-on (without skin there isn’t much to crisp).
Pat dry the chicken before cooking to remove excess moisture.
Cook thighs in high temp in a preheated air fryer and place them skin side down to start — fat will be rendered without browning too much.

How to make air fryer chicken thighs

Boneless skinless thighs

Preheat air fryer to 390°F (200°C). Use preferably thawed chicken and pat dry them very well.
Place chicken thighs on a plate and then spray on both sides with non stick spray (or lightly brush with olive oil).
Stir together the seasonings and sprinkle over the chicken, pressing on with your hands to get it to stick. Then flip the thighs and repeat the process. SEE PIC. 1
Place two chicken thighs in the basket of the air fryer. They must be spread out (and not curled up). SEE PIC. 2 If your air fryer has a large basket, you may cook 4 thighs at once. Cook for 5 minutes.
Then flip them and cook for 4-5 more minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 160°-165°F. If you are cooking them from frozen, cook for 10-12 minutes, then flip and cook for more 10-12 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the air fryer, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Bone-in, skin-on thighs

To make this air fryer chicken thighs recipe, preheat air fryer to 390°F (200°C). Only use thawed chicken thighs and pat them dry very well. Although you can use frozen thighs, the skin won’t get as crispy! But if you don’t care about crispness, it will take about double of the time to cook compared to thawed chicken.
Place chicken thighs on a plate and then spray on both sides with non stick spray (or lightly brush with olive oil).
Stir together the seasonings and sprinkle over the chicken, pressing on with your hands to get the seasoning to stick. Then flip the thighs and repeat the process. SEE PIC . 1
Place two chicken thighs in the basket of the air fryer skin side down (fat will render without browning too much). If your air fryer has a large basket, you may cook 4 thighs at once. Do not overlap them! Cook for 10-12 minutes.
Then flip them and cook for 8-10 more minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted into the thickest part (do not let touch the bone) reads 160°-165°F. SEE PIC. 2
Remove the chicken from the air fryer, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes:

The cooking times stated above are for our air fryer chicken thighs that weigh about 6 to 8-ounce each.
You may use a slice of a good piece of bread the under the basket to absorb the grease from the chicken thighs and so reducing the amount of smoking while cooking the chicken.

Why are my air fryer chicken thighs dry and though?

Here are a few things that caused them to be dry and tough:

You didn’t bring the chicken out of the fridge for 20 minutes before cooking: This is key for even cooking!
The thighs were overcooked: Make sure to take them out of the air fryer as soon as they reach an internal temp of 165° F (74°C). By overcooking bone-in thighs you may even get their skin too brown.
After air frying them, you didn’t allow the chicken thighs to rest for 5 minutes before cutting them. The resting time will re-distribute the juices and lock the moisture in.

Storage

Store air fried chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. If you don’t mind the skin-on chicken thighs to lose some crispness, you may freeze them for up to 3 months. It is one of those easy freezer meals that you will want to make again and again.

Reheat them in a preheated air fryer at 390°F/200°C for about 3 minutes (boneless) or 5 minutes (bone-in), or until crispy and heated through.

More chicken recipes to try:

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