Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

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

Would you like to have some fried chicken without all the saturated fat? This air fryer chicken thighs recipe fits 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!

How to cook chicken thighs in air fryer

Air Fryer Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

• Preheat the 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 nonstick 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 than 10-12 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the air fryer, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. It makes a great meal prep for the week.

Air Fryer Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs

• To make this air fryer chicken thighs recipe, preheat the 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 the time to cook compared to thawed chicken.
• Place chicken thighs on a plate and then spray on both sides with nonstick 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 air fryer basket skin side down (fat will render without browning too much) in a single layer. If your air fryer has a large basket, you may cook 4 thighs at once. Do not overlap them! Air fry chicken thighs for 10-12 minutes.
• Then flip them and cook for 8-10 more minutes or until an instant-read 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 the chicken 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 ounces each.
• You may use a slice of a good piece of bread under the basket to absorb the grease from the chicken thighs, reducing the amount of smoking while cooking the chicken.

Ingredients and Substitutions

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

• Raw chicken thighs – Our recipe is for bone-in, skin-on, and boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Just keep in mind that boneless chicken thighs usually cook in half the time required to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer.
• Nonstick 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 mixture of your liking such as pre-packed Cajun or keto taco seasoning. I made my own at home by mixing onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. It is enough to season about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of chicken.

How long does it take to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer?

The cooking 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 chicken thighs in the air fryer: The higher the temperature, the quicker 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)

How long to air fry boneless skinless chicken thighs? 

A 6 to 8-ounce piece of boneless skinless chicken thighs takes about 8-10 minutes to air fry at 390° F (200° C) from thawed. However, it will take double the time if they are frozen.  

How long does it take to cook frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer?

Frozen chicken thighs take about double the time to cook compared to defrosted thighs. In either case, chicken is ready when the meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thighs measures an internal temperature of 160°-165° F (71°-74° C). This means 6 to 8-ounce frozen chicken thighs take about 16-20 minutes if boneless, and 36-44 minutes of bone-in.

Why are my air fryer chicken thighs dry and tough?

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, making juicy air fryer chicken.

Secret to crispy air fryer chicken thighs

The following steps will get crispy skin in no time: 

• Use thawed chicken (excess water from frozen chicken is a great barrier to 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 at high temp in a preheated air fryer and place chicken thighs skin side down to start -- fat will be rendered without browning too much.

FAQs

Storage

• FRIDGE: Store air-fried chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• FREEZER: 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.
• REHEATING: 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 air fryer chicken recipes 

• Air Fryer Chicken Legs
• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Popcorn Chicken in Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas

 Other chicken recipes

• Baked Chicken Thighs
• Baked Chicken Breast
• Instant Pot Whole Chicken
• Weight Watchers Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Healthy Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
• Galinhada (Brazilian Saffron Rice with Chicken)
• Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff

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5 from 9 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (Boneless and Bone-In)

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

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 18 minutes minutes

Resting time 3 minutes minutes

Total Time 26 minutes minutes

Servings 4 thighs

Calories387 kcal

Author Denise Browning

Cost $ 1.00 per person

Equipment

• 1 Air fryer

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on or boneless, skinless (about 1 ½ to 2 pounds
• 2 tablespoon olive oil or enough nostick cooking spray
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon salt Use 1 teaspoon salt for every pound of chicken
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or another dried herbs of choice such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary

Instructions

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Preheat the 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.
• Place two chicken thighs in the basket of the air fryer. They must be spread out (and not curled up). 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 chicken thighs: To make this air fryer chicken thighs recipe, preheat the 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 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.
• 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.
• Remove the chicken from the air fryer, cover, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• The cooking times stated above are for our air fryer chicken thighs that weigh about 6 to 8 ounces each.
• The nutritional facts are also for bone-in skin-on thighs. Boneless thighs will have fewer calories and fat.
• You may use a slice or a good piece of bread under the basket to absorb the grease from the chicken thighs, reducing the amount of smoking while cooking the chicken.

STORAGE: 

• FRIDGE: Store air-fried chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• FREEZE: 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 1276mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 615IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg

** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.

Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.

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This post was first published on March 15, 2021.