Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Air Fryer bone-in chicken thighs have the most tender meat and ultra crispy skin, with hardly any hands-on effort at all! Whip them up for dinner in under 25 minutes total with just a few simple ingredients!
Why We Love It
You won’t believe how quick and easy it is to make chicken thighs in the air fryer!
Chicken thighs are one of the most flavorful cuts of chicken (even better than chicken breasts!), and they’re usually more budget friendly, too. They’re great slow cooked, baked, or grilled, and absolutely wonderful when air fried, too!
The trick to cooking chicken thighs is always getting moist and tender chicken without sacrificing crispy, delicious skin! Well, I’m here to show you how to do it just right using your air fryer!
Because the air fryer cooks using convection, it’s great for everything from hard boiled eggs to tortilla chips to French fries to a whole roasted chicken, and more!
Make these chicken thighs in the air fryer, and you’ll have a delicious dinner on the table in under 25 minutes!
Ingredients
Ingredients Notes:
- For the most flavor, use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can also air fry boneless chicken thighs, but the cooking time will need to be adjusted (see the full recipe below!).
- For a different flavor profile, omit all of the seasonings and substitute 2 teaspoons of bbq seasoning, ranch seasoning, Greek seasoning, or Italian seasoning.
- I highly recommend the pastured chicken from Porter Road!
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Season the chicken.
Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and thyme together in a small dish.
Take a few napkins or paper towels and pat each chicken thigh dry on all sides.
Drizzle the chicken with the oil, then sprinkle with the seasoning. Use your hands to turn and rub the chicken thighs until they’re coated on all sides.
Step 2: Cook the chicken.
Preheat the air fryer to 380°F (194°C). Once it’s preheated, spray the air fryer basket with a little oil to prevent the chicken from sticking.
Use long, plastic-tipped tongs (to prevent burning your wrists or scratching the basket) to set the pieces of chicken into the air fryer skin side up.
👉 Make sure you place each thigh with room between each one. This will allow the air to flow and cook the chicken evenly, while still getting the crispiest skin possible.
Learn how to cook anything in your air fryer with our free cook time chart!
Close the air fryer and cook the chicken. The total cooking time will depend on the size of the pieces of chicken and the strength of your air fryer.
Cook Times:
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs: 18-20 minutes.
- Boneless Chicken Thighs: 12-14 minutes.
Close to the end of cook time, open the air fryer basket and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat.
👉 Important: Always use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of chicken has reached 165°F (74°C), per USDA. To accurately take the internal temperature, insert the thermometer into the deepest part of the meat, without touching the bone.
Once the chicken is done, carefully remove the chicken and set it on a plate to serve.
FAQ & Tips
Yes! To prepare the chicken in advance, rub the chicken with oil and seasonings. Cover it tightly and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook, up to 18 hours in advance.
Cook bone-in chicken thighs at 380°F (194°C) for 18-20 minutes. Cook boneless chicken thighs at 380°F (194°C) for 12-14 minutes.
– Always preheat the air fryer. If your air fryer doesn’t have a preheat setting, simply turn it on and wait about 5 minutes.
– Make sure to leave space between each piece of food to allow airflow.
– Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature of meat. For chicken, it should be 165°F (74°C), per USDA.
– For more, read my air frying guide.
I typically recommend turning food halfway through air frying, but it isn’t necessary in this situation. To ensure even cooking and achieve crispy skin, simply place the chicken skin side up and leave room between each chicken thigh in the air fryer basket.
If your chicken thighs are dry, they’re probably overcooked. Next time, shorten the cook time by a few minutes and remove them from the air fryer basket as soon as they reach 165°F (74°C).
I like to serve the chicken with cannellini bean salad, sweet potato fries, roasted green beans, or purple cabbage slaw.
More Air Fryer Recipes
👉 If you like air frying, be sure to get my free printable Air Frying Cook Times Chart!
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe!
Please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Air Fryer Bone-In Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
Video
Instructions
- Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and thyme together in a small dish. Take a few napkins or paper towels and pat each chicken thigh dry on all sides. Drizzle the chicken with the oil, then sprinkle with the seasoning, turning the chicken thighs until they’re coated on all sides.
- Preheat the air fryer to 380°F (194°C). Once it’s preheated, spray the air fryer basket with a little oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Carefully set the pieces of chicken into the air fryer skin side up, with a little room between each piece. Close the air fryer and cook the chicken for 18-20 minutes. Close to the end of cook time, open the air fryer basket and use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature of the meat has reached 165°F (74°C).Once the chicken is done, carefully remove the chicken and set it on a plate to serve.
Notes
- Use long, plastic-tipped tongs (to prevent burning your wrists or scratching the basket) to move food in and out of the air fryer.
- Leave room between each chicken thigh in the air fryer. This will allow the air to flow and cook the chicken evenly.
- For boneless chicken thighs: Adjust cooking time to 12-14 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature has reached 165°F (74°C), per USDA by inserting the thermometer into the deepest part of the meat, without touching the bone.
- To prepare the chicken in advance, rub the chicken with oil and seasonings. Cover it tightly and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to cook, up to 18 hours in advance.
