Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
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Who knew boneless, skinless chicken could be so crispy?! Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and ready in under 25 minutes!
If you haven’t made chicken in the air fryer yet, what are you waiting for?! I realized the other day that I don’t have a ton of chicken recipes on my site. There’s my sun-dried tomato chicken skillet and my whole30 chicken salad, but I definitely have way more tofu/salmon/beef recipes, and I felt like that needed to change.
Making air fryer chicken thighs is incredibly simple, and it’s an easy way to get chicken to crisp up nicely on the outside, while still being juice on the inside.
Recipe features
- Crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside
- Super flavorful, and ready in under 30 minutes
- Can easily use your own favorite spice blend, if you prefer
Ingredient notes:
Chicken thighs – Boneless, skinless. I tested the recipe both ways though, so if you want to use bone-in chicken thighs, see the “notes” section in the recipe card.
Spices – Garlic powder, smoked paprika and oregano.
Nonstick spray – This is a *key* ingredient if you want the chicken to be crispy on the outside. You can use typical nonstick spray, though I tend to prefer either olive oil spray or avocado oil spray.
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Dry the chicken. Place chicken onto a plate, then use a paper towel to pat it dry before transferring the chicken to a large bowl.
Step 2: Add the spices. Combine the garlic, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper, then pour the spices over the chicken and use your hands to coat the chicken.
Step 3. Air fry the chicken. Make sure you preheat your air fryer, then add the chicken, spray them with nonstick spray and fry them for 12 minutes on the first side, then 8-10 minutes on the second side.
Expert tips and FAQs
- Use kitchen tongs to easily flip the chicken
- Feel free to cook the chicken for 2 additional minutes if you really want it to be crispy, but be careful not to over-cook it; otherwise, the chicken might be too dry
- If you don’t have nonstick/olive oil/avocado oil spray, you can brush the chicken with a little bit of olive oil instead
What should I serve this with?
This air fryer chicken pairs perfectly with my Instant Pot Spanish rice, easy fried brussels sprouts, feta harissa roasted carrots, and/or my skillet roasted potatoes.
Can I use bone-in chicken thighs with skin instead?
Yep! I tested this recipe both ways, so if you’re going to use bone-in chicken, I’d air fry the chicken on the first side for 15 minutes, and on the second side for 12. Again, it depends on the size of your chicken thighs, too, but generally bone-in chicken takes a little longer to cook than boneless chicken.
More easy dinner recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Video
Equipment
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 5-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, patted dry; see notes
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then transfer to a bowl.
- Combine all the seasonings together in a bowl, then pour them into the bowl with the chicken and use your hands to coat the chicken with the spices.
- Preheat your air fryer to 380° (mine took 3 minutes to preheat). Then, place chicken smooth side down into the air fryer, spray with nonstick spray/olive oil spray, and cook at 380° for 12 minutes. NOTE: every air fryer is different, so cook times may vary.
- Once the air fryer beeps, use kitchen tongs to flip the chicken over, and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes on the second side, or until chicken is cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition
I simply love this recipe. Follow instructions for boneless, skinless thighs and they came out juicy. Perfect seaming too. Thank you for such an easy recipe.
Thanks Sandra — happy to hear you like the recipe as much as I do!
This was my first time using my air fryer. The seasoning was on point but I found the time was way too long for my chicken thighs and dried them up so much. It was nearly inedible. I tried lowering the temp and frying for less time based on another recipe and it was so much better.
Hi Vee! Every air fryer is different so cook times vary, but I’m glad that you enjoyed the seasoning.
I tried the recipe today, using bone-in thighs, and I was not disappointed! This recipe is a keeper.
I’m so glad you liked it!
All air fryers are different, i just got one for Christmas, it has a basket a grill pan, and a baking type pan, which do i use for the chicken?
Hi Julie! You might want to reference the instruction manual for more info, but I’m guessing the basket/grill pan is what you want to use.
Loved the air fryer thighs. Seasoning was spot on. Didn’t change a thing. Thanks Erin for the great recipe!
Thanks so much for the comment — I’m glad you liked them!
How long would you do with bone in?
Hi! I’d try 12 minutes on the first side (skin side down) and 12-14 on the second and see how that goes. Please let me know how it turns out in case other people want to use bone-in chicken!
I just made this and it was so delicious! As a college student, I am always looking for easy, quick, and tasty recipes and this was definitely really good!
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Quick question. You mention in the ingredients to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. But then in step 3 of the instructions it says to place the chicken skin side up in the air fryer. So do you use skinless or skin on?
Apologies — wrong choice of words! I used boneless skinless and meant to say put the chicken smooth side down.
Omg so freaking delicious!! Easy and quick. Will be making this many more times.
Thanks Nicole!
So tasty! This was my first air fryer meal and I’m so pleased!
Thanks for the inspiration!
woohooooo — I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Honestly this recipes is the reason that I bought an air fryer (and prime day helped 😂). Wow!!! I’m a convert. So flavorful and moist. This was restaurant quality chicken thighs!
Ummm that’s amazing — this is my FAVORITE recipe to make in the air fryer too! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Do you only spray 1 side of the chicken with oil? Also, does it have to be single layer? (Assuming so)
You spray the chicken before you cook it, then again after you flip it. And yes — single layer!
Thanks Kim for asking this question. I was wondering about the spray also.