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Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

By Erin AlvarezUpdated Oct 20, 2025, Published Sep 17, 2020

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Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 6 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

• Spicy Lamb Meatballs
• Quinoa Crusted Salmon
• Blackened Salmon Fajitas

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!

4.99 from 336 votes

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

By Erin Alvarez

Servings: 6 thighs

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 25 minutes mins

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Who knew boneless, skinless chicken could be so crispy?! Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside, and ready in under 25 minutes! 

Video

Equipment

• Air fryer

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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

US Customary - Metric

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

*Calories are an estimation and are per chicken thigh

*NOTE: every air fryer is different, so cook times may vary

*I tested this recipe with both boneless/skinless chicken, and with bone-in skin on chicken. Personally, I preferred the boneless/skinless version, but if you want to use chicken thighs with skin, just note that you'll probably have to cook the chicken for approx. 5 more minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 291mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 191IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

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