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
Would I be able to try this with chicken breasts? If so, how would I go about doing so? I love this seasoning!
Hi Sandra! Sorry I don’t have cook times for chicken breast.
This was the first time I cooked chicken in our air fryer and I was surprisingly impressed. It’s such an easy & yummy recipe! I made it with rice & cheesy broccoli on the side and it was a hit with my boys. I’m going to try bone in too and compare the two. Thank you for this delicious & easy recipe!
Thanks for the comment — I’m so happy the fam enjoyed it!
This is my go to chicken thigh recipe! My whole family loves these tasty boneless skinless thighs!!!!
This makes me so happy–I’m glad this has become your go-to!
Let’s just say I “consulted” your recipe, then made it my own. I used skinless but bone-in thighs, so appreciated the tip on cooking longer. I used your seasoning guide for amounts, as I tend to under-season, ty en subbed my favorites, rosemary/thyme/garlic. It was yummy!
Thanks for the comment — glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This was easy and delicious! A huge hit at the dinner table tonight.
Thanks for the comment, Hannah! So glad you all enjoyed it.
Delicious! Quick and easy recipe! Everyone loved it and it was tender and juicy.
Woohooo — so happy you all liked it!
Could you make this recipe in the oven? Thank you!
It sure is nice to find a tasty, pantry staple ingredients that doesn’t take all day to make. I was in the mood for a simple air fry chicken. Used 2 each bone-in, skin on thighs and legs. Everything came together quickly and was nice to have a hot lunch while taking care of my other household chores. Thank you for creating and sharing. Used the same temperature and time list in your recipe.
Which air fryer to you use? I have the ninja toaster air fryer combo, which I have found to be different than the ninja foodi. Can’t wait to give this is a shot today! My daughter loves honey stung wings but eats like one bite out of them, so hoping she will eat more with this awesome recipe!
I use the Vremi air fryer — I agree the toaster air fryer is different, so I’d start by cooking the chicken on the lower end of things (12 mins first side, 6 mins second side) and go from there. Let me know how it turns out!
Great dish and definitely juicy…I could use a little more seasoning or just let the chicken marinate overnight. Have you tried any additional seasonings?
Hi! I’ve had a few people on Pinterest tell me they doubled the amount of seasoning — you could give that a try.
ok I will try that and maybe add some others…Thank you!