Tired of the same old chicken recipes? Then, it’s time to level up your game with this Air Fryer Chicken Thighs recipe! Juicy chicken thighs are cooked to perfection in the air fryer, resulting in an ultra-crispy chicken that won’t disappoint.
Table of Contents
- What Are Air Fryer Chicken Thighs?
- Air Fried Chicken Thigh Ingredients
- How to Make Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
- Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- What to Serve With These Easy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Leftovers & Reheating
- MORE Air Fryer RECIPES
- Save This Recipe ✉️
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Recipe
- Recipe FAQs
When we don’t want the hassle of grilling chicken thighs, we’re all about our air fryer.
The air fryer is one of our favorite ways to whip up an easy dinner for busy weeknights, like these Air Fryer Pickle Brined Chicken Wings or Air Fryer Shrimp. These Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are one of our newest air fryer meals to add to the list. This easy recipe is the best way to cook chicken, just like moist air fryer chicken legs, and get the taste of fried chicken without actually deep frying it, and it produces super tender meat that melts in your mouth.
What Are Air Fryer Chicken Thighs?
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are chicken thighs cooked in the air fryer. The hot air from the air frying process is a game changer for producing the juiciest chicken with perfectly crispy skin. Unlike smoked chicken thighs or pan-seared chicken thighs, this simple recipe requires very little effort on your part and cooks the chicken in less time than other cooking methods.
Just like with our grilled chicken breast, we believe that cooking chicken with the bone in and skin on adds layers of flavor and texture you just can’t get with boneless thighs. And, with as easy as this recipe is, and how simple it is to mix and match flavors depending on your mood—this chicken thigh recipe is going on the weekly meal prep rotation.
Air Fried Chicken Thigh Ingredients
Keep it simple but lock in big flavor by using bone-in skin on chicken.
- Chicken thighs – Skin on, bone-in.
- Juice from half a lemon
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground Black pepper
How to Make Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
We mix our own spice blend, but feel free to use your favorite chicken seasoning.
Prep the chicken
- Give those chicken thighs a little zing by drizzling the juice from half a lemon all over them.
- Grab a small bowl and add the paprika, garlic powder, dried parsley, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. Then mix up your seasonings.
- Take the seasoning mix and sprinkle it all over the chicken. Make sure both sides get a nice, even coating.
- Place the thighs in the air fryer basket with the skin side facing down. Placing them skin-side down prevents the skin from over-browning.
Air Fry the Chicken
- Set your air fryer to around 400 degrees F, and let the thighs cook for about 12-15 minutes on each side. Keep an eye on them until they’re all golden and cooked through.
- Be sure to rest it for 5 minutes before serving.
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- Check the internal temperature of the chicken thighs using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach at least 165 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. This dries out the skin, allowing it to crisp up in the air fryer.
- You don’t have to stick to the seasoning listed in the recipe. Play around with different seasonings to get the perfect concoction.
- For extra crispy skin, flip the chicken thighs over halfway through cooking.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket, or the chicken thighs may not cook evenly. Stick to layering them in a single layer. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may have to cook the chicken thighs in batches.
- For the juiciest chicken thighs ever, soak them in a chicken marinade!
What to Serve With These Easy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
When it comes to chicken, you can pretty much serve it with any of your favorite side dishes. Try some tasty side dishes with cooked chicken, like BBQ Glazed Brussels Sprouts and an Easy Smoked Baked Potato.
Want to spice up this air fryer chicken thigh recipe? Pop it into a chicken paprikash sauce or top it with a little homemade chimichurri.
Leftovers & Reheating
Store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Then, use the leftover cooked chicken thighs and make a quick Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad for lunch or add some protein to an easy crockpot broccoli cheese soup!
MORE Air Fryer RECIPES
Poultry Recipes
Air Fryer Turkey Burgers
Chicken
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Poultry Recipes
Honey Garlic Chicken in the Air Fryer
Side Dish Recipes
Air Fryer Cauliflower
With this easy air fryer recipe and a few simple ingredients, you can whip up this quick meal in under 30 minutes! Your whole family will love these crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs, with juicy chicken thighs tossed in seasoning and cooked to perfection.
Have you tried this recipe? Do us a favor and rate the recipe card with the ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ and drop a comment to help out the next reader.
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken thighs skin on, bone in
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Drizzle the lemon juice over the chicken thighs.4 Chicken thighs, 1 lemon
- In a small bowl, combine the seasoning.1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken, making sure to coat both sides.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to the air fryer basket, skin side down.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking.
- Add the chicken thighs, skin side down and cook for 12 minutes.
- Carefully flip the chicken thighs, and continue to cook for another 12 to 15 mintues until cooked through and an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
- Using tongs, transfer the chicken thighs to a serving platter and rest the for 5 mintues before serving hot.
Notes
- Check the internal temperature of the chicken thighs using a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach at least 165 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel before adding the lemon juice. This dries out the skin, allowing it to crisp up in the air fryer.
- You don’t have to stick to the seasoning listed in the recipe. Play around with different seasonings to get the perfect concoction. Use a Mexican spice blend for a warm rich twist or go light and herbaceous for a Mediterranean meal. Chicken is a great meat for so many flavor profiles.
- For extra crispy skin, flip the chicken thighs over halfway through cooking.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket, or the chicken thighs may not cook evenly. Stick to layering them in a single layer. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may have to cook the chicken thighs in batches.
- For the juiciest chicken thighs ever, soak them in a chicken marinade!
Nutrition
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Recipe FAQs
Yes! If you prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs, swap those out for the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. You may need to adjust the cooking time as boneless chicken tends to cook faster than bone in.
Although chicken thighs have slightly higher fat content than chicken breasts, they’re still a great way to get some protein without overdoing the calories!
My husband loved this recipe. I did not have paprika on hand but it was good without it. Maybe a little bit too much pepper.
Thanks, Judy. I am glad he loved it. This recipe is great for a variety of spices too so you can switch it up as needed for whatever mood you’re in!
Looks like I better run out and buy chicken thighs. Your recipe looks delish. I love using my air fryer!