Air fryer chicken thighs are perfectly seasoned with super crispy skin, and juicy, tender meat. They’re ready in 22 minutes, and make the perfect weeknight meal!
We love serving air fryer fried chicken thighs next to crispy parmesan roasted potatoes, air fryer corn on the cob, and caesar salad for a delicious and guilt free dinner!
We love the air fryer for everything from air fryer pickles to air fryer zucchini fries!
The two secrets to perfectly crispy air fryer chicken thighs: preheating the air fryer, and starting the thighs skin side down.
Preheating first means that the chicken thighs start with searing, and starting with the skin down gives it a chance to crisp up perfectly.
How To Trim Chicken Thighs
To ensure air fryer chicken thighs crisp up perfectly, trimming the extra fat on them is super important. To trim chicken thighs:
- Using a sharp knife or kitchen scissors, locate the extra fat that isn’t covering meat.
- Trim this section off.
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
To make air fryer chicken thighs:
- Preheat air fryer at 380°F for 5 minutes.
- Create the spice rub. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel, then brush with olive oil and rub generously with seasoning mixture.
- Place chicken thighs skin side down in preheated air fryer basket, and cook for 12 minutes.
- Flip thighs over, and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Rest thighs for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite sides.
How Long To Cook Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Air fryer chicken thighs take about 22 minutes, but this depends on how many thighs are in the air fryer, if they’re frozen, and how thick they are.
If you’re cooking chicken thighs from frozen in the air fryer, add a few minutes. Also, never crowd the air fryer. It works by circulating air, so keeping things spaced out really allows the hot air to cook the meat perfectly!
A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (without touching bone) should read 165°F.
Frozen Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Cooking chicken thighs in the air fryer from frozen is a great option if you need a quick weeknight meal. We love buying chicken thighs on sale and using them for weeknight dinners like air fryer chicken thighs and cilantro lime chicken!
- To make frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer, preheat the oven to 380°F.
- Rub with spice rub as normal, then place skin side down in preheated basket.
- Cook for 14 minutes, then flip, cooking for an additional 13-14 minutes or until the temperature reaches 165°F.
Tips and Substitutions For Perfect Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- If cooking from frozen, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- The spice rub can be adjusted to taste. If you’d like a kick, try adding some cayenne pepper.
- Salt in the spice rub helps to draw excess moisture out of the skin, creating the crispy exterior.
- Don’t crowd the air fryer basket. It’s always better to work in batches if needed. Air fryers work with a convection fan, so crowding it will minimize the surface area and affect the way the chicken thighs crisp up.
- Rest the chicken for about 5 minutes before serving it. This allows the juices to redistribute into the meat, making sure it comes out tender and juicy!
- Try making a simple chicken gravy from the drippings! Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to a saucepan with about â…“ cup of the drippings. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of chicken broth, or turkey stock.
More Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Salmon
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Corn On The Cob
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Air Fryer Pickles
- Air Fryer Asparagus
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, garnish
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper each
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 380°F for 5 minutes.
- Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel. Brush with olive oil.
- Combine spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Coat chicken thighs.
- Place chicken thighs skin side down into preheated air fryer basket. Air fry for 12 minutes. Flip chicken thighs, and cook an additional 10 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with parsley.
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33 thoughts on “Air Fryer Chicken Thighs”
I made these last night and they were amazing. Very flavorful with a crispy skin. The 380 degrees was the perfect temperature I baked them in the air fryer for 25 minutes turned over added another 15 minutes. Three thighs were thick so needed more time. Will be making these again.
The crispier the better, so happy they were a hit Patsy! Let us know if you try any variations next time. Always a crowd favorite!
Amazing!
The spices needed to be doubled to be enough for 4 thighs. 2 thighs per person. Because there were 4 instead of 6 thighs it didn’t take as long to cook. I added baking powder to the spices like I do for all my crispy low carb recipes. It was veery good.
Thanks for the suggestions Gaylina!
Super easy recipe with stuff I always have in the house! I live at ~5,000 feet above sea level and the thighs were still partly frozen so it took an hour but it was worth the wait! Really yummy and my picky husband really liked it! I paired it with roasted red potatoes and green beans. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds delicious, so glad you loved it!
This is now a go to recipe. Lots of folks don’t like bone in chicken, but I love chicken thighs. They’re the perfect size. On occasion, I’ve used the boneless skinless thighs, but you have to lower the time and temperature. I prefer bone in. And any seasoning that you like works well also.
So glad you love it Celina!
I made this for myself. All I changed was the seasoning. I used Kirkland Cesar Plank Salmon Seasoning with a shake of garlic powder. Personal preference. The chicken cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. Thank you for helping me for cooking solo.
So glad you love them Claudia!
Can chicken legs (drumsticks) be used instead?
Hi Vicky, they can! Just adjust the cooking time accordingly, the meat should be at 165°F with a meat thermometer. Enjoy!
We love this recipe! The seasoning was really tasty and it’s such an easy dish to make! I use an oven style air fryer and so took your advice to place a drip tray below the fryer tray. That made the clean up a snap! We will be making this again…..soon!
This was easy & delicious! I’m new to the air fryer world & forgot to put the drip pan underneath so there was THAT mess but yummy chicken!
Made his for my grandson, he is a super picky eater. He absolutely loved it! My husband also said “This is a keeper”! thank you for sharing.
So glad they were a hit Linda!
Love this! So tasty and the right amount of crispy. Definitely will make this again. Chicken was so juicy too.
Hi Jamie, so glad they’re a hit!
I dont have the basket fryer i have three racks should time and temp remain the same
Temperature and time will remain the same, I suggest adding a tray to catch any drippings under the chicken. They make an amazing gravy!
Are the calorie nurtrition for 6 thighs or one thighs
The nutrition information is based on one thigh. Enjoy!
Just finished your wonderful air fried chicken thighs (11/30/2021).
The ones I had were boneless/skinless, and still a bit frozen, but I still put on the oil and all the seasonings you suggested. I air fried them a little bit longer because they were still frozen. They came out wonderful! Will definitely be making these again!
We make these from frozen and they’re just as good. So happy you loved them Anne!
This recipe is perfect, I usually leave out the cayenne pepper. My 34 year old son is always bringing me a value pack of thighs and asking me to make this for him in my air fryer. Taste really good cold the next day. You won’t be disappointed if you make this.
So happy it’s a hit Elizabeth!
This recipe was DELICIOUS! The spice rub was such a tasty combination that really complimented the chicken. The skin was super crispy and the meat was juicy and tender. Perfection!
So glad you loved it Mafi!
Very tasty and crisp! Great the next day!
Glad you loved it Barbara!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner, and let me tell you it was amazing! I omitted the cayenne pepper, but there was no complaints. These things has such an amazing flavor and the cooking time was spot on. This recipe is definitely going in my regular rotation. Thank you for sharing.
So happy they were a hit Robin!