Air Fryer Chicken Thighs – Crispy, Juicy Recipe in 30 Minutes!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, made with olive oil and spices, ready in under 30 minutes!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are quick and easy to make, made with olive oil and a blend of spices that gives the chicken a nice crispy skin and makes the meat really tender. It’s one of my favorite weeknight dinners, and the juiciest chicken you can get! This is also a great way to meal prep lunches, and you can use a lot of different flavor combinations in the spice mixture to keep it interesting!
If you love this recipe, you may also love my Air Fryer Chicken Tenders, Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Thighs! For a great side dish, try my Air Fryer Green Beans!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy to make – This recipe is really simple to throw together, just mixing some olive oil and spices and throwing the thighs in the air fryer. There’s not much that can go wrong!
Fast for Meal Prep – The total cook time for this recipe is 24 minutes, and what you get is so incredibly tender and juicy, plus the skin is crispy and full of flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Bone-In Chicken Thighs. For this recipe, you want to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. The skin makes a really nice, crispy outer layer and helps keep the juices in the meat, which gives it a really tender finish.
You can make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs, but they won’t turn out crispy.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. For most air fryer recipes, you still need to use a little bit of oil for the cooking process to work properly. For this recipe, I like to use olive oil to get the skin really nice and crispy. You can also use vegetable oil or avocado oil.
Spices. We’re creating a really nice savory flavor with a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, sage, and thyme. We’re mixing the spices with the olive oil to help coat the chicken evenly.
We’re also adding kosher salt and black pepper either with the spice mixture, or to taste after the chicken is cooked.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe you’ll need an air fryer and a medium mixing bowl.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
In a small bowl, add olive oil and spices and whisk until everything is combined. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry.
Add the skin-on chicken thighs to a mixing bowl and toss together with the seasoning mix until the chicken is evenly coated.
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Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 12 minutes at 400°F, then turn the chicken over and air fry for an additional 12 minutes.
Cook until the chicken skin is golden brown, and the meat is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. For a really juicy chicken thigh with crispy skin, cook to 175°F-190°F. Add any extra salt or black pepper as-needed, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Add a spicy kick to the spice blend by adding red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or cayenne pepper.
- You can make this recipe with other cuts of chicken, like chicken breast or boneless skinless thighs. The cook time may vary depending on the cut, bigger pieces may need extra time. I like skin-on chicken thighs because you get a nice crispy skin in the air fryer.
- Most spice blends will work with this recipe. For more ideas, try my Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning Blend, or my Homemade Italian Seasoning. Or try using curry powder, fajita seasoning, or a cajun seasoning.
- Add a squeeze of lemon juice or lime juice for a bright fresh flavor. Or some sweetness with a sprinkle of brown sugar.
- Add extra smoked paprika, then cover the chicken thighs in bbq sauce halfway through for bbq chicken thighs.
- Add an extra half teaspoon garlic powder and top with parmesan cheese before serving for a garlic parmesan version.
Recipe Tip! Leaving the skin on the chicken thighs will give you a crispy-on-the-outside texture, but you can still make this with boneless chicken thighs for a lighter version.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken thighs are done cooking when the internal temperature has reached 165°F. Just use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh meat. A good visual clue that your chicken has finished cooking is that the juices from the chicken are clear and the skin looks crispy, then just double check with the instant read thermometer to be sure.
Air fryers are great because they save time, cleanup, and calories when compared to deep frying. But they do still require a little bit of oil to achieve a really nice crispy texture. Air fryers circulate hot air rapidly around the food to cook it, but can dry out the food without oil. But unlike deep frying, you only need 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil. Or you can use a few seconds of cooking spray or olive oil spray.
Recipe Tip! The air fryer is a great way to get crispy chicken without all of the oil from a deep fryer, but you have to use a small amount of oil to get good results in the air fryer. We’re using a spice mixture with olive oil to coat the chicken for this reason.
More Chicken Thighs Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Thighs
- Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs
- Greek Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Baked Chicken Thighs
Storage
Refrigerate leftover chicken thighs for 3-4 days in an air tight container.
Freeze leftover air fryer chicken for 2-3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Cooking Tips
- Leave a little bit of space between the pieces of chicken to make sure the air circulation can get around all sides and cook everything evenly. Air frying is all about air flow.
- Remember to flip the chicken halfway through, to make sure the top of the chicken skin gets really crispy right at the end.
- You need a little bit of oil when air frying, to give the chicken a nice crispy exterior. You can apply the seasoning as a dry rub, but you’ll still need a little bit of oil, too.
- Air fryers come in all different sizes, so you may have to work in batches depending on what size your air fryer basket is.
- Check your chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s fully cooked before serving. Adjust your cooking time as-needed. The internal chicken temperature should be minimum 165°F, but for best flavor cook it to 175°F-190°F.
- If you want these extra crispy, add a little bit of cornstarch to the seasoning mixture. Whisk well to make sure there’s no big clumps.
- Serve these with Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or Instant Pot Green Beans.
Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs – Crispy, Juicy Recipe in 30 Minutes
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 6 medium chicken thighs , with bone and skin
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper , or to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add olive oil and spices and whisk until everything is combined. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry.
- Add the chicken to the mixing bowl and toss together with the spice mixture until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Place the chicken thighs skin side down in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 12 minutes at 400°F, then turn the chicken over and air fry for an additional 12 minutes.
- Air fry until the chicken skin is golden brown, and the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Notes
- Leave a little bit of space between the pieces of chicken to make sure the air can get around all sides and cook everything evenly.
- Remember to flip the chicken halfway through, to make sure the top of the chicken skin gets really crispy right at the end.
- You need a little bit of oil when air frying, to give the chicken a nice crispy exterior.
- Air fryers come in all different sizes, so you may have to work in batches depending on what size your air fryer basket is.
- Check your chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it’s fully cooked before serving. Adjust your cooking time as-needed.
Nutrition
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