Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (boneless + bone in)

These crispy air fryer chicken thighs are juicy, flavorful, and ready in minutes! With a simple spice rub and very little oil, you can use boneless or bone-in thighs. This recipe is gluten-free and low carb!

The air fryer is such a useful appliance for cooking chicken! We love using it to cook chicken breast and chicken tenders, and now I'm showing you our go-to chicken thighs recipe.

You can use either boneless or skin-on bone-in thighs for this recipe, and the results are always the same: juicy, flavorful, and quicker than the oven!

This recipe is perfect served with rice or cauliflower rice, and kale salad.

Recipe video

Want to see how I cooked this recipe? Watch the video below to see how easily they come together! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.

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It all starts with the rub

I've adapted my perfect baked chicken thighs rub swapping out oregano and basil for thyme leaves. We are combining onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, thyme leaves, salt and pepper, and mixing them all together.

Spritz the chicken with spray oil, and press the rub all over the chicken. Pressing it on is essential in helping it stick. This rub adds so much flavor to your chicken, and reminds me of KFC!

You may want to triple (or more) the batch and store in the pantry- it's good for up to one year.

Use high heat

Most air fryers max out at 390°F/ 200°C, and that's the temperature we use to cook our chicken thighs. In my experiments with oven-baked chicken, I found that a high heat helps cook the chicken to juicy perfection, and it works well in the air fryer as well.

Use a digital thermometer

Chicken thighs come in many different shapes and sizes, and while they are less prone to drying out than boneless chicken breasts, they definitely can overcook. I highly recommend investing in a digital thermometer so that you know exactly when the chicken is ready to come out.

Cook your thighs until they reach 165°F in the thickest part, then pull them out.

Rest before slicing

Resting your chicken is a crucial step, as this allows the juices to settle in the meat. Slicing into them immediately after cooking would result in the juices running all over your plate.

To rest your chicken thighs, place on a clean plate, and cover with a baking dish for 5 minutes.

Cooking boneless chicken thighs

1. Stir together the rub.
2. Spritz chicken with spray oil on both sides.
3. Rub all over with the rub (and press it on with your hands)
4. Cook for 4 minutes at 390°F/ 200°C.
5. Flip, and cook for another 4 minutes.
6. Check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh; if it has not reached 165°F, keep cooking.

Cooking skin-on bone-in chicken thighs

1. Mix up the rub.
2. Dry off chicken thighs with a paper towel).
3. Spritz on both sides with spray oil.
4. Using your hands, press the rub all over the chicken.
5. (optional) Place bread in the bottom of the air fryer to help absorb fat and reduce smoking.
6. Place chicken in the air fryer and cook for 15 minutes at 390°F/ 200°C.
7. Gently flip and cook for another 8-10 minutes.
8. Check that thighs reach at least 165°F in the thickest part (we cooked ours closer to 190°F).

Recipe tips

• Flip the chicken-  in order to ensure the chicken cooks through evenly, I highly recommend flipping it halfway through
• Alternate rubs- you are welcome to switch up the rub (I have 7 rub recipes here), but I'd advise skipping anything with sugar as it can be prone to burning
• Smoking- skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs release a lot of grease into the bottom of the air fryer which smokes while cooking. I recommend placing the air fryer under a range hood fan on high power. Another trick I've learned is to put pieces of bread in the bottom- this seems to reduce the smoking but does not eliminate it.

More air fryer recipes

• Air Fryer Chicken Wings
• Ultra Crispy Air Fryer Chickpeas
• Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
• Air Fryer Tofu
• Honey Lime Air Fryer Shrimp

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

5 from 8 votes

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

rest time: 5 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

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Air fryer chicken thighs are juicy, flavorful, and ready in minutes! With a simple spice rub and very little oil, you can use boneless or bone-in thighs. This recipe is gluten-free and low carb!

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on or boneless, skinless; see note 1)
• ▢ spray oil

Rub

• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper (optional; can be a touch spicy for kids)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon thyme leaves

Instructions 

Boneless skinless thighs

• Place chicken thighs on a plate. Spray on both sides with spray oil.
• Stir together the rub, and sprinkle over the chicken. Press it on with your hands (to get it to stick properly), flip the thighs, and repeat on the other side.
• Heat air fryer to 390°F/200°C.
• Place two of the chicken thighs in the bask of the air fryer (see note 2), making sure they are spread out and not curled up. Cook for 4 minutes.
• Flip, and cook for 4 more minutes, or until a digital thermometer stuck into the thickest part reads 165°F.
• Remove the chicken from the air fryer, cover, and rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Bone-in, skin-on thighs

• Place chicken thighs on a plate. Spray on both sides with spray oil.
• Stir together the rub, and sprinkle over the chicken. Press it on with your hands (to get it to stick properly), flip the thighs, and repeat on the other side.
• Heat air fryer to 390°F/200°C.
• (optional) Place 2 pieces of bread, torn, into the bottom of the air fryer, under the basket (see note 3).
• Place all four chicken thighs into the basket, spreading them out as much as possible. Cook for 15 minutes.
• Flip the chicken carefully, and cook for another 8-10 minutes, until an internal temperature of at least 165°F is reached (see note 4).
• Remove from the air fryer, and let chicken rest (uncovered) for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips:

1- roughly 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, roughly 1.5 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.

2- a standard-sized basket air fryer fits two spread out chicken thighs at a time and you will need to work in batches. Larger basket air fryers or oven-style air fryers will fit a full batch.

3- the bread absorbs grease from the chicken thighs, reducing the amount of smoking that occurs while cooking.

4- when cooked to 165°F, we found the top of the chicken was not crispy to our liking, and that the part closest to the bone was still a little under. 185-190 was a better result for us, but feel free to play around to get your perfect chicken thighs!

Storage

Store cooked chicken thighs in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat

Reheat in the air fryer at 390°F/200°C for 3 minutes (boneless) or 5 minutes (bone-in), until crispy and heated through.

*nutritional information is for one 4 oz boneless skinless chicken thigh

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 4oz *, Calories: 140kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 107mg, Sodium: 392mg, Potassium: 286mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 150IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

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