Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (Super Tender, Crispy, & Juicy)

These air fryer chicken thighs are flavorful from the inside out. The skin on 'em turns out ultra crispy, and the meat turns out perfectly tender and juicy. Plus, these air fried chicken thighs are so, so quick and easy to make. In fact, you can whip 'em up in under 30 minutes.

The Best Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

If you've never tried cooking chicken thighs in the air fryer before, this recipe is going to be an absolute game-changer for you. It's a deceptively simple recipe that you make by following just 3 easy steps. And what's even better is that the chicken thighs turn out perfect every single time when you cook them this way.

These air fryer chicken thighs are perfectly tender, super juicy, and they have the most addictively crispy skin too.

Gah, they're just so good I could eat 'em every single night! Plus, as I was just saying, I love how easy this recipe is to make. You literally just season the chicken thighs, pop 'em in the air fryer, and then sit back and relax while the machine does all the heavy lifting.

It's literally effortless to make, and since the entire recipe is spent waiting for the chicken thighs to cook to perfection, you can work on some tasty sides to go with it. And if you're wondering what to serve with chicken thighs, some of my favorite things to pair with 'em are these sauteed brussels sprouts, this sauteed zucchini, this sauteed eggplant, or this sauteed broccoli recipe.

Ingredients

Now, aside from chicken thighs, you only need a handful of pantry staple seasonings to make this recipe. And, honestly, there's a good chance you'll have all of them at home already!

Anyway, here's everything you'll need:

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Pretty simple stuff, right?!

By the way, another easy chicken recipe you can put together with any leftover chicken thighs you end up with is this baked chicken legs and thighs or oven-roasted chicken thighs recipe. They're almost just as easy to make as this air fryer recipe is, and just as delicious too.

Ingredient Substitutions and Suggestions

While this recipe calls for skin-on-bone-in chicken thighs, boneless skinless chicken thighs will work great too. However, if you do go that route, I suggest cutting the cooking time down to about 15 minutes.

Now, as far as the seasonings go, you can make some swaps for them as well.

Here are some suggestions on how to do that:

• Smoked paprika: If you don't have smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika or sweet paprika. For a slightly different flavor, you can also try chipotle powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper for some heat.
• Garlic powder: You can use a ¼ teaspoon garlic salt in its place.
• Onion powder: You can use ¼ teaspoon onion salt in its place.
• Oregano: You can substitute oregano out with an equal amount of thyme, marjoram, or basil. You can also use an equal amount of an Italian seasoning blend that contains oregano in its place as well.
• Salt and pepper: If you'd like to try a different seasoning, you can use seasoned salt, lemon pepper, or a spice blend like za'atar or Cajun seasoning.

How To Make Air Fryer  Chicken Thighs

Alright, now it's time for the fun part - it's time to make some chicken thighs in the air fryer!

And again, I can't stress enough how easy this recipe is. Once you've seasoned your chicken thighs, you basically just pop 'em into the air fryer and wait for 'em to cook.

No joke, it's that simple!

So, without further ado, let's not waste another second, let's get cooking!

Step 1: Season The Chicken

First, you'll want to preheat your air fryer to 380°F (195°C) for about 5 minutes.

Then, while your air fryer is preheating, you can put the chicken thighs in a large bowl - or a zip-lock bag - and add the seasonings to them.

Now, after you've got those added in there you'll want to mix up the chicken thighs well to completely coat them in the spices.

Step 2: Air Fry The Chicken Thighs

As soon as your air fryer is preheated, you'll want to spray the air fryer basket with some cooking spray and arrange the chicken thigh's skin side up in it - and make sure they can lay flat in there.

Now, once those are looking good, you can cook the chicken thighs for 12 minutes, then flip 'em over and cook for another 10 minutes - or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Step 3: Serve

Once the chicken thighs are cooked to perfection, you can take them out of the air fryer and serve them warm with any of your favorite sides.

Enjoy!

How To Store Cooked Chicken Thighs

This recipe for air fryer chicken thighs makes enough for 4 servings, so it's perfect for a family meal or if you want some leftovers for the rest of the week.

Speaking of leftovers, you can store any of your extra chicken thighs in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. However, if you want to store your air fried chicken thighs for even longer, they'll stay good for up to 4 months in the fridge.

How To Reheat Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Now, while you can eat your leftover chicken thighs cold, I think they taste even better reheated.

So to reheat your chicken thighs, I suggest putting them back in the air fryer at 380°F (195°C) and cooking them for 3-6 minutes - flipping halfway through - until they reach your desired temperature.

FAQs About These Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

How long does it take to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer?

Chicken thighs will take around 20 minutes to cook in the air fryer at 380°F (195°C) if they are bone-in chicken thighs. However, if you're cooking skinless boneless chicken thighs, they'll cook a bit faster and will only need around 12-14 minutes in the air fryer.

Why is chicken not crispy in air fryer?

A few factors that could lead to your chicken not crisping up in the air fryer are:

1. Overcrowding the air fryer basket,
2. Insufficiently preheating your air fryer to the appropriate temperature
3. Not cooking the chicken at a high enough temperature
4. & Not using any oil/seasonings on the chicken 

What is the best temperature and time to cook chicken thighs?

For juicy chicken with a golden brown exterior, the best temperature and time to cook chicken thighs is 380°F (195°C) for about 22 minutes.

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make chicken thighs in the air fryer!

This recipe is a quick, tasty, and easy weeknight dinner that everyone is guaranteed to love. From the juicy chicken to the crisp skin to the delicious flavors from the seasonings, easy chicken recipes really don't get any better than this.

With all that said, I hope you enjoy this air fryer chicken thigh recipe as much as I do.

As always, if you give this recipe a try, be sure to leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!

More Air Fryer Recipes

If you enjoyed this air fryer chicken recipe, I have a bunch of other easy air fryer recipes on the blog that you can try next! 

Here are some reader favorites:

• Air fryer pork chops
• Air fryer salmon bites
• Air fryer chicken breast
• Air fryer chicken wings
• Air fryer turkey tenderloin

Oh, and make sure to check out my Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok as well. I post new healthy recipes on them weekly!