Air Fryer Chicken Thighs | Bone In Skin On
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs have it all! Flavor, protein, nutrition, and easy peasy to get on the table!
The air fryer is the way to go if you want juicy, crispy, tender chicken thighs that are perfect every time! For sure! You will not be disappointed.
When I eat meat, I want it to be good. Really good. No dry chicken. No rubbery chicken. No flavorless chicken. Just nice, crispy, juicy, and loaded with flavor. Three cheers for the air fryer!
How Long Does it Take to Cook Chicken Thighs in an Air Fryer?
The beautiful thing about using the air fryer is that the chicken thighs are ready in about 20 minutes. You’ll get the best results if you flip them halfway through the cooking process.
You can easily cook 4-6 thighs in most air fryer baskets. But be sure to not overcrowd the thighs. You want a single layer for perfect crispiness.
I started cooking chicken thighs, bone in, skin on, many years ago. It took some experimenting to get it right (lots of experimenting). Check out my Crispy Chicken Thighs recipe here if you’re looking to use a traditional oven.
But then I was introduced to the air fryer. Game changer! It takes less time, no pre-heating (depending on your model), and no hot oven to heat up your kitchen. And the results are amazing!
I truly never thought anything could replace my fabulous oven baked chicken thighs. I was wrong. These air fryer chicken thighs can’t be beat.
How to Make Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
This is one of the easiest recipes to make. Just trim up the skin, pat it dry, and coat with some simple seasonings (see full recipe below). Place in a single layer in your air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes! That’s it!
You’ll get super crispy, super juicy, and always tender chicken when you use your air fryer. ANd they’re great with these air fryer sweet potato fries!
What Temperature Should I Cook Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
I set my air fryer to 400 degrees when cooking bone in skin on chicken thighs. Then I cook them for 18-20 minutes.
Some air fryers need to be pre-heated, but mine doesn’t (here’s the one I’ve been using for years!). Make sure to check your owners’ manual to see if yours requires pre-heating.
Furthermore, be sure to check the internal temperature of your chicken with an instant-read thermometer. Cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Ingredients Used in this Recipe
- Bone in Skin on Chicken Thighs – I prefer to use free-range, organic chicken, but any kind will do.
- Olive Oil – A little goes a long way. This will add to the skin crispiness.
- Smoked Paprika – this gives it a nice BBQ kind of taste, but regular sweet paprika will also work.
- Salt and Pepper – Lots of flavor comes from these two simple ingredients.
It doesn’t take much to have these tender, juicy, easy chicken thighs on your table! Give it a shot. Your family to love it!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs | Bone In Skin On
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs for an easy weeknight dinner. Tender, crispy, bone in skin on air fryer juicy chicken thighs are ready in 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 4-6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, excess skin trimmed
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil (can use olive oil)
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Trim the excess skin from the chicken thighs. Place thighs on a cutting board and drizzle with oil on both sides.
- Whisk together the paprika, salt and pepper. Sprink all over both sides of the thighs and rub in.
- Place thighs in the air fryer basket skin side down. (preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees if recommended by the manufacturer.)
- Place the basket in the air fryer and set the temperature to 400 degrees and timer for 20 minutes. Flip the thighs over after 10 minutes of cooking.
- Check the thighs 8 minutes after flipping. Then continue to cook 2 minutes at a time until desired crispiness. Serve immediately.
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