These Air Fryer Chicken Thighs turn out so crispy and delicious! They are coated in the most delicious seasoning rub, then air fried until juicy on the inside with crisped up skin.
I just absolutely love how the air fryer cooks chicken. Not only are chicken wings and chicken breast delicious, but it also makes the most wonderful chicken thighs.
This recipe is beyond easy to prep and goes from fridge to table in just 30 minutes – perfect for a busy weeknight.
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken thighs: I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Boneless thighs may need to cook less, so check them 5 minutes before the cooking time in the recipe is up.
- Olive oil: Feel free to use any cooking oil you have on hand; I often use canola oil in place of the olive oil and it works just as well.
- Brown sugar: This adds nice caramelization and browning, but if you don’t want to add sugar to your chicken you can just leave it out! If you want a low carb recipe, you can replace the sugar with your favorite low carb sweetener.
How to air fry chicken thighs
Note: Before I make any air fryer recipe, I like to preheat my air fryer for 5 minutes!
1. Pat the chicken thighs dry very well before you add the seasoning.
2. Place the chicken in a bowl with the oil and toss well to coat all over. Then, evenly sprinkle with the seasoning.
Toss the chicken, then rub each thigh thoroughly to massage the seasoning into the skin.
3. Place the seasoned chicken thighs in the hot air fryer basket.
I do 10 minutes with the skin side up, 8 minutes with the skin side down. Then another 2 minutes on max heat with the skin side up again. This yields the perfect crispy skin with juicy meat!
Recipe tips
- Make sure to rub the seasoning well on the chicken, otherwise it falls off during cooking.
- There’s no need to grease or spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray before adding the chicken, enough fat renders from the chicken during cooking.
- You need to remove the chicken from the air fryer and serve it as soon as it’s done. Otherwise, the skin will start getting soggy, but the crispy skin is the best part!
Serving ideas
We enjoy these chicken thighs with a carb and a vegetable on the side. If you want to keep your meal low carb, just go with more vegetables 😉
Starchy side ideas
Vegetable side ideas
More easy chicken thigh recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs about 1.5 – 2 pounds in total
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes.
- Pat chicken dry, then place in a bowl with the olive oil. Toss to coat.
- Combine seasoning in a small bowl, then evenly sprinkle over chicken. Toss to coat. Rub seasoning into each chicken thigh to ensure it stays on.
- Carefully place chicken thighs into hot air fryer basket, skin side up. Air fry at 380°F for 10 minutes, then flip and air fry at 380°F for another 8 minutes. Flip again and finish air frying at 400°F for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Chicken thighs: I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Boneless thighs may need to cook less, so check them 5 minutes before the cooking time in the recipe is up.
- Olive oil: Feel free to use any cooking oil you have on hand; I often use canola oil in place of the olive oil and it works just as well.
- Brown sugar: This adds nice caramelization and browning, but if you don’t want to add sugar to your chicken you can just leave it out! If you want a low carb recipe, you can replace the sugar with your favorite low carb sweetener.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to rub the seasoning well on the chicken, otherwise it falls off during cooking.
- There’s no need to grease or spray the air fryer basket with cooking spray before adding the chicken, enough fat renders from the chicken during cooking.
- You need to remove the chicken from the air fryer and serve it as soon as it’s done. Otherwise, the skin will start getting soggy, but the crispy skin is the best part!
Lorraine McLaughlin says
This was the first time to try the air fry function in my new oven. Used skinless boneless chicken thighs. What a surprise! Not only was this recipe easy and quick, but juicy and just delicious. My husband (The red meat man) really liked it and said we should have again..soon! The only suggestion: Make twice as much of the savory topping. So good.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Lorraine!