Pull those bone in, skin on chicken thighs out of the refrigerator and make these air fryer crispy chicken thighs tonight! In under 30 minutes you will have a delicious family friendly dinner.
If you prefer drumsticks, try my Air Fryer Chicken Legs recipe for the same crispy results.
If you prefer baking instead of air frying, try my crispy baked chicken thighs, which use a simple oven method to get perfectly crispy skin.
For even more high protein chicken recipes, be sure to checkout my master post of keto chicken recipes.
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
This is the perfect way to cook juicy chicken thighs for that extra crispy skin and no need to heat up the oven.
- Just 5 ingredients - chicken thighs, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and onions powder (plus salt and pepper but those don't count!)
- Cooks quickly thanks to the air fryer - These take about 25 minutes in the air fryer...which is great!
- No splatter on the stove top!
Personally, I think the air fryer is the best invention besides a home coffee maker. I use mine just about everyday!
I love to make burgers, pork tenderloin, crispy pork chops, and even crispy Brussels sprouts.
If you prefer the oven, my Oven Baked Chicken Tenders recipe is another reader favorite.
My method for crispy chicken thigh skin
I start by pre-heating the air fryer before I spray with avocado oil cooking spray. I do this only when I want my food to be really crispy.
I make sure the chicken thighs are patted dry with a paper towel and any excess skin is cut away.
Then I mix the chicken thighs with all of the seasonings.
Now we can place the chicken thighs in the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer skin side down.
I do this so the skin can start to render the fat without browning the skin too much. It gives the best results!
I also do this with my Air fryer whole chicken recipe.
My Air fryer has a 6 quart basket so 4 bone-in chicken thighs fit perfectly.
If your air fryer is smaller you would need to cook these in batches.
After the bone-in thighs cook skin side down, we can flip them over and continue to cook them until the skin is nice and crispy and the internal temperature is 165F using an instant read thermometer.
The result is the juiciest chicken with the crispiest skin.
Making this a complete meal
I like to serve these air fryer chicken thighs with cauliflower Mac and cheese, keto green beans with bacon, or a broccoli salad.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
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Air Fryer Chicken Thighs - Super Crispy!
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Tip: Hitting your 20–30g protein per meal goal helps you stay full and supports muscle.
Ingredients
- 4 Bone in, skin on chicken thighs,, trimed of excess fat and skin
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Onion powder
Equipment
- Air Fryer (Here's the air fryer I like best on Amazon)
Instructions
- Preheat your air fryer to 380F for 5 minutes. After pre-heating, spray with cooking spray, if desired.
- Add the chicken thighs to a large zip-top bag or a bowl with a lid. Top with the kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano and onion powder. Shake to coat.
- Remove from the bag and place the chicken thighs in the air fryer, skin side down, for 12 minutes.
- Turn your chicken thighs skin side up and cook for 10-15 minutes more. If you would like your chicken thighs super crispy. Cook for 4 minutes increments to get your desired crispness.
- The crispy air fryer chicken thighs are done when an internal meat thermometer reads 165F inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your chicken thighs and the wattage of your air fryer. Serve.
Corinne says
Absolutely loved this recipe!
Carole N says
Wow! The spice combination is fabulous! These were fantastic! I did them skinless and they were great. My first chicken in the air fryer. Will definitely make again!
Mariah says
I must preface that I am no cook. I have never made a good piece of chicken in my life; my poor fiancé. But I may have turned a new leaf with this recipe. It was perfectly cooked and flavored!
Thank you Jennifer!
Betsy says
I made this recipe tonight and it was great but it left my oven a mess! I have an air fryer in my new oven and these chicken thighs was my trial run. Any tips on how to prevent splatter? Are there splatter guards for air fryer baskets? Thanks!
DeNece says
Came home from work with the intent to cook chicken thighs in a skillet on the stove, but since I didn't want to deal with the mess, decided to Google "air fryer chicken thighs" and came up on your recipe... OMG!! THESE WERE BEYOND MY EXPECTATIONS... SOOOO DELICIOUS!! I was amazed at how easy the recipe was, how juicy they were, and how minimal the clean-up was. The recipe has been saved and will be on a regular rotation, as I LOVED THEM!!!
Heather says
Great instructions to follow and the recipe can be adjusted for different spices. It came out crispy and delicious. Thanks!
cal says
Fabulous! Easy and tasty. The family enjoyed this recipe.
Buffie says
Made these tonight! My first meal in the air fryer(I’m late to the game). Recipe was easy to follow and the chicken was delicious and crispy!
Julie A Rencsak says
Used my Air Fryer I got for Christmas for the first time tonight. Held 4 large bone in thighs. Upped the spice by 2X as mentioned by many here and it was amazing. Crispy, flavorful and done perfectly.
karin says
This is a family favorite in our house. So crispy and the meat moist!
Would highly recommend this recipe!
Kathy says
The chicken thighs were great! Well seasoned and perfectly crispy. My husband loved them.
Cindy says
Thx.! Yummy ????
Janet says
We love this recipe. This my second time making it. I do double all the spices and also add pepper and Italian seasoning.
MK says
Nice and crispy on the outside, inside was juicy and delicious
Angela Ouellette says
Is a great recipe, what I did at the flip 10 min mark, was add a favored BBQ sauce which amplified the flavor, strongly recommend.
Melissa says
Juiciest chicken I've ever made! So delicious!!
Danno says
Unbelievably great! The smoked paprika and oregano combined create a 5-star flavor. As others have said, the skin comes out crispy and succulent. This is our new favorite way to do chicken thighs. Previously I have always done them on the grill, but that's fraught with flame-ups and charred or burnt chicken. This is quick and easy and unlike most other chicken thigh recipes; it delivers! Thank you Jennifer!
Dana says
Soooooo good! The skin is crispy and the meat is tender and juicy. Delicious, and so easy to cook.
The only thing I did differently was add more of the spices (like x4). This is great,thank you for sharing the recipe!!!
Herman Hale says
Great recipe...fast, easy, and most of TASTY!
Wendy says
Whoa! This was lovely! I didn't need as much time as the recipe recommended to for air-frying. But I've learned with air fryers they are not all equal. The combination of spices and the crispy skin on the thighs was delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
Jennifer G. says
My family wants it this way every time now!! Thank you for the perfect air fryer recipe!!! ❤️
Rodney Masters says
I have used this recipe a few times now. It really is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Jenn says
This recipe is absolutely amazing. It’s so quick and the chicken is so tender. I’ve made this recipe probably 6 times and everyone just loves it.
Scott says
Chicken as good as it gets
Wendy Bell says
This recipe is wonderful! Very crispy skin, flavourful and well cooked in the Air Fryer. It will be a keeper in my recipe in my rotation!
Bruce says
These are very tasty and turned out well. I would add one caveat though...Following the directions by just putting the seasonings in a bag (or bowl with a closed lid) and shaking will not distribute them evenly over the thighs. It is not like a "Shake and Bake" breading. I would advise, as I did, that after shaking in a closed plastic bag you massage the thighs inside until you see them evenly coated. Easy and delicious.
Mary OConnor says
Air fryer crispy chicken thighs are yummy. Great spice mix! Also garlic air fryer mushrooms are fantastic. Thanks for sharing the recipes and for the helpful tips ????
Jen says
Great recipe! No adjustments other than a little longer cook time. Thanks!
Susan Cartwright says
I bought your cookbook and use it often. Thank you for e-mails, Facebook live posts and all the positive encouragement.
Jennifer Banz says
Thank you!
Sandy says
Everyone enjoyed them. So easy to make. Will use these recipe again
Bea Gaunt says
I have just purchased airfryer and have no idea how to cook in it as it doesn’t come with instructions, today I would like to cook chicken thighs and roast potatoes but don’t know where to start, any help would be appreciated.
I bought a recipe book but it does not show basics, I tried to cook carrots to try but had to throw them away as they were dried up and shrivelled, I didn’t know you had to marinade.
HELP
Jennifer Banz says
Hi Bea! I would love to help you! Vegetables are mostly water, so when air frying, the water is going to evaporate and the vegetables will shrivel. You could blanche in boiling water to mostly cook them before finishing them in the air fryer. Then you don't need to air fry them as long, and they'll retain more moisture and volume. For chicken thighs and roast potatoes you can follow this recipe above, we're just going to put the potatoes in the air fryer under the chicken thighs: cut your potatoes into 2 inch chunks and toss with a little oil and your favorite seasonings. Put them in the air fryer basket first, followed by the chicken thighs, skin side down. Air fry for 12 minutes, then flip the chicken thighs over. At this time, toss the potatoes so they cook evenly. Air fry for 10-15 minutes more, until the chicken thigh skin is crispy, and/or the potatoes are fork tender.
Bill says
I happen to have boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Will this recipe still be good? Any adjustments?
Jennifer Banz says
They will cook much more quickly...probably half the time. Other than that, it will be great!
Brenda says
Have made this many times,and told my son about it, we love it
Michele says
My chicken turn out great
Diane Payne says
What does it mean to cook in 4 min increments? Do you cook in 4 min increments AFTER you cook it for 22 min or do you turn it every 4 minutes?
Jennifer Banz says
If you would like your chicken thighs really crispy, cook them in 4 minute increments until they are as crispy as you want them. So add 4 more minutes to the time and then check on them. If they need to be more crispy, do 4 more minutes.
DennyB says
This was by far the best way to cook my chicken thighs by adding the 4 minute increments. I got the desired crispiness I was looking for. Thanks!!!!
Diane Payne says
Did you turn it every 4 min or did you keep adding 4 min after the 22 min?
Holly says
I subscribed to highfalutin low carb, and Wes sings your praises...
So here I am, I am on a 16-8 fast regimen and I need great low carb/ keto recipes that are quick and easy..
Jennifer Banz says
Oh wow, I had no idea! Good luck on your journey!
Jannifer says
The spice combination was perfect.
Amy Blevins says
What air fryer do you use?
Jennifer Banz says
I use this one: https://amzn.to/3L4uy0L
Nancy says
A perfectly delicious and simple recipe! The spice seasonings are spot on. Best air fryer chicken thighs I have ever tasted!