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.
Yvonne says
This was my first try making chicken in the air fryer. Came out fantastic. 🙂
Rachel Homer says
I have the powerXL fryer and I actually had to cook quiet a bit longer. I did 18 min skin down and 18 min skin up to reach a temp of 165.
Gail says
The easiest and most delicious chicken I’ve made in my air fryer! Crispy, flavorful and juicy.
Lee_Lee says
Made this last night for dinner... sooo so good! My picky kids and in laws LOVED it! The skin was so crispy. YUM! Thank you for sharing this!
brenda says
I made this last night. Amazing! Thank you for the recipe and the air fryer tips, preheating and then spraying oil made a big difference as did cooking the chicken skin down first.
Pete says
Ok I have to tell you this is the best chicken I have ever eaten. I have cooked chicken thighs twice, my wife loves them this way. I have some breasts that I will try cooking this way tomorrow and that is because I ran out of thighs. This recipe is amazing, I will go back and subscribe to your blog and see what else you have that I can try. Thanks
Mee Len Wong says
Excellent instructions for crispy chicken thighs. I used my own dry seasoning and they came out beautifully.
Heather says
Best chicken thighs I have ever made. My family loves this recipe. We have also used drumsticks and they are fabulous. I am actually making another batch right now.
George says
Best chicken thighs ever...
KellyH says
I made this tonight along with the Cauliflower bacon Mac and cheese.
Amazing! Absolutely loved how easily and flavorful it is! Rices cauliflower was not appealing until I found your recipe, I used ground mustard and it added a nice kick to the flavor!
Paul says
I've used this spice mix twice now, tonight on leg quarters, and both times the chicken has been fantastic! (tonight I added a bit of cumin for a little more smokiness). Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Caroline says
My husband and I have made these twice now and they are AMAZING! The second time we added even more spices and changed the cooking time to 12 minutes with the skin facing up. They are perfect and I'm sure will be a weekly staple for us!
Michael says
Delicious !! My wife and I both loved the crispiness and the mashers and fresh string beans that went along with them!!!!
Helen Simmonds says
Came out great, we only had boneless skinless thighs, lowered time to 7 and 7min and checked with meat thermometer. Will do again
Shannan says
Thanks Helen! I've got some boneless, skinless thighs I bought the other day I've been wondering what I'll do with and saw this recipe but wondered how I'd adjust cook time since three recipe calls for bone-in and skin-on. Appreciate your advice.
Sue says
I made these as directed except used boneless, skinless thighs. Came out great! Perfect flavor. Can chicken breasts be used if they are flattened?
jenniferbanz says
Sure!
Paula says
I rarely give anything 5 stars, but I see no room for improvement here! Very crispy, perfectly seasoned. As tasty as the deep-fried chicken I grew up eating.
Cindy garza says
Soooo delish!. Super glad I saw this and tried it. Currently on a keto diet and it looked keto friendly. Either way, it definitely hit the spot. Keeping it in my favorites. Thank you.
Anna B says
This recipe is AMAZING! My husband, super picky 8 year, and I all LOVE it and have had it in our weekly rotation for a few months now. My husband and I have been living a Whole30 lifestyle for a couple years now and this is one of the best Whole30 approved foods we've EVER had. I recommend it to all my Whole30 friends...AND anyone that owns an air fryer!
Mary Duffy says
Absolutely delicious! Have made this recipe at least 5 times. So easy to make. The family loves it.
Barbara Roe says
Delicious, and easy.
Davina Garcia says
This is my second air fryer recipe and it was easy and delicious. The chicken was tasty and juicy. Thank you
Yogandi says
The chicken thighs came out perfectly. Thank you
Jack Massielo says
Have used this recipe a few times, it is easy to follow and the chicken thighs turn out crispy and delicious.
Jennifer says
Quick, easy, juicy and yummy.
Kara says
Loved this! The only thing I did differently is that I used dried onions instead of onion powder. Just couldn't find my onion powder! Also had to cook it for 5 extra minutes after I flipped it. Definitely a keeper!!!
Joann says
I made it exactly as you said and it was fantastic!!! The seasonings were so savory and the thighs were moist and tender. Perfect just as written!
Emmett Taylor says
Absolutely delicious. My wife likes chicken breast but now she is hooked on chicken thighs
Holly D says
Wow! Best airfryer chicken recipe I've ever tried! The skin was very crispy, and the seasoning was the perfect blend! I'll be making this on a regular basis now. Thank you for posting this recipe!!
Kristopher says
These were amazing!!! My wife and I loved them, but what is even more amazing is that my 7,5and 3 year old loved them! My 7 year old said it was the best chicken she has ever had. She does not usually like chicken. This will be added to our regular rotation!!
Kris says
Wowzers!! Just made this and finished eating it. Sooo delicious and crispy! No breading or flour needed!
Marsha says
thank you. can I replace minced garlic for garlic powder?
John says
The recipe asks for garlic powder 😉
Ada says
I just tried this recipe and i must say that the meat was done and juicy. I will be using this recipe more often. This is the first time using my air fryer.
Tony Salvucci says
Hello Jennifer,
I just bought my Air Fryer and had no idea of how to use it. Your recipe and instructions were a big help.
Tony
Elizabeth says
I made this with garlic powder, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning and bread dip seasoning.30 minutes great!
Sandy says
I made these a week ago, with my own seasoning, and my husband has been asking when I would be making another batch. They are cooking right now. I forgot the amount of time you recommended, so I came back here to check. My friend calls the air fryer the Magic Box and I tend to agree. I have the same one that you linked to in the blog. I have not tried bugers in it yet, but that is coming soon. I needed some input on trying thighs and want to thank your for the informative post.
Jennifer Hambarsumian says
We had these for dinner tonight with some gorgeous heirloom chicken thighs. It was the best chicken I've had in a long time. My 12 year old who doesn't like meat ate an entire half of a piece, which for her is huge...she complains every time I cook chicken. She testified that it was way better than she thought it would be...high praise indeed. I also printed the recipe to add to my go to collection. It is so fast and easy on clean up. Just perfect for a teacher and mother during these times of working from home.
Jessica says
I will try this over the weekend my daughter just bought me a ninja air fryer. So it’s 380 temp 25 min flip after 12 minutes...
Cathy says
It took twice the amount of time to sir fry. Granted the thighs were fairly large. But they were moist and tasty
Alicia says
Do you have to spray it with cooking spray? I’ve heard that it can make your air fryer chip? Can you brush the chicken with butter or oil before seasoning?
jenniferbanz says
Yes, you can brush with butter
Hildur Tarumoto says
Haven’t had my air fryer long. This is the third recipe I’ve tried and it was really good. The skin was super crispy, the chicken was well done but still moist and delicious. Can’t wait to cook more recipes.