Description
Crispy air fryer chicken thighs come together in about 25 minutes when you season them well and let your air fryer do the work, giving you juicy meat inside with a golden, crunchy exterior. Since chicken thighs stay moist no matter what, you get restaurant-quality results right in your kitchen without any fuss or cleanup headache.
Ingredients
Scale
Proteins:
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Seasonings:
- 0.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 0.5 teaspoons oregano
- 0.5 teaspoons onion powder
Instructions
- Heat your air fryer to 380°F and let it run for 5 minutes to get up to temperature.
- Toss your 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with ½ tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp oregano, and ½ tsp onion powder in a bowl until everything coats evenly.
- Arrange the thighs skin side down in your air fryer basket and cook at 380°F for 12 minutes.
- Flip each thigh so the skin faces up and continue cooking at 380°F for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- If your chicken needs more color and crispness, cook it in 4-minute intervals at 380°F, checking between rounds until you get the texture you like.
- Pierce the thickest part of a thigh with a meat thermometer and confirm the internal temperature reads 165°F before serving.
- Transfer your chicken to a plate and serve right away while it’s still hot.
Notes
- Pat your chicken thighs completely dry before seasoning since moisture prevents the skin from crisping up properly in the air fryer.
- Arrange thighs in a single layer without overlapping so hot air circulates evenly around each piece and cooks them uniformly.
- Check the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh near the bone, as this spot takes longest to cook through.
- For extra crispy skin, spray the thighs lightly with cooking oil before air frying rather than relying on their natural fat alone.
- If your thighs are particularly large, add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time and verify they reach 165°F before serving.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 22-27 minutes
- Category: Air Fryer Chicken
- Method: Air Frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg