How To Make Chicken Thighs In Air Fryer
You will need:
- Chicken thighs bone in, skinless
- Salt
- Oil in spray this is not needed with skin-on thighs
Equipment and tools:
- Air fryer
- Small bowl & dessert spoon for mixing the spice rub
There are barely 3 steps to this recipe. First, mix all the seasoning in a small bowl. Then, coat each piece of chicken evenly with the mix . You should use all the seasoning for 4 thighs.
Air fryer chicken thighs are then cooked for 15-20 minutes. I also spray them with oil and turn them over halfway through the cooking time. The best temperature is 400°F .
If you are not sure that your airfryer chicken thighs are done , I recommend using a food thermometer. Stick it in and if it reads 165°F you can take them out and serve.
The Best Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
These delectable pieces of chicken are going to rock your world! Theyre fast, theyre delicious and because theyre cooked in the air fryer a tad bit healthier than if you had pan fried them. Using the air fryer eliminates the extra fat you need to add to a dish to get that crispy outside and perfect inside. I love that I can have fabulous meal on the table in no time, even if I didnt plan ahead. Pairing it with some rice, and veggies and I have a scrumptious satisfying meal in no time!
Keeping the bone in and the skin on increases the moisture and the flavor of these thighs. The skin will get nice and crispy and full of flavor while the inside is perfectly moist and juicy. Cooking poultry in the air fryer has become an absolute favorite around here. Its so delectable every time. I love how its never dry or over done. And its quick and easy. I can seriously have perfectly cooked chicken for any meal faster than any other way without the added fats or liquid. These thighs are just so amazingly delicious.
What You Need To Make Bourbon Chicken
Think of a rich, thick, sauce with a sweet and sticky consistency all covering bites of chicken!
It is a masterpiece in the making. So simple to make and comes together in minutes.
All the ingredients are most you already have in your pantry and they are ready to go with one bowl whisked together.
I love how easy this recipe is and how much my family craves it on a weekly basis.
- Chicken thighs: make this meat extra tender and juicy when simmered in the glaze.
- Olive oil: adding extra flavor when cooking your chicken.
- Bourbon: rich in flavor and cooks out when simmered with the glaze.
- Soy Sauce: brings added flavor and a pinch of salty taste.
- Brown Sugar: adds to the sweetness.
- Garlic Cloves: a hint of
- Cornstarch: coats the chicken living it a little crispy on the outside of the chicken.
- Water: makes it a runny sauce.
- Sliced Green Onions: garnished on top!
Read Also: How Much Are The Air Fryers At Walmart
How To Make Air Fryer Chicken Thighs With Honey Soy Marinade
STEP ONE: Put together the honey soy marinade in a big bowl. Simply place the honey, soy sauce, oil, garlic powder, and ground ginger into a bowl and mix.
If you are using a low-sodium soy sauce, I recommend addinga small extra pinch of salt into the marinade. If you are using regular soysauce, no extra salt is needed.
STEP TWO: Place half of the marinade in a small bowl and set aside. You will use this half as a sauce at the end.
Set the chicken thighs on a cutting board and trim off anyextra fat.
STEP THREE: Add the chicken to the remaining honey soy marinade and coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Ingredients For Perfect Chicken Thighs
This is a pretty straightforward recipe, with no special seasonings or sauces. All of these ingredients can be found in your pantry or at your local grocery store. Another reason its so fast. But it tastes so amazing! The air fryer melds the flavors together for perfectly tasting chicken!
- Chicken Thighs: Bone in and skin on.
- Paprika: For flavor and color.
- Italian Seasoning: Perfect combo of spices, think oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, garlic, etc.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness
- Salt and Pepper: To taste
- Olive Oil: To keep it all together.
You May Like: Accessories For Instant Vortex Air Fryer
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
This is the perfect way to cook 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
- Cooks quickly thanks to the air fryer These take about 25 minutes in the air fryerwhich 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.
How To Make Ranch Chicken In An Air Fryer
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
Read Also: Power Xl Air Fryer Warranty
Frozen Boneless Chicken Thighs In Air Fryer
I originally purchased Iceland southern fried chicken thighs back in late 2019. Then when we started recording videos in early 2021, I went back to Iceland to buy some more southern fried chicken thighs and they didnt have any.
I mean what was I going to do because you deserved a video to go with the recipe?
I found they had replaced them with boneless chicken thighs instead and decided to do a video + share the time and temps too for the boneless version. Then if you have boneless chicken thighs or bone in, you can go with the correct cook times for you.
This is how to do it if you are cooking frozen boneless chicken thighs in the air fryer:
- Load. Remove frozen chicken thighs from Iceland packaging and load into the air fryer basket.
- Cook. Air fry for 12 minutes on 180c/360f and then spray with extra virgin olive oil to make the skin crispier.
- Finish. Next cook for a final 3 minutes at 200c/400f to crisp up the skin.
Can I Cook Them From Frozen
Yes, you can cook frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer, especially when they are skinless. But I dont advice to make skin-on chicken thighs in the air fryer because the skin wont get as crispy as when the chicken is thawed. The excess water in the frozen chicken is the main barrier to achieve crispness.
Moreover, either the chicken thighs are bone-in or boneless, it will take more time to cook from frozen.
Recommended Reading: Combo Air Fryer And Pressure Cooker
How Long Do You Air Fry Chicken
Air fry the chicken at 380°F for about 25 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size and thickness of your thighs. Be prepared for it to vary a couple minutes in either direction.
Cooked chicken will have an internal temperature of 165F. To take the guesswork out of gauging doneness, invest in a meat thermometer. This will come in especially handy for those who are not accustom to just how quickly an air fryer works!
Why Youll Love This Air Fried Ranch Chicken Recipe:
- Flavorful: Dont worry just because this recipe only calls for 3 ingredients doesnt mean its not packed with ranch flavor!
- Easy: Ah, the beauty of the air fryer. They make cooking chicken so much easier than it used to be.
- Quick: This dinner takes under 30 minutes from start to finish. Now thats a quick dinner!
Recommended Reading: Things You Can Do With An Air Fryer
The Best Seasoning For Chicken
I like big flavor in my food and when that comes in the form of things like spices and herbs that are basically no calories, Im all in.
In this chicken recipe I used a wonderful blend of spices that I think pair great with these chicken thighs but you can really use any blend you like. Here is the blend I used.
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage and coriander
- Salt and pepper for extra flavor
Frozen Chicken Thighs In Air Fryer
When I think about air fryer frozen chicken thighs, I often think about how much my parents would love them if they owned an air fryer.
They BOTH love KFC Chicken and often get a bucket and then save the rest at home for another time and those delicious KFC chicken thighs go in the freezer.
They are then reheated from frozen like we have shown you here.
Butwhat if you meal prep your own KFC chicken and add it to the freezer? Or youbuy frozen chicken thighs?
Wouldntit be wonderful to just grab some frozen chicken thighs from the freezer, loadit into the air fryer and then come back later to delicious crispy air fryerchicken thighs.
Wellthis is EXACTLY what we are doing today with our air fryer frozenchicken thighs.
You choose your favourite type of frozen chicken thighs, whether it was made by you as part of meal prep, or you bought a bag or you have leftovers from takeout.
Plus, as well as our free newsletter, we also have a free air fryer mini course. It is ideal for air fryer beginners or those that want to get more confident with their air fryer. The free course runs for 5 days with a new lesson delivered each day to your inbox.
You May Like: Frozen Taquitos Air Fryer Time
How To Bake Chicken Thighs:
Juicy and tender chicken thigh meat is the best dinner choice during the week. No prepping the chicken thighs, just simply lay flat in a baking dish and add salt and pepper to taste. It is quick and easy to whisk the ingredients together and spread over the chicken thighs. With this baked chicken recipe the skin is going to turn a golden brown and become crispy while baking the chicken thigh meat inside to a tender and juicy meat. It is an AMAZING combination that you are going to love!
How To Cook Chicken Thighs In Air Fryer
First, preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees. No worries if your air fryer does not have a preheat option. Just let it run for 5 minutes at 390 degrees.
Second, put the olive oil over the chicken thighs. I like to drizzle it all over and use a basting brush to make sure all of the chicken is covered.
Next, mix together the seasonings in a small bowl. You are going to be amazed how just a few simple seasonings give this chicken so much flavor.
Once the seasoning is mixed together, rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken thighs. Make sure you get everywhere.
Don’t Miss: Air Fryer Toaster Oven As Seen On Tv
Recipes That You Can Used Cooked Chicken Thighs For
There are many times that recipes called for cooked chicken. Usually leftover shredded chicken works but for when theres none in the fridge, throwing some chicken thighs into the air fryer works perfectly. Try these easy salad recipes that pair really well with my air fryer chicken thighs.
How To Make Low Carb Cheese Sauce
Start with a small sauce pan over medium low heat and melt the cream cheese with the heavy cream. Add in the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until just melted. Remove from the heat and season with mustard powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
Now we just combine the cauliflower with the cheese sauce and the bacon and serve!
Of course, more cheese and bacon on top is always an option, too.
Don’t Miss: T Fal Air Fryer Replacement Parts
Ingredients In Air Fryer Fried Chicken
- 2 to 3 Pound Bone-in Chicken Pieces
- Salt
Magnetic Cheat Sheet Cookbook for Air Fryer, Cooking Times
Step 1 Season the Chicken
Mix in a Bowl Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika and Baking Powder together. Coat the chicken pieces with this mixture on all sides of the chicken and let the chicken sit for about 15 minutes like you have marinated the chicken. This is an IMPORTANT step. The reason for this is that the baking powder draws moisture out of the skin of the chicken. When the chicken is cooked this step will make the chicken much more crispy.
Step 2 Spray Your Air Fryer Basket and Add Chicken
Spray your Air Fryer basket with some olive oil or cooking spray and then Preheat Air Fryer temperature to 385 degrees. Once the Air Fryer is preheated put the chicken in the basket. Do not overcrowd the basket you want some room for proper air circulation.
Step 4 Cook the Chicken
Set the cooking time on the Air Fryer to 385 degrees and the cooking time to 40 minutes. Spray chicken pieces with Olive Oil spray or cooking spray. Flip chicken halfway through the and spray with olive oil mist.
Other Air Fryer Recipes
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes Loved baked potatoes but hate waiting an hour for them to be perfectly cooked in the oven? This recipe cuts it down to 30 minutes!
- Crispy Air Fryer Cod Skip the fat and keep the crunch on this perfectly fried cod.
- Crispy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp A sweet and salty favorite. Serve it as an appetizer at your next dinner party.
- Air Fryer Chicken Legs Fried chicken without the guilt. What more is there to say?
Don’t Miss: Philips Digital Air Fryer Xxl
Is There Bourbon In Bourbon Chicken
Yes! Bourbon brings out the rich, flavor in the glaze. It adds so much to this chicken and gives it most of its flavor.
As the glaze is simmering, the alcohol from the bourbon will begin to reduce and over a few minutes it does evaporate.
My kids and I eat this quite often and it is safe for all of us.
If you are worried about the alcohol just substitute it for apple cider. You will still have a great taste and flavor over this chicken.
How To Cook Frozen Chicken Thighs In The Air Fryer
Cooking frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer is sosimple:
Also Check: Ninja Air Fryer Max Xl Kohls
Recipe Tips And Notes
- Trim the fat off of the chicken thighs prior to cooking if theres a lot on them.
- If you dont have any ranch seasoning, you can make your own! See the notes below for more details.
- Serve these thighs with ranch dipping sauce on the side for an extra ranchy treat.
These quick, easy, and flavor packed air fryer ranch chicken thighs are downright delicious especially if youre a big ranch lover like me!
Can I Use Bone
Yep! I tested this recipe both ways, so if you’re going to use bone-in chicken, I’d air fry the chicken on the first side for 15 minutes, and on the second side for 12. Again, it depends on the size of your chicken thighs, too, but generally bone-in chicken takes a little longer to cook than boneless chicken.
Also Check: Philips Turbostar Digital Air Fryer Review
My Chicken Thighs Are Dried Out Help
Oh no, make sure youre not overcooking them. Food cooks quickly in the air fryer and each air fryer cooks differently. I notice that my Cuisinart air fryer will cook hotter than my previous air fryer so I always use a lower temperature on this device. Get to know your device and youll quickly learn what temperatures and times work for your specific air fryer.
What Are Disadvantages Of An Air Fryer
- I havent found many at all myself other than some models have a pretty small basket. I like this large air fryer with shelves, its perfect for large families.
Want to see a few of my favorite things you might want to write on your Christmas list this year??!! Take a peek and see how many you might already havetwinsies!
Don’t Miss: Largest Instant Pot Air Fryer
How Long Does It Take To Cook Chicken Thighs In An Air Fryer
There are several factors when determining the ideal time for air frying chicken:
- Cut of Chicken: Chicken thighs, wings, or breast?
- Bone Status: Bone in or Boneless?
- Size: Did the meat come from a small free range chicken, or a mega chickenzilla? Larger thighs will need to cook longer!
- Type of Air Fryer: Each Air Fryer is a little different. The times I’ve shared are for my 5 Qt PowerXL Air Fryer. I also tested them in my Dash 2Quart and the times were accurate within 1 minute.
An Instant Read thermometer is your friend! I highly recommend getting one so you can verify the internal temperature reaches 175 F during the cooking process. With the help of a meat thermometer, you can use this same seasoning and recipe for anything from boneless skinless chicken thighs to chicken breasts!
