Delicious, super crispy air fryer bone-in chicken thighs for an easy delicious dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.
Y’all, I can’t believe it took me so long to make chicken in the air fryer. I owned an air fryer for at least two years before I started making real dinners in it. I don’t know what the heck is wrong with me!
I used it for veggies, potatoes, salmon, and of course, reheating food and chicken nuggets. But, it wasn’t until this year that I made chicken in it (other than in nugget form.) I totally missed the boat over here. It all started when I decided to throw some pre-marinated chicken from Costco in the Air Fryer, and all of a sudden, I realized what I’d been missing. No more asking Mr. Hungry to grill when it’s 120F out and no more waiting for him to get home so he can grill. I’ve been making chicken tenders and chicken shawarma on repeat!
Last week I decided to try my chicken tender seasoning (because we all love it so much, and I keep it pre-mixed and on hand) on bone-in chicken thighs. I could barely take pictures before everyone was all over it, trying to get themselves a piece of crispy chicken. The baby, the husband, and the firstborn were all hovering while I took these photos. So when you see these plates of chicken, imagine all three of them hovering, asking if I was done yet so they could dive in just on the outside of the container. You can’t see them, but can you picture them? It happened. haha.
I won’t lie. Cooking these bone-in chicken thighs perfectly did have a bit of a learning curve. I don’t pretend to be an expert, but I’m sharing everything that I’ve learned from cooking time (to make sure they aren’t just 165F but also cooked, so there is no pink in the dark meat) and so the top gets crispy but not burned during a longer cooking time.
But, if your family is like my hubby, who loves to stop at the grocery store for their pre-made crispy chicken, you have to try this! Mr. Hungry said it was better than the grocery store section! (At least the dry rub chicken anyway, I think he still wouldn’t turn down Safeway’s or Von’s fried chicken, haha)
How to Make Air Fryer (Bone-In) Chicken Thighs
The first step is to create your seasoning blend. I decided to use my go-to all-purpose chicken tender seasoning, which is quickly just becoming how I season chicken (not just chicken tenders). My whole family LOVES it, and we honestly can’t get enough of it.
With chicken thighs, you’ll want to pat them dry before beginning. Then, I like to add a little oil, and yes, I know that drives people insane.
What’s the point of using the air fryer if you use oil? Well, my dear friend. You use less oil than you typically would if you used other cooking methods. In this instance, the chicken thighs probably have enough fat you could skip, but I like to add just a little bit to help the seasonings stick and caramelize.
When you sprinkle the seasoning over the skin side, gently pat, and do not rub. Rubbing rubs it off the skin when you sprinkle them over the underside of the chicken thighs, coat that baby with seasoning everywhere! You can rub the underside where there is no skin with no problem!
You’ll want to cook the chicken underside up first and for the longest time. The thing is, chicken on the bone can be cooked until 165F and still be a little pink near the bone. If your family is fussy about this, you’ll want to cook for around 30-35 minutes, which means I wouldn’t flip your chicken skin side up until closer to the 20-minute mark to avoid it being right side up too long and the skin burning. Otherwise, you can plan on cooking chicken for 20-25 minutes and flipping at 15 minutes. Of course, the bigger the chicken thigh, the longer it will take as well.
If you notice below, I use an IP silicone insert that slightly increases the cooking time length but makes clean-up SO MUCH easier. Also, it protects the food from the scratched-off nonstick coating and is cheaper than buying a new air fryer.
Plan on serving immediately, skin is crispy at first, but as it cools, it’s less and less crispy (as with any recipe involving bone in skin on chicken thighs.)
Swaps and Substitutions
Seasoning – for swaps and substitutions of the seasoning blend, see here. Of course, you can also follow this process using whatever seasoning blend you would like!
Avocado Oil – I love avocado oil for its neutral taste, health profile, and high smoke point. Feel free to substitute canola or olive oil, though!
Chicken Thighs – You can sub boneless chicken thighs! See here how to make air fryer chicken tenders with the same seasoning and here to see how to make air fryer chicken breasts with this seasoning (no brining or marinating.)
How to Store and Freeze Air Fryer Bone-In Chicken Thighs
How to store: let cool completely and store in an air-tight refrigerator for up to 3 days. Then, reheat on reheat mode in the air fryer for best results.
How to freeze: the skin will not be crispy if you freeze and reheat these. That being said, the meat is great to freeze. I would probably remove the meat from the bone and freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer bag. Then, reheat in the microwave after defrosting under refrigeration.
MORE FUN AIR FRYER RECIPES TO TRY
- Air Fryer Tortilla Strips
- Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
- Air Fryer Quesadilla
- Air Fryer Cauliflower Gnocchi
- Air Fryer Sweet and Spicy Dry Rub Wings
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chicken Nuggets
- Healthy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- 20 Minute Air Fryer Fish Tacos
- Air Fryer Chicken Shawarma
- Air Fryer Chicken Tenders No Breading
- Air Fryer Tumeric Cauliflower
- Air Fryer Chicken Breasts No Breading
- Air Fryer Thin Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Chicken Fajitas
Tag me if you make this chicken! I love to see what you guys make! You can tag me on Insta @hungryhobbyRD and Facebook @hungryhobby!
Air Fryer Bone-In Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Air Fryer - Basket or Rotisserie Style
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 tbsp lemon pepper
- 1.5 tbsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1.5 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt* Optional if lemon pepper spice isn't salted
Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 380F.
- Pat dry chicken thighs dry (especially if defrosted from frozen) and toss with oil in a large bowl. See note*2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, 1 tbsp avocado oil
- Combine seasonings in a small bowl.1 tbsp avocado oil, 1/2 tbsp lemon pepper, 1.5 tbsp garlic powder, 1.5 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp dried parsley, 1.5 tbsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt*
- Sprinkle seasoning over top of the chicken, and gently pat (but do not rub, or it will come off the skin).
- Flip chicken over and sprinkle more seasoning and rub into crevices.
- Cook chicken at 380F for 25-30 minutes, skin side down first, flipping at 15 minutes in. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F** Repeat with remaining chicken.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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