Easy Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs - Quick Comfort Food Recipe! (2024)

Home » Recipes » Dinner Ideas » » Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs

Jump to Recipe PIN THIS Rate this

Why You’ll Love Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs

• Perfectly cooked. Air frying gets these chicken thighs perfectly crispy on the outside and fall off-the-bone juicy on the inside.
• Simple seasoning. We’ll rub the chicken in a simple, savory spice blend before the air fryer works its magic. It’s delicious, with hints of garlic, onion, and smoky paprika. You can also easily customize this recipe with your preferred chicken seasoning.
• Quick. The chicken is prepped in minutes and cooks up quickly. The hot air inside the fryer gets the chicken evenly browned in just under 30 minutes! (I included oven instructions below too.)
• Versatile. Serve with your favorite sides or use leftovers in casseroles, soups, and salads.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are some quick notes on what you’ll need for this easy chicken recipe. Scroll to the recipe card below the post for a printable list of ingredients.

• Boneless Chicken Thighs – I use skin-on chicken thighs. You’ll need about 3 chicken thighs. You can scale this recipe to make larger amounts, but you’ may’ll need to cook in batches if the amount of chicken you’re using won’t fit in a single layer.
• Olive Oil –Good-quality extra virgin olive oil helps the outside of the chicken brown up nicely and keeps the chicken from sticking.
• Seasonings –Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and smoked paprika (or sweet paprika).

Can I Use Bone In Chicken Thighs?

While boneless chicken thighs (used here) save the hassle of removing the meat from the bone, you can absolutely make bone-in chicken thighs in the air fryer. If you’re using bone-in thighs, everything about the recipe stays the same, apart from the cooking time, which will be longer. Make sure that you check for doneness using your meat thermometer. (It should read 175ºF.)

How to Make Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs

Cooking perfect boneless chicken thighs in your air fryer couldn’t be easier. Below is a short step-by-step. Scroll down to the recipe card for printable recipe instructions.

Can I Make Chicken Thighs In the Oven Instead?

Yes, you can use your oven to make baked boneless chicken thighs. Prepare the chicken as directed and arrange the thighs on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 400ºF for 35-45 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken is done (175ºF). You can also check out my recipe for garlicky oven-baked paprika chicken thighs.

Tips & Variation Ideas

• Do NOT use cooking spray on the air fryer basket. Non-stick sprays, like PAM, will smoke. The chicken in this recipe has enough olive oil as is, so spray isn’t needed.
• Preheat the air fryer. This ensures that the fryer is nice and hot so that the chicken cooks evenly.
• Don’t crowd the basket. Make sure to space the chicken out inside the air fryer, and don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. The hot air needs space to circulate for chicken that’s crispy and not steamed.
• Rest the chicken. Don’t skip this step! Resting the chicken for 5 minutes after it’s out of the air fryer lets the juices redistribute, and makes it extra juicy.
• Different seasoning.I use my favorite spice rub recipe. Feel free to change up the spice blend or use your preferred chicken rub from the store. You can also season your chicken thighs with Cajun spice or blackened seasoning for a extra kick.

What Goes Well With Boneless Chicken Thighs?

Tender and crispy chicken thighs are the best kind of comfort food served with creamy mashed potatoes and a side of buttermilk biscuits. As a vegetable side, I like roasted asparagus or roasted broccoli. You can also serve a baked sweet potato in place of mashed potatoes if you prefer. Or try a side of fluffy saffron rice or bacon mac and cheese for a cozy weeknight meal.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Store cooked and cooled chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Enjoy leftovers for quick, easy lunches!
• Reheat. Sprinkle the chicken with water and warm it in the microwave for a few minutes until it’s warmed through. You can also pop it back into the air fryer (see below), or reheat chicken in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes.
• Or enjoy cold. You don’t have to heat up extras. 🙂

Can I Reheat Chicken Thighs In the Air Fryer?

Certainly! I recommend adding a small amount of water (2 tablespoons) to the bottom of the air fryer to help keep the chicken moist. Arrange the chicken thighs in the basket and reheat at 350ºF for about 5 minutes, until hot throughout.

Ways to Use Leftovers

Dice or shred leftover chicken thighs to use in recipes like stir-fries, crack chicken noodle soup, casseroles, or chicken pasta. Cold chopped chicken is also great served over a green salad.

More Easy Chicken Recipes

• Million Dollar Chicken Casserole
• Mississippi Chicken
• Chicken Over Rice
• Chicken Sorrentino

Filed Under:

• American
• Dinner Ideas
• Recipes