Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Air Fryer Recipe: The Best Way!

This boneless skinless chicken thighs air fryer recipe is a quick and easy way to get delicious, crispy chicken on the table with minimal effort. Air frying chicken is a healthier alternative to frying in oil, and it yields similar results. Chicken thighs are a great option for air frying because they are relatively inexpensive and have a high fat content, which helps them to stay moist and juicy.

Jump to:

• Boneless skinless chicken thighs — why air fryer?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs Air Fryer Recipe
• Comments

Boneless skinless chicken thighs — why air fryer?

• Super easy — When it comes to cooking chicken, bone-in or boneless, thighs or breast, an air fryer is the easiest way. It takes 20 minutes at most, and once you’ve marinated the chicken with seasoning, the air fryer will handle the rest.

• Super clean — There is a reason we will be talking about coating in a minute. Not only will it make the thighs extra crispy, but whether you coat the chicken with olive oil or a non-stick spray, it also makes the cleaning shorter.

• Super healthy — One of the many miracles of air fryers is that they don’t require excess oil, not to mention that they produce fewer harmful chemicals. It's perfect for cooking low-fat meals, and it’s more keto-friendly.

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken thighs — 4 pcs.
• Olive oil — 2 tbsp.
• Salt — ½ tbsp.
• Black pepper — ⅓ tbsp.
• Paprika — 1 tbsp.
• Garlic powder — 1 tbsp.
• Onion powder — 1 tbsp.

Instructions

1. Preheat your air fryer to 380 degrees.

2. Combine in a medium-sized mixing bowl the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well.

3. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken thighs dry.

4. Rub olive oil on the chicken thighs.

5. Season your chicken thighs with the above seasoning mix.

6. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you’re short on time, 10 minutes will also do.

7. Transfer the boneless skinless chicken thighs into your air fryer, in a single layer.

8. Cook for 10-12 minutes, while keeping an eye on your meat thermometer.

9. Using a kitchen tong, flip the chicken thighs over.

10. Cook for an additional 8-10 minutes on the other side.

Substitutions

• The dry rub — Garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and paprika are more than enough to bring this boneless skinless chicken thighs recipe to another level. Chili is a good option if you’d rather have it spicy, while Italian seasoning is also an option.

• Non-stick spray — In our boneless skinless chicken thighs air fryer recipe, we opted for rubbing olive oil on the thighs, just to make them even crispier. If you’re short on olive oil, however, a non-stick spray is also a pretty good substitute.

Equipment

• Air fryer.

• Meat thermometer.

• Medium-sized mixing bowl.

• Measuring spoons.

• Kitchen tong.

Storage

• You can safely store your boneless skinless chicken thighs in an airtight container in your fridge for up to four days, but it’s best to eat them fresh! You can also freeze them for up to three months.

Tips

• Focus on the temperature — Ideally, as mentioned above, you should air fry boneless skinless chicken thighs for between 15-20 minutes. What is more important is to focus on temperature and not time. You should air fry your chicken thighs until the temperature reaches 165 degrees, which you’ll be observing via your meat thermometer.

• Use fresh — Frozen chicken not only takes longer to air fry, but it also just won’t taste the same as fresh chicken thighs. However, if you’ve opted for frozen chicken thighs, the good part is that you don’t need to defrost them ahead of time.