This easy air fryer bone-in chicken thighs recipe makes the juciest, best chicken dinner in less than 30 minutes! Coated in a homemade savory and sweet chicken dry rub, it's a Whole Lotta Yum everyone will love.
Our Air fryer chicken thighs are so good!
Recently we have been on a chicken thigh kick. I used to be a chicken breasts gal but crispy chicken thighs screams comfort food in a way those lean breasts can't. We even tried air frying them from frozen with a honey Dijon glaze and they were delish!
For this easy recipe, we're coating the bone-in thighs with a savory yet sweet homemade dry rub. Made with garlic, paprika, onion, and a touch of sweetness, this easy DIY chicken rub is our go-to seasoning. We use it basically on everything...from chicken, turkey, and pork too.
Ingredients you'll need
Just the basics! Get the full recipe instructions and ingredient list down in the recipe card.
- chicken thighs - bone-in with skin. You can make this recipe with boneless thighs, they'll just take less time to cook
- extra virgin olive oil - or another type of neutral cooking oil like canola, avocado, or grapeseed
- chicken dry rub - we are using our homemade chicken dry rub, but feel free to use your favorite seasoning brand or blend. We use McCormick's a lot when we're out of homemade version.
Kitchen tools
- An Air Fryer
- Rubber tip tongs
How to air fry bone-in chicken thighs
While your air fryer is preheating you are going to prep your bone-in chicken thighs. Then, it's as easy as cook, flip, and finish your way to air fryer bone-in chicken thigh perfection.
Prep: Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and skin. Blot the chicken dry with paper towels.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, drizzle the olive oil over both sides of the chicken and sprinkle evenly on both sides with the chicken rub.
- With the skin side down, air fry the bone-in thighs for 8 minutes at 400 F.
- After these first 8 minutes, use tongs and flip the chicken pieces over.
- Continue cooking for about 7-8 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F. While our chicken took about 16 minutes total to cook, it could take up to 20 minutes depending on your air fryer model and how small or large your chicken thighs are.
Jenn's tips
- We preheated our air fryer, if you skip this step your chicken will take a little longer to cook.
- Starting your chicken thighs skin side down to allow the chicken to finish cooking, but finish with the skin side up to allow the chicken skin to crisp up.
- Air fryer models can vary and some models could cook faster or slower than the Cosori unit we used. Check the chicken temperature a couple of minutes before the recipe suggests by chance your model cooks hot.
- We do recommend using a digital meat thermometer to check for doneness and prevent consuming undercooked chicken.
Serving ideas
We love serving air fryer chicken thighs (bone-in) with rice and steamed broccoli, however, you can opt for your favorite grains or vegetables.
Storage and leftovers
Store: Once cooked, store any leftover chicken pieces in a covered container in the fridge and use within 4 days.
Freeze: Frozen leftovers can be put in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Defrost before reheating.
Can you air fry frozen chicken thighs?
You can cook frozen chicken thighs in an air fryer too. Start your air fryer at 320F and allow the chicken pieces to cook for 3-4 minutes until you can separate the pieces.
Then, season the thighs and continue cooking them in your air fryer at 400F for 12-16 minutes, flipping after 8 minutes, until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
Looking for more air fryer chicken recipes?
- Frozen chicken thighs in air fryer (honey mustard)
- Air fryer chicken wings dry rub
- Breaded Air fryer chicken cutlets
- Keto air fryer chicken tenders
Bone In Skin On Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
Cook simple and juicy chicken thighs in the air fryer that are bone-in with skin on and seasoned with dry rub. Perfect with rice and broccoli for an easy dinner. Use our homemade rub or your favorite store bought brand.
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken thighs, bone-in with skin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon chicken dry rub (homemade below or use store bought)
- CHICKEN RUB
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground onion powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoon sea salt or coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer at 400F for 5 minutes.
- Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and skin. Blot the chicken dry with paper towels.
- If you're making the homemade chicken rub, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. This makes more than the recipe needs but you'll be all set for your next few dinners! Your favorite grocery store rub will work as well!
- In a bowl drizzle the olive oil over both sides of the chicken and sprinkle evenly on both sides with the chicken rub.
- With the skin side down, air fry the bone-in chicken thighs for 8 minutes and then flip the chicken over. Continue cooking for about 7-8 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F. While our chicken took about 16 minutes total to cook, it could take up to 20 minutes depending on your air fryer model.
Notes
We used our homemade chicken rub but any store-bought rub or chicken seasoning mix will work too.
Air fryer models can vary and some models could cook faster or slower than the Cosori unit we used. Check the chicken temperature a couple of minutes before the recipe suggests by chance your model cooks hot.
To cook boneless skinless chicken thighs, air fry on 400F for about 10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
If you're following a low carb or keto diet, we suggest making our homemade dry rub and swap brown sugar for golden erythritol or monk fruit.
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Robina says
This is the best chicken rub ever! Even my girls love it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Jody says
Best air-fried thighs I’ve had in my 8 years air-frying. Also, so easy to adapt to other flavors, spices, oils, etc. Thanks 👍