Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Thighs

About This Recipe

The air fryer has become one of the most-bought kitchen appliances of the 2020s, and crispy chicken thighs are its single best application. Bone-in skin-on thighs come out with shattering, glass-thin skin and meat juicier than oven-roasted, in 25 minutes flat. The trick is high heat, dry skin, and not flipping too often.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8bone-in skin-on chicken thighs(about 1.2kg total)
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 2 tspsmoked paprika
• 1.5 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tsponion powder
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspfreshly cracked black pepper
• 0.5 tspcayenne pepper(optional)
• 1lemon(wedges, to serve)
• 0.25 bunchfresh parsley(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Pat chicken DRY

   Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels — front and back. This is the single most important step for crispy skin.

   Wet skin = soggy skin. Dry skin = glass-shattering crisp.

2. 2

   Mix the rub

   Combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl.

3. 3

   Coat the chicken

   Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and rub to coat. Sprinkle the spice rub generously over all sides — under the skin too if possible. Massage in.

4. 4

   Preheat the air fryer

   Preheat air fryer to 200°C / 400°F for 3 minutes. Skipping this step is the #2 reason home air fryer chicken is mediocre.

   A preheated chamber sears the skin instantly, locking in moisture.

5. 5

   Cook skin-up

   Place chicken thighs skin-side UP in a single layer in the basket — don't crowd. Cook 18 minutes. Flip skin-side down for the final 4-5 minutes if you want extra-crisp underside, or skip the flip for traditional skin-up only.

6. 6

   Check temperature

   Internal temperature should be 74°C / 165°F at the thickest part. The skin should be glass-shatter crisp, the meat juicy and slightly pulling from the bone.

7. 7

   Rest 3 minutes and serve

   Rest on a plate for 3 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. Pair with mashed potatoes, rice, salad or roasted vegetables.

Variations

• •

  Buffalo Style: toss cooked thighs in 60ml hot sauce + 2 tbsp melted butter.

• •

  BBQ Style: brush with BBQ sauce in the last 4 minutes.

• •

  Lemon Herb: add 2 tsp lemon zest + 1 tbsp dried thyme to the rub.

• •

  Korean Style: brush with gochujang glaze in last 3 minutes.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat in air fryer 3 minutes at 180°C to re-crisp skin.

Frequently Asked Questions