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Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dried and dry-brined with salt and baking powder, then air fried skin side down first and finished skin side up for crackling skin and juicy meat.

Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
5 min
Makes
Serves 4
Jump to the recipe
Two crisp-skinned chicken thighs on a wooden board with herbs
Photo: DagnyWalter / Pixabay

An air fryer is a small convection oven with a powerful fan, and chicken skin is water, fat and collagen. To get crisp skin, the water has to leave first and then the fat has to render out. An air fryer is very good at the second part. The first part is up to you.

Start by drying the thighs thoroughly. Pat them with paper towels until the skin feels tacky, not slick. Any surface moisture has to steam off before the skin can begin to brown, and every minute spent steaming is a minute the meat underneath is cooking while the skin stays pale.

Then the seasoning, with one unusual ingredient: a little baking powder mixed into the salt. Baking powder raises the pH of the skin, which helps it brown faster and breaks down proteins so the skin dries and blisters into a crackly, almost fried texture. Use baking powder, not baking soda, and only a small amount; too much tastes metallic. If you have time, season the thighs and leave them uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. That dry brine seasons the meat throughout and dries the skin even further.

Cook them skin side down first. The fat under the skin sits against the hot basket and begins to render. After ten minutes, flip them so the skin faces the fan, and let that rendered, dried skin crisp up in the direct airflow. Starting skin side up means the skin browns before the fat beneath it has rendered, so it colors but stays flabby underneath.

Do not crowd the basket. The fan needs to move hot air all around each piece. Four average thighs fit in most baskets with a little space between them; if yours is small, cook in batches and keep the first batch warm in a low oven.

Thighs are forgiving. They have enough fat and connective tissue that they stay juicy well past the minimum safe temperature of 165°F (74°C), and they are actually more tender closer to 180°F (82°C), when the connective tissue has softened. That margin means you can leave them in an extra few minutes for crisper skin without drying them out.

Rest them for five minutes before serving, skin side up and uncovered, so the juices settle without steaming the skin soft.

Serve with crispy air fryer potatoes cooked in the basket first and kept warm in a low oven, or roasted cabbage steaks for something lighter. Homemade tater tots can be air fried too. For breaded chicken in the same machine, air fryer fried chicken uses a buttermilk brine and a crisp coating.

An air fryer on a kitchen counter with fries and wings beside it
Photo: vaxey44972 / Pixabay

Air fryer thighs at a glance

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dried and dry-brined with salt and baking powder, then air fried skin side down first and finished skin side up for crackling skin and juicy meat.

Thighs and a dry rub with one odd ingredient

For the chicken

  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 lb (900 g)
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder, aluminum-free if possible
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp olive oil

To serve

  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Dry, season, skin down, then skin up

  1. 1 Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels, top and bottom. Trim any large flaps of overhanging skin and fat.
  2. 2 Mix the salt, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the thighs lightly with the oil, then sprinkle the seasoning evenly on both sides.
  3. 3 If you have time, set the thighs on a rack over a plate and refrigerate uncovered for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  4. 4 Heat the air fryer to 380°F (195°C) for 3 minutes. Place the thighs in the basket skin side down, with space between them.
  5. 5 Cook 10 minutes. Flip them skin side up and cook 10–14 minutes more, until the skin is deep golden and crisp and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part, not touching bone, reads at least 175°F (80°C).
  6. 6 Rest the thighs skin side up for 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.

Boneless thighs, frozen chicken and the oven

  • Boneless thighs: cook skinless boneless thighs at 380°F (195°C) for 12–15 minutes total, flipping halfway. They will not crisp the same way, so brush with a glaze or sauce in the last 2 minutes.
  • Lemon garlic: replace the paprika and thyme with lemon zest and 1 tsp dried oregano, and squeeze lemon over the thighs after cooking.
  • From frozen: cook frozen bone-in thighs at 360°F (180°C) for 15 minutes to thaw, pat dry, season and finish as above. The skin will be less crisp.
  • Leftovers: refrigerate up to 4 days. Reheat in the air fryer at 375°F (190°C) for 5–6 minutes to recrisp the skin.
  • Oven: roast on a rack set over a sheet pan at 425°F (220°C) for 35–40 minutes, skin side up.

Soft skin, baking powder and doneness

The skin was wet, the basket was crowded, or the thighs were cooked skin side up the whole time. Dry them well, leave space, and start skin side down.

It raises the pH of the skin, which helps it dry, brown and blister. It is the same trick used for crispy oven-baked wings. Use baking powder, not baking soda.

They are safe at 165°F (74°C), but thighs are more tender between 175°F (80°C) and 185°F (85°C), when the connective tissue has softened. They stay juicy at that temperature.

About 20–25 minutes at 380°F (195°C), depending on size and the air fryer. Always check with a thermometer.