Chicken thighs from the Airfryer for 12 minutes (really crispy!)

This chicken thighs from the air fryer are perfectly crispy on the outside and ridiculously juicy in the middle! Ready in just 12 minutes, she make a quick and delicious dinner.

When it comes to air fryer recipescooking chicken is always a winner.

Our family enjoys it regularly chicken fillet from the air fryer, Chicken patties from the air fryerAnd chicken tenders from the air fryerbut if we want something more natural and tasty, with dark meat, nothing beats this air fryer chicken thigh recipe.

Recipe highlights

Ingredients needed

You’ll love the extremely simple ingredient list for these juicy air fryer chicken thighs. Besides some seasonings, you’re good to go! This is what you need:

• Chicken thighs- Choose chicken thighs with bone and skin, as they become juicy during cooking. I’ve tried this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and they’re fine too; you just don’t get the crispy skin.
• Olive oil- A tasty and robust oil that gives the chicken a delicious taste. Other oils will work too.
• Spices- We keep it simple with a little salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and Italian herbs. This spice mixture may sound basic, but it really brings out the natural flavors of the chicken thighs.

This is how you make crispy chicken thighs in the air fryer

I recorded step by step photos below to easily follow this recipe at home. For complete printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, browse to the recipe card at the bottom of this message.

Step 1 – Preheat the air fryer. Start by preheating the air fryer to 190 degrees Celsius. Make sure that no crumbs or bits and pieces get into the air fryer vents.

Step 2- Prepare the chicken. Then use a paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Rub the oil over the chicken, followed by the herbs.

Step 3 – Air fry the chicken thighs. Now add the chicken thighs to the air fryer and air fry them for 12 minutes, turning them halfway through.

Step 4 – Check and serve. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, it is ready to serve.

Recipe tips and variations

• My #1 tip when working with chicken is to always use a meat thermometer to check doneness. Ready-to-cook chicken should have an internal temperature of 165F.
• Always pat the chicken dry before seasoning it. This guarantees a crispy outside and keeps all the juices inside.
• You need to turn the chicken halfway through so that both sides cook evenly. No one wants one side to be super crispy and the other side soggy.
• Do not overfill the air fryer basket, otherwise you run the risk of the chicken cooking unevenly. Cook the thighs in batches if necessary. Also try to choose chicken thighs of equal size so that they cook at the same time.
• Use frozen chicken thighs and increase cooking time by 3-4 minutes. It is not necessary to thaw the meat, but I recommend spraying it with some cooking spray or rubbing some oil on it to help the spices stick.
• Add a spicy kick by adding some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and chili powder.
• Rub some eel sauce, katsu sauceor even some bulgogi sauce for a nice Asian twist.