Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Tender air fryer chicken thighs are a tasty, easy main course, perfect as a quick and healthy dinner. The meat is marinated in Greek yogurt and seasoning, creating the most flavorful chicken.

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• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Top tips
• Serving suggestions
• Variations
• Leftovers
• Frequently asked questions
• You might also like these recipes
• Recipe

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These chicken thighs are so easy to make, taste great and require very little effort. The air fryer method is by far my favorite way to prepare chicken thighs in the winter, when the grill is not an option.

The juicy chicken, combined with a tasty marinade packed with delicious spices, makes the dish incredibly flavorful.

It also only requires 20 minutes to prepare, making this a perfect dish for weeknight dinners!

I love a good chicken thigh recipe. Thighs contain more fat than chicken breasts, making them juicier and more filling. If you want to try some other recipes, make sure to check out my favorite pulled chicken thigh tacos or slow cooker soy and honey chicken.

Ingredients

For this recipe you will, or course, need chicken thighs. I use the boneless and skinless version, but you can use thighs with bones in as well if you prefer.

You will also need Greek yogurt, paprika, salt, pepper, chili powder, turmeric and garlic powder to create the marinade. These ingredients are all simply added for flavor, and you can omit or substitute them if you prefer to use other spices.

If you're hesitant to add yogurt to your marinade: don't be! Trust me, it's so good, and the chicken doesn't actually taste of yogurt. You can also find dairy free yogurt in most supermarkets if required.

Lastly, you will, naturally need an air fryer. I use this one from Amazon. You should also get a pair of tongs, as it's so much easier to flip and lift the chicken thighs.

I also highly recommend getting an olive oil spray. This allows you to spray the inside of the air fryer basket with oil, preventing the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the air fryer.

💡 TIP! If you like to cook chicken in your air fryer, you should check out my collection of air fryer chicken recipes!

Instructions

Start by combining the Greek yogurt and seasoning in a bowl to create a marinade.

Add the chicken thighs to the same bowl, and stir to coat the meat evenly.

You can now go on to cook the chicken immediately, but I prefer to cover the bowl and leave it to marinade in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to a few hours.

Preheat the air fryer to 360 °F / 180 °C. Spray the inside of the basket with your olive oil spray. Place the marinated chicken thighs in the basket, leaving a little room between each thigh. If you have a smaller basket, you might have to air fry the chicken in multiple batches. Avoid stacking the chicken on top of each other.

Air fry for about 5 minutes, then flip the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. If you're using chicken thighs with bones in them, increase the cooking time with 10 minutes in total.

Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the internal temperature of the thighs reach 165 °F / 74 °C. Remove them from the air fryer, and leave them to rest for about 5 minutes before serving them. Allowing them to rest first ensures the juiciest result possible.

Top tips

Here are all of my best tips to succeed with this recipe:

• Use a meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken cooks perfectly. This one allows you to measure the temperature in real time, so you can see exactly when it's cooked just right.
• Always leave some space between each chicken thigh in the air fryer basket. This is key to ensure that they all cook evenly.
• If you have time, leave the chicken to marinate in your refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before cooking it. It enhances the flavor noticeably.

Serving suggestions

Rice: Serve the chicken with your favorite rice recipe, or try my red beans and coconut rice or lemon and garlic rice to create an excellent meal.

Salad: The chicken goes really well with a side salad. Try serving it with strawberry pineapple salsa or tabbouleh with quinoa.

Vegetables: Spiralized potatoes, caramelized onions and honey sriracha brussels sprouts are all excellent sides for these juicy chicken thighs.

In other dishes: You can shred, dice or slice the chicken and use it in a variety of dishes, like sandwiches, salads, wraps, casseroles and pasta bakes.

Variations

You can of course change the flavor of the chicken thighs by using any seasoning you like. The combination suggested is really simple, but delicious, however if you're looking for something else I can recommend the following combinations:

Lemon juice + herbs: This Mediterranean style flavor is really light and refreshing. I like to serve this with some rice, salad or veggies.

Taco seasoning: Taco chicken thighs can be diced or shredded and used in tacos for an easy and healthy alternative.

BBQ chicken: Make a marinade from BBQ rub and/or BBQ sauce for quick and easy BBQ chicken thighs - no grill needed!

Spicy: The suggested seasoning is quite mild. If you want to make it spicier, you can simply add more chili powder or a little chili paste.

Leftovers

Leftover air fryer chicken thighs can be stored in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat them and serve as a main course the next day, or you can dice or shred the chicken and add it to salads, sandwiches or other dishes.

This is one of my favorite ways to meal prep chicken as it's very quick and requires little work. We make this all the time. I tend to serve the chicken with rice, or dice it up to add to my salads, while my partner prefers to add it to sandwiches and wraps.

Frequently asked questions

You might also like these recipes

• Air fryer chicken breast
• Air fryer pork tenderloin
• Slow cooker pulled pork
• Air fryer breaded chicken
• Chicken marsala without wine
• Air fryer steak

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