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Home » Healthy Recipes » Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

Last Updated May 25, 2023. Published May 25, 2023 By Davinah Cenou Montezuma

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pinterest image for dry rub air fryer chicken thighs

This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and highly recommend. You can read my full disclosure .

This Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Chicken Thighs recipe is a budget-friendly main protein dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make. It uses my DIY chicken dry rub that also goes great on wings, chicken breasts, drumsticks, and whole chicken. Pair these dry rub chicken thighs with any air fryer vegetable side dish for an easy meal.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs in the Ninja Foodi cooking basket

Why Make Ninja Foodi Chicken Thighs

  • Easy recipe with two steps: season the bone-in chicken thighs and add them to the air fryer to cook. The best part is you don’t even have to flip them halfway through, but you’ll still get delicious, juicy chicken thighs with crispy skin. That said, these are some of the best air fryer chicken thighs you’ll make! Enjoy this delicious recipe for a meal prep or an easy dinner for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
  • Juicy & crispy: the air fryer crisps up the chicken skin while keeping the dark meat juicy.
  • Budget-friendly: chicken thighs are one of the least expensive cuts of meat. You can get a bunch, season them up, and feed a family for less than $5.

Ingredients Needed

  • Chicken Thighs: I’m using raw, bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
  • Chicken Dry Rub: to keep things simple, I’m using my go-to chicken dry rub recipe. It includes common pantry staples like garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, chili powder, Italian seasoning, thyme, salt and pepper. You can see the recipe tips section for other seasoning ideas, including garlic butter.
  • Oil: I’m using avocado oil because it has a high smoke point. But you could substitute olive oil or melted coconut oil.
ingredients needed to make air fryer dry rub chicken thighs like chicken dry rub, avocado oil, and chicken thighs

How to Make Chicken Thighs in an Air Fryer

  1. For the best flavor, season the meat by drizzling it with oil and rubbing on 2 tablespoons of the chicken dry rub per pound of meat (photos 1-2)
  2. For best results, place chicken thighs skin side up inside of the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook on “air crisp”(photos 3-4)
photo tutorial for how to make air fryer chicken thighs in the ninja foodi

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

  • Switch up the spice mix: these chicken thighs taste great with my homemade chicken dry rub, but you can also use my bbq seasoning or cajun seasoning.
  • Swap the oil and spices with a garlic butter: add flavor and cook your air fryer chicken thighs at the same time, by swapping the oil and seasonings for a full flavored garlic butter. Some options from the site are lemon garlic butter sauce, cajun garlic butter, and garlic herb parmesan butter. You can use the same directions and steps from my air fryer garlic butter chicken thighs
  • Use 1-2 tablespoons of dry rub: I prefer 2 tablespoons per pound of meat, but you can start with 1 tablespoon if you’re unsure. You can always add extra dry rub at the end after cooking (in the same way that you’d use a finishing salt).

How to Store Leftover Chicken Thighs

If you have any leftovers from this delicious, crispy chicken thighs recipe, the best way to store it is in an airtight container or wrap it up tight in aluminum foil for next time (up to 5 days).

How long should you air fry chicken thighs?

Depends on the temperature selected. In this recipe, I’m cooking chicken thighs for a cook time of 24 minutes. Of course, it also depends on the size of your air fryer and the size of the thighs you’re making.

Can you put raw chicken in the air fryer?

Yes! In fact, all of my air fryer chicken recipes include raw meat.

What temperature do you cook chicken on in the air fryer?

I prefer 400 degrees for most chicken parts. However, for a whole chicken, air frying between 350 and 360 before turning the temperature up is a great way to keep the chicken from drying out.

ninja air fryer chicken thighs on a plate with a lemon wedge

Recipes to Enjoy this with

You can make these dry rub chicken thighs a meal with these simple side dish recipes:

  • Air Fryer Green Beans
  • Instant Pot Cabbage
  • Cauliflower Pilaf
  • Mashed Cauliflower & Keto Gravy
  • Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts

More Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Thigh Recipes

All of these recipes were tested and/or prepared in the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer:

  • Boneless Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
  • Cajun Chicken Thighs
  • Air Fryer Garlic Butter Chicken
  • Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs
  • Buffalo Chicken Thighs

If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! 

close up of three chicken thighs cooked in the Ninja Foodi air fryer

Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

A delicious, quick & easy Dry Rub Air Fryer Chicken Thighs recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to make. Pair with an air fryer vegetable side dish.
Prep: 3 minutes mins
Cook: 22 minutes mins
Ready in: 25 minutes mins
Cuisine: American
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Servings: 4
Calories: 316kcal
Author: Davinah
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Ninja Foodi

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Chicken Thighs, bone-in and skin-on
  • 2 tbsp Best Chicken Dry Rub Seasoning, click for recipe
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil, or olive oil

Instructions

  • Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Add the chicken to a large bowl or Ziploc bag
  • Add the Chicken Dry Rub seasoning and oil to the bowl with the chicken. Then, evenly coat it with the seasoning and oil
  • Add the chicken to the air fryer cooking basket skin side up.
  • Air Crisp the thighs at 400 degrees for 22-24 minutes.

Recipe Notes

  • Switch up the spice mix: these chicken thighs taste great with my homemade chicken dry rub, but you can also use my bbq seasoning or cajun seasoning.
  • Swap the oil and spices with a garlic butter: add flavor and cook your air fryer chicken thighs at the same time, by swapping the oil and seasonings for a full flavored garlic butter. Some options from the site are lemon garlic butter sauce, cajun garlic butter, and garlic herb parmesan butter. You can use the same directions and steps from my air fryer garlic butter chicken thighs
  • Use 1-2 tablespoons of dry rub: I prefer 2 tablespoons per pound of meat, but you can start with 1 tablespoon if you’re unsure. You can always add extra dry rub at the end after cooking (in the same way that you’d use a finishing salt).

Nutrition Details

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 141IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!

Share this RecipeIf you enjoy this recipe, share a link to it via email or Facebook, pin it, or leave a rating. Please don’t copy/paste the instructions to other websites. Thanks for helping the website grow!

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Filed Under: Air Fryer Recipes, Chicken Recipes, Chicken Thigh Recipes, Easy Keto Recipes: 30 Minutes or Less, Five Ingredient Recipes or Less, Healthy Recipes, Keto Appetizer Recipes, Keto Dinner Recipes, Keto Recipes, Ninja Foodi Recipes, Paleo Recipes

close up photo of Davinah - the blogger behind Dr. Davinah\'s Eats welcome text that reads, \"I\'m Davinah\" I'm an educator & hardcore foodie who realized eating "all the things" couldn’t last forever. After getting my PhD in Education, I decided to make eating healthier my next big goal. Here, you'll find my collection of keto, low-carb and whole food comfort food recipes. Read More

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