Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (Bone In)
These Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (Bone-in) have crispy skin and juicy tender meat. They’re air fried to perfection in homemade garlic butter and 4 other simple ingredients. Ready in less than 30 minutes, they’re a great no-fuss, fancy seeming main dish.
Servings: 4
Calories: 355kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken Thighs bone-in and skin-on
- ¼ tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese from the refrigerated section of the grocery store
- 4 tbsp garlic butter click for recipe
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Then, add it to a large bowl.
- Season the chicken: add the seasoning and Parmesan to the bowl with the chicken. Toss it with the chicken to evenly coat it.
- Add the chicken to the bottom of the cooking pot (no air fryer insert needed), skin side down. Top the chicken with the garlic butter.
- Air fry the chicken thighs at 400 °F for 13 minutes.
- Use tongs to toss the chicken in the melted garlic butter and coat both sides.
- Air fry at 400 °F skin side up for 11-12 more minutes until the chicken thigh skin is crisp.
- Optional: top with parsley, sliced green onions, or chives.
Notes
- Garlic butter matters: I tested this recipe with my easy homemade garlic butter, which adds just the right amount of richness and salt. If you’re using a store-bought version with an unknown salt level, you can hold the salt in the seasoning and taste the chicken after cooking to avoid it being too salty.
- Season well: Toss the chicken with the seasoning and Parmesan until evenly coated before cooking. This ensures every bite is flavorful.
- Start skin-side down: Placing the chicken skin-side down lets the garlic butter melt over the meat as it cooks, keeping it juicy while beginning to crisp the skin.
- No special air fryer? No problem: If your air fryer doesn’t have a cooking pot like a Ninja Foodi, use a cake pan accessory. Just place the seasoned chicken thighs in the pan and cook as usual. I’ve also made this with a small piece of foil as an air fryer basket liner.
- Even browning tip: Avoid crowding the chicken so the air circulates freely. This helps the skin crisp evenly and the meat cook perfectly.
Nutrition
Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 345mg | Potassium: 241mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg
