I found this recipe at Chris Joe’s recipe site (My name is Chris Joe (or CJ) and I’m a third generation Chinese- American home cook. I was born and raised in Southern California (where I still live today) and worked in corporate finance for almost 10 years before quitting my job to go full-time as a content creator and recipe developer.)
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Crispy and juicy
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 bowl for mixing purposes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs bone in chicken thighs
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried herbs rosemary, thyme, etc.
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp neutral oil canola, avocado, vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place your raw bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs in a mixing bowl or tray. Sprinkle kosher salt generously on the MEAT side of the chicken. Set aside and let rest for at least 15 minutes. The purpose here is to allow the salt to absorb INTO the meat, seasoning it throughout and locking in moisture.
- Combine your spices in a small bowl. Add to your raw chicken in a mixing bowl along with a tablespoon of neutral oil and mix to combine well.If you are not using skin-on chicken, skip this next step.Once combined, flip each piece of chicken skin side up. Sprinkle a pinch of baking powder (1/4 tsp total) onto the skin of each chicken thigh and rub it in well until you don’t see any more baking powder on the chicken skin.
- Baking powder – don’t skip this step! It’s a foolproof way to get ultra crispy skin. Ensure that the baking powder is rubbed only onto the skin until it’s no longer visible for best results.
- Place skin side down in the air fryer tray and air fry at 400F for 12 minutes.
- After 12 minutes, flip each chicken thigh so the skin is facing up. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture – this will further help the skin crisp up in the air fryer. Don’t worry if the skin looks a little raw still – this second air fry will allow them to crisp up beautifully!
- Air fry again for 12-14 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and skin looks golden crispy. Let cool for a few minutes before digging in!
Notes
Depending on your air fryer, cooking times may vary. If the chicken is not as crispy as you’d like after the 14 minute mark in step in step 3, increase the cooking time for intervals of 3 minutes until the desired crispiness is achieved. Thankfully, chicken thighs are very forgiving when cooking, so they will still be juicy even with the extra time!
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For boneless chicken thighs, reduce the time on the first side to 6 minutes on the first side, and 8-10 minutes on the second side.
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Baking powder – don’t skip this step! It’s a foolproof way to get ultra crispy skin. Ensure the baking powder is rubbed only on the skin until it’s no longer visible!