How Long To Cook Chicken Thighs In Air Fryer?

Every part of the chicken is delicious, but the thigh is an especially tender and tasty part. The meat practically falls off the bone if it’s cooked right while being full of savory flavor at the same time. It is common to roast chicken thighs in the oven. But the result is equally fantastic when cooking chicken thighs in the air fryer. The air fryer chicken thighs time and temperature are important for a excellent result. If you haven’t had the opportunity to try making air fried chicken thighs yet, this is your chance. The best temperature to air fry chicken thighs is 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Many people ask this. How long to cook chicken thighs in air fryer? In this post, let’s touch on this and hear tips on the recipe for cooking chicken thighs in air fryer.

How Long To Cook Chicken Thighs In Air Fryer?

It takes 20 minutes to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The cook time is the same whether it is boneless or bone-in chicken thighs and whether you have skinless chicken thighs or with skin on. But if you have bigger chicken thighs, it is going to take a few more minutes. And to ensure that they are cooked all the way, use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. If the internal temperature of the chicken meat reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then it is safe and well cooked.

When you cook chicken thighs in the air fryer at 400 degrees F, you can expect perfectly cooked chicken thighs that have a crisp, flavorful outside with tender and juicy meat on the inside. You want the skin to be crisp without burning and the middle to be cooked without drying out. If you use your air fryer at 400 for 20 minutes, you can get some mouth-watering chicken thighs.

What are other temp for air frying chicken thighs?

There won’t be too many consequences if you decide to change up the temperature you use to cook your chicken thighs. If you like crispy chicken thighs, raise the air fryer temperature to 425 degrees F and your chicken thighs will be cooked in about 15 minutes. Higher temperatures work really well regarding a speedy cooking process, but they might dry out your chicken faster, so keep an eye out.

If you like moist chicken thighs, lower the air fryer temperature to 350 degrees F. This will take 30 minutes to cook your chicken thighs in the air fryer at 350 degrees F. Lower temperatures are great for retaining moisture in the meal, the only downside is that you will have to wait a little longer to eat. Both temperatures are great, so use whichever one fits your needs the best.

How to cook chicken thighs in air fryer?

Chicken thighs are delicious and can be served with almost any side that you want.  If you are interested in making this dish at home, you can easily find a lot of air fryer chicken thighs recipes on the internet. However, I like to use this easy boneless chicken thighs air fryer recipe. And here are all the steps on how to air fry chicken thighs.

1 Get ingredients

Go to the store and buy a pack of chicken thighs, olive oil, teriyaki marinade, seasonings, and parchment paper.

2 Wash chicken thighs

Start by rinsing off your chicken thighs in some cool water

3 Remove bone and fats

If you have some meat scissors, cut off as much fat as you can so that you mainly have meat remaining. Cut the meat in the middle and pull out the bone from the thighs. If you prefer a bone-in chicken thigh, then you can leave the bone intact. I prefer it to be boneless as I find it easier to eat without the bone. I will leave the skin on the chicken thighs as I like the crispy skin. However, if you want a healthier chicken thighs, you can go ahead and remove the skin for a boneless skinless chicken thighs.

4 Season chicken thighs

Coat the chicken thighs in a thin layer of oil and marinade, season them well

5 Air Fry

Cut out a piece of parchment paper and place it in the bottom of the air fryer for easy cleanup. Set your air fryer to 400 degrees F. Place the marinated chicken thighs in air fryer and cook for 20 minutes. After the cooking time is up, take them out and let them cool for a bit. Add whatever side you choose to the meal. Enjoy your air fried boneless chicken thighs!

How long to cook frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer?

Sometimes we forget to take out the meat to thaw the day before and get stuck with frozen chicken thighs and dinner plans in an hour. If you have been in this situation, don’t worry, there’s still hope. It takes just 30 to 35 minutes to cook frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer.

How do you air fry frozen chicken thighs?

And here’s the steps to air fry frozen chicken thighs.

Just set your air fryer to 400 degrees F, place your frozen chicken thighs in the bottom tray  and cook them for about 30-35 minutes. If you have smaller chicken thighs, cook for a shorter time. If they’re bigger, cook them for longer. If you have any doubts that your chicken thighs aren’t cooked, use a meat thermometer to see if the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If it is, then you can safely eat your chicken thighs without any worries.

How do you reheat chicken thighs in the air fryer?

To be honest, eating any kind of food the next day is not as enjoyable as when it was first made. If you use an air fryer to reheat your leftovers, you can get pretty close to the level of the tastiness of the first day. Just set your air fryer to 400 degrees F, place your leftovers inside, and reheat the chicken thighs for 5 to 7 minutes. This will help the skin to crisp up a little bit while allowing the rest of the chicken to warm up nicely.

Sauce for chicken thighs

The chicken thighs is full of meaty flavors and if seasoned well, it tastes even more fantastic. But we sure can bring up the culinary taste to a next level with some dipping sauce. And here’s some nice ones to try.

Mushroom sauce

You must really try adding chicken thighs with mushroom sauce. The creamy texture of the mushroom mixed with the meaty flavors really make eating the chicken thighs a great delight.

Tomato sauce

If you like to have a little acidity to the sweet taste of chicken meat, dip your chicken thighs in tomato sauce. It tastes great with a mix of sweet and acidity.

Soy sauce

A more classic option is to dip chicken thighs with soy sauce. This gives the chicken meat some salty, umami taste.

Mustard sauce

If sweet is not enough, add mustard sauce with chicken thighs for the combo of sweetness and spicy at the same time.

BBQ sauce

If you like some barbecue flavors, dip your air fried chicken thighs in some BBQ sauce. You can also brush a layer of barbeque sauce to the chicken thighs in the air fryer 5 minutes towards the end of cooking so that the sauce won’t  burn under the high heat.

Conclusion

The air fryer is a great appliance to use if you need to cook frozen food in a short amount of time. It’s nice to have an appliance that can do the thawing, cooking, and reheating quickly, so get yourself an air fryer if you haven’t already. I hope this post has been a helpful guide on how to air fry chicken thighs.