Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs

By Eleanore Park

Published Dec. 22, 2022

Air-Fryer Chicken Thighs
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(1,207)
Comments
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Simple and satisfying, chicken thighs brown beautifully in the air fryer, maintaining moisture thanks to their fat content. A quick, vinegar-spiked sour cream marinade adds oomph and helps tenderize the chicken. Despite being tossed and coated in a quick wet marinade (or overnight, if time permits), the skin still comes out deeply golden-brown and shatteringly crisp without leaving the meat lackluster. Because thighs vary in size, and air fryers range in size and power, make sure to take the internal temperature before removing your chicken from the air fryer, or pierce the chicken to check that the juices run clear rather than pink to ensure doneness.

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Ingredients

Yield:3 servings
  • 3bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 ounces each) or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Salt
  • 2tablespoons sour cream
  • 2tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2tablespoons rice vinegar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)

81 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 177 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat air fryer to 375 degrees, if preheating is recommended for your air fryer.

  2. Step 2

    Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season the chicken thighs with salt on both sides. In a medium bowl, combine the sour cream, mustard and rice vinegar. Add the chicken and turn to coat. (Chicken can sit in the marinade for up to 8 hours. Refrigerate, then let come to room temperature before cooking.)

  3. Step 3

    Use tongs, transfer chicken to the air-fryer basket in an even layer. If using bone-in, skin-on thighs, place them skin side down. Cook chicken until browned all over and skin is crisp, flipping halfway through, about 15 minutes. If cooking boneless, skinless chicken thighs, set them in the air fryer smooth side down and cook them until browned in spots and their juices run clear, flipping halfway through, about 15 minutes. When chicken thighs are fully cooked, an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of the thigh should read 165 degrees and the juices should run clear when pierced. If your chicken isn’t fully cooked, continue to cook in 3-minute increments until chicken reaches the desired temperature. Allow chicken thighs to rest slightly and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,207 user ratings
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Comments

jr

Very confusing recipe Header says cook for 20 total and body days cook for 15, flipping half way through at 15 minutes. So is it 20 or 39 minutes total cooking time?

Running Bunny

I air fry bone-in skin-on thighs frequently, usually with nothing but olive oil rubbed on and seasoning, and they are crispy and delicious. For my fryer (a small and inexpensive Proctor Silex), I do 11 minutes skin side down at 400°, then flip and do another 11 minutes. I don’t think 15 minutes at 375° would get me to 165°. I am always interested in new things to cook in this handy little appliance and am looking forward to trying this marinade.

Jgrh

I made these tonight. I did 10 minutes and then turned them over for 9 minutes. I stuck them in the oven at 175 to stay warm while I cooked potatoes in the air fryer. Absolutely delicious.

Caryl

So good, so easy, had no sour cream so used greek yogurt. not as crispy, but still yummy. Fry 4 thighs at 400 for 10 min, flip for 10 more and try sour cream next time.

A starting point for air fryer chicken thighs

I'd never tried skin on bone in thighs in the air fryer before. I marinated the chicken for a few hours in the refrig, let it sit at room temp for several minutes and cooked it for 15min at 375° as I thought the recipe stated. The juices were very bloody, so I cooked it another 10 min, but the chicken was still red/pink at the bone, then turned it up to 405° for a few minutes. The chicken ended up being slightly overcooked. Maybe 385° for for 20-25 min would be about right? The thighs were tasty and I'm sure marinating overnight or all day would be even better. Air frying is so much cooler than the oven in the summer, so I'll experiment with different cooking temps/times and various marinades.

Suzy

I followed another comment- cooked skin side down for 11 min then flipped and cooked skin side up for 11 minutes, followed by 2-3 minutes on extra crisp mode with the ninja crispi. Perfectly cooked crispy chicken skin! Also added Shawarma seasoning for more flavor.

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