Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Bone-in thighs blasted hot and fast until the skin shatters, with none of the oven's preheat or a skillet's spatter.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Written
Method
-
Pat the thighs dry, then toss with the oil, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
-
Arrange skin-side up in the air fryer basket in a single layer, without crowding.
-
Cook at 380°F for 12 minutes.
-
Flip and cook until the skin is deep golden brown and shattering-crisp, another 10 to 13 minutes.
-
Check that the thickest thigh reads 165°F at the bone, then rest 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.
Notes
Bone-in, skin-on is non-negotiable here — the bone keeps the meat from drying out in that much circulating heat, and the skin is the entire point. Boneless thighs will cook faster and still taste fine, but you lose the crackling top layer that makes this worth doing over the oven.
Don’t crowd the basket. Thighs need air moving on all sides to render the fat and crisp the skin instead of steaming it, so work in two batches if your basket is small rather than stacking them.