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Air Fryer Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

Air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs is a quick and easy recipe made with simple pantry ingredients and ready in less than 30 minutes. These chicken thighs are tender and juicy, perfect with a salad or simple side, or on a sandwich. They make a great weeknight dinner and leftovers are perfect for the lunchbox.

Seasoned skinless chicken thighs on a platter with ranch dip garnished with chopped parsley.

Boneless chicken thighs with simple seasoning are a perfect weeknight meal. The flavorful, juicy chicken is quick to prepare and on the table in less than 30 minutes.

We love to serve them with Creamy Mac & Cheese, Ranch Mashed Potatoes, or simple Air Fried French Fries.

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We love using our air fryer to cook chicken. Not only does it cook exceptionally quickly, but the chicken stays tender and juicy.

It’s the perfect way to get dinner to the table quickly on a busy weeknight.

These simply seasoned chicken thighs are one of our favorites. All you need is a bit of olive oil and a handful of pantry seasonings, and dinner comes together in minutes.

We use a combination of brown sugar, mixed with smoked paprika, dried mustard, garlic and onion powder, along with salt to create a flavorful, savory seasoning. The brown sugar helps bring the spices together and aids in making the chicken juicy, and the smoked paprika gives it a slight BBQ flavor.

You can substitute any of the spices with others, if you prefer, or add to it with pepper, chilli powder, or cayenne if you want some heat.

Pre-made seasonings such as BBQ, Cajun, or Montreal Chicken all work well, too.

By using boneless chicken thighs, the cook time is drastically reduced, so you will want to start with the minimum suggested cooking time to avoid over cooking your chicken.

To add to our meal, we love serving this chicken with creamy mac and cheese, such as Creamy Jalapeno Mac & Cheese, or we pop some pre-made Twice-Baked Potatoes in the oven or air fryer to warm up.

You could also serve with a side of Sweet Potato Fries, Mashed Potatoes, or yummy Street Corn Pasta Salad.

Leftovers make excellent sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Cooked chicken thigh cut in half.

Ingredients & Substitutions

For a full list of ingredients and measurements, please see the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Boneless skinless chicken thighs: We use boneless and skinless chicken thighs for this recipe as they cook quickly and taste great, but if you like crispy chicken skin this recipe will work just fine with skin-on chicken. If you choose to use bone-in chicken you will need to add at least 5 minutes to the cook time to ensure the chicken is cooked through.

Olive oil: A small amount of olive oil helps the spices stick to the chicken, and creates a golden brown finish. You can replace this with other oils such as vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil if you prefer.

Seasonings: This chicken is made with simple pantry seasonings; smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried mustard, and parsley. But you can change the seasonings to suit your taste. Chili powder or cayenne powder can be used to add some heat, if that’s what you like.

You can also use premade seasoning blends such as Cajun, BBQ seasoning, or even taco seasoning.

Cooked Chicken thighs in a single layer in an air fryer basket.

Storing Leftover Chicken Thighs

Leftover chicken thighs can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

They may also be stored in the freezer for several months.

Reheating Leftover Chicken

Left over chicken thighs can be reheated using the microwave, oven, or air fryer.

To heat in the oven, place the chicken in an oven safe dish, cover with foil and heat at 350°F for about 10 minutes.

To reheat in the air fryer, place the chicken in the air fryer and heat at 350°f for 3-4 minutes.

More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Cooked chicken thighs on a plate garnished with chopped parsley.

Printable Recipe

Cooked boneless chicken things on a cutting board with ranch dip.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs

These chicken thighs are tender and juicy, perfect with a salad, simple side, or sandwich. They make a great weeknight dinner, and leftovers are ideal for the lunchbox.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Save Recipe Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 115kcal
Author: Deanna

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs about 6 thighs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon parsley flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  • Place the chicken in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat.
  • Combine the brown sugar and spices in a small bowl, then sprinkle over the chicken thighs, tossing to make sure they are fully coated.
  • Place the seasoned chicken thighs in an air fryer basket in a single layer.
  • Set the air fryer to 380°F and cook for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden brown and the juice runs clear when the chicken is pierced with a fork.
    If using a meat thermometer, the chicken should be 165°F.
  • Remove from the air fryer and serve.

Nutrition

Estimated Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Amount per Serving
Calories
115
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
 
0.01
g
Sodium
 
165
mg
7
%
Carbohydrates
 
1
g
0
%
Fiber
 
0.2
g
1
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
15
g
30
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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5 from 1 vote
Recipe Rating




Susan

Tuesday 28th of January 2025

These turned out great! They were done perfectly and the flavor was spot on!

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