This air fryer chilli chicken thighs recipe will get you super crispy chicken without deep frying! Dry rub your chicken thighs and then air fry for around 16 minutes, flipping halfway through. It’s that simple.
We love to air fry chicken thighs and so do you! This is one of our most popular air fryer recipes and so many of you have rated it 5-stars and made it time and time again.
If you are used to whipping up baked chicken thighs or grilled chicken thighs to get them nice and crispy, the air fryer is going to change your life. When I say these are so crispy, I mean it!
And best of all, when you cook chicken thighs in the air fryer you don’t need to use tons of oil like you do when deep frying. Instead, you use a drizzle on just a little bit and let the air fryer do the work!
About Time
- Prep Time 10 mins
- Cook Time 20 mins
- Total Time 30 mins
Ingredients
- 2 lb. bone-in chicken thighs (we used 4)
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF and spray the inside of the basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Prepare the chicken by patting them dry with a piece of paper towel.
- A person is wiping the skin off of chicken breasts on a plate.
- Add the garlic powder, paprika, chili flakes, dried thyme, salt, and brown sugar to a bowl and mix until combined. Then sprinkle the dry rub over the chicken thighs. Be sure the dry rub covers the entire chicken thigh.
- Seasoned chicken breasts on a white plate.
- Place the chicken thighs skin side down into the air fryer and drizzle the chicken thighs with olive oil. You may have to do this in two batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Set the air fryer for 8 minutes, flip the chicken thighs, and cook the chicken thighs for an additional 6-10 minutes depending on the size of your thighs.
- If the internal temperature of the chicken is 160ºF – 165ºF and the skin is crispy, remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer. If you would like your chicken thighs crispier, cook them for an additional 2 minutes. Let the chicken sit for 3-5 minutes and enjoy.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 477kcal Carbohydrates: 3g Protein: 55g Fat: 27g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 2g