These air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs are just the thing for an easy weeknight dinner for all the family! Fragrant from herbs and spice, they are full of flavor and take just 25 minutes to come together.
Crispy on the edges, and juicy in the centre, these boneless chicken thighs are so tempting! We use a tasty herb and spice rub for tons of flavor and air fry to perfection. Make these delicious air fried chicken thighs as an easy family dinner to serve with hot or cold sides!
Love simple but tasty chicken recipes? Then do check out my creamy turmeric chicken thighs and my pan fried paprika chicken for next time!
And my air fryer turkey burgers are so delicious for a quick weeknight dinner!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Full of flavor. We use delicious sweet paprika and mixed herbs for a very tasty rub for the chicken thighs.
No need to turn the oven on! Who doesn't love an easy air fryer chicken thighs recipe which takes so little time and is more economical too?!
Quick and easy weeknight dinner idea. It takes just a few minutes to prepare the spiced rub for the chicken, then we just air fry in around 20 minutes.
Gluten free and low carb. We use a tasty but simple marinade of olive oil, herbs and spice meaning these air fryer boneless chicken thighs are suitable for both dietary requirements.
🐓 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Chicken thighs - we use boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. I suggest using thighs that are similar in size for an even cook time.
- Paprika - I use sweet paprika, which can be found in most stores or you can grab the Szeged sweet paprika online.
- Mixed herbs - I suggest choosing the herbs you like best! Herbs de Provence or Italian seasoning both work so well as ready-prepared options, or you can make your own blend from your spice rack!
📖 Swaps and variations
Use regular 'hot' or smoked paprika instead of sweet paprika. If it works for you, then both these forms of paprika are delicious. I suggest my low histamine readers will likely want to stick to sweet paprika (per the SIGHI list).
Air fry a little longer for crispy skin! Be sure not to overcook the chicken (that's never tasty and will dry it out), but you can add a few minutes for some extra crispy edges.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making these boneless skinless chicken thighs in the air fryer is so simple, with just a few steps.
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but some photos to help guide you:
Step 1
Season the chicken. First pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towel, then add to a bowl with your olive oil, mixed herbs, paprika, garlic powder, salt and black pepper (image 2).
Step 2
Coat the chicken in the spice rub. Use your hands to coat the chicken thighs in the herb and spice mixture (image 2).
Step 3
Air fry the chicken thighs. After preheating the air fryer, lightly spray your air fryer basket with olive oil spray and use tongs to place the chicken thighs smooth-side down in your air fryer basket (image 3).
Air fry at 390F / 200C for 8 minutes, then use tongs to flip and air fry for a further 8 minutes.
Step 4
Check the temperature! Always be sure to cook your chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165F at their deepest point (image 4). If they aren't there yet, give them extra time to air fry until they reach that temperature. Cook time will vary slightly depending upon the size of the chicken thighs.
💭 Expert recipe tips and notes
- Be sure not to overcrowd your air fryer basket. Place the chicken thighs in an even layer, and with space in between them. If you use a dual air fryer basket as I do, then you may want to use both baskets.
- Adjust the amount of herbs and spice to preference. Add a touch more for extra flavor!
- Adjust cook time. If you are using chicken thighs that are on the larger side, you may need to keep them in the air fryer for a couple more minutes.
- Always check that you have an internal temperature of 165F. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature at the deepest point of the chicken thighs.
📋 Frequently asked questions
No, we are using an olive oil, herb and spice rub so there's no need to use flour for this recipe.
Yes, it's best to flip the chicken thighs to ensure they cook evenly.
The recipe is to cook boneless skinless chicken thighs in the air fryer. If you are using bone-in chicken thighs they will need a little longer in the air fryer and be sure to check they are cooked through by using a meat thermometer!
The time to air fry boneless skinless chicken thighs will vary slightly depending upon their size, temperature you are air frying at and the model of your air fryer. It will typically take around 15-20 minutes.
Once the chicken thighs are cooked, it's best to let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Yes, it's suitable for a gluten free diet. These chicken thighs are also dairy-free, low carb and low histamine.
🍽 How to serve air fryer boneless chicken thighs
The beauty of chicken thigh recipes that are more simply cooked is how versatile they are!
- Serve with hot vegetable sides such as my air fryer bok choy and skillet fried cabbage - you don't have to switch the oven on for either!
- My family loves a chicken and salad lunch or dinner, so pair with healthy ideas such as my kale salad with tahini dressing, couscous and sweet potato salad or my orzo pesto salad.
- Quinoa, couscous and rice are always tasty, and my celeriac sweet potato mash is a favorite recipe here on the site!
🥣 More chicken recipes
Find so many tasty ideas on my chicken recipes page, including my popular sage chicken in cream sauce for an easy skillet recipe and my juicy nectarine chicken. Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 teaspoon mixed herbs
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ½ teaspoon paprika regular or sweet paprika*
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Use paper towel to pat the chicken thighs dry and place them in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and sprinkle in the herbs, paprika, salt and black pepper. Toss the chicken thighs in the herb and spice mix, making sure they are well coated (use either your hands or a brush).
- Preheat the air fryer at 400F / 205C for 3 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil spray and use tongs to place the chicken thighs rounded side down. Arrange in an even layer with space between them.
- Air fry at 390F / 200C for 8 minutes. Use tongs to flip, then air fry for another 8 minutes, or until you have an internal temperature of 165F / 74C. Cook time will vary slightly depending upon the size of the chicken thighs.
- Carefully remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer basket with tongs (don't use hands as they will be very hot!) and let them rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Be sure not to overcrowd your air fryer basket. Place the chicken thighs in an even layer, and with space in between them. If you use a dual air fryer basket as I do, then you may want to use both baskets.
- Adjust the amount of herbs and spice to preference. For the herbs, both Italian seasoning and herbs de Provence are good choices.
- If you are using chicken thighs that are on the larger side, you may need to keep them in the air fryer for a couple more minutes.
- Always check that you have an internal temperature of 165F with a meat thermometer.
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- I suggest using sweet paprika (scores 0), rather than hot or smoked paprika if you are on a low histamine diet.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- If using a ready-blended herb mix, be sure all the ingredients are suitable for you.
Jessica says
Thank you for this recipe! My family is about to enjoy it for dinner. I just wanted to point out that garlic powder isn’t on the ingredient list, although it is in the picture. I wasn’t sure if that was intentional since it can be problematic for some. I forgot to include it 🙁
Claire says
I hope that you all enjoy the chicken Jessica! Thank you for letting me know, I'll add the garlic powder into the ingredients list. Sorry I forget to add it! 🙂