Fresh from the Kitchen: Recipes & Food Inspiration
- Use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for juicier meat; boneless skinless works but may cook faster.
- Preheat the Ninja Foodi air fryer to 390F; cook in a single layer, flip once, and confirm internal temperature at 165F.
- Uses simple pantry items: chicken thighs, homemade chicken seasoning, and olive oil or spray for spice adhesion.
- Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days or freeze; reheat in the air fryer, starting at 350F, finish at 400F to crisp.
- Do not stack thighs; cooking time varies by size and bone-in status. Adjust seasoning heat by reducing peppers if desired.
Published on . Updated on . By Tayo. This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure. 2 Comments
Crispy skin chicken thighs straight from the ninja foodi air fryer, ready in just 30 minutes with barely any prep. I make these on busy weeknights because three ingredients and one basket is about all the effort I have left in me by 6pm.
🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe
I’m always up for easy meals my whole family can enjoy. Being on a low carb diet, I prefer not to always cook two meals since most of my family does not eat low carb.
These juicy chicken thighs fit the bill perfectly! In just 30 minutes, dinner is served with a side of veggies like this easy air fryer broccoli!
And if you prefer to use an Instant Pot, try this Instant pot chicken thighs recipe with an easy, delicious sauce!
🥘 Equipment I Use
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For this recipe, all you need is an air fryer to fry the chicken thighs in, a large bowl to mix the ingredients in, and a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat.
Using an air fryer cooks the chicken quickly and evenly and requires minimal prep and cleanup. I use it for a few of my favorite recipes, such as my Air Fryer Turkey Wings and Air Fryer Chicken Wings.
If you’re in the market for a new air fryer, definitely check out this Ninja Foodi Air Fryer!
🧾 Ingredients I Use
This simple recipe requires just three ingredients:
- Chicken thighs: I use skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe, but feel free to use boneless skinless thighs instead. I prefer skin-in because the skin helps keep moisture in, so the chicken doesn’t dry out after frying. Also, Who doesn’t love crispy chicken thighs?
- Homemade chicken seasoning: I use my homemade chicken dry rub, which is easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. It is versatile and really imparts a great flavor. to the chicken thighs. My homemade chicken seasoning blend is a mix of peppers, aromatics, and herbs, including black pepper, dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and a few others.
- Olive oil or olive oil spray: These help the spices stick to the chicken.
🔪 How To Make Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- First, preheat the air fryer to 390F and spray using a cooking spray.
- Then, thoroughly rinse the raw chicken thighs under running water and then pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub or spray the chicken thighs with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, add all the spices and mix them together. Rub the chicken thighs all over with the homemade chicken seasoning. Alternatively, put the seasoning blend and the chicken pieces in a plastic resealable bag. Give a few good shakes to mix it up.
- Place chicken thighs in the air fryer basket, skin side down, in a single layer. Do not stack them so that they air fry evenly. Air fry the chicken thighs for 15 minutes, then flip them over and air fry for another 10 minutes.
- Leave it for an extra 5 minutes if you want extra crispy skin on your chicken thighs.
- Use an instant-read thermometer to ensure it has reached an internal temperature of 165F because that’s when it would be safe to eat.
- Let the juicy air fryer chicken thighs cool down for a few minutes before serving.
♨️ How To Store and Reheat
Storing leftover chicken thighs is so easy. Just put them in an airtight container, and they will keep well in the fridge for four to five days.
If you want to store them for longer, you can freeze them for a few months in an airtight container. Freeze the thighs on a sheet for a few hours, then take them and put them in an airtight container in the freezer.
To reheat frozen chicken thighs, first let them thaw enough to be separated, then preheat your air fryer to 350F. Next, arrange the leftover thighs in the air fryer basket in a single layer and air fry for five minutes.
After that, increase the temperature to 400 degrees F and let it crisp up for another five minutes.
🍽️ What to Serve With This Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
This chicken thigh recipe is excellent as a standalone dish when paired with your favorite sauce. Some great options are buffalo sauce, BBQ sauce, or African pepper sauce. You can also drizzle some keto gravy on it.
Enjoy this air fryer bone-in chicken thighs recipe with an easy side dish like coleslaw or veggies like broccoli.
💡 My Expert Tips
- The actual time needed to air fry the chicken thighs would depend on their sizes, the capacity of your air fryer, and whether the thighs are bone-in or not. To be absolutely sure of doneness, make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F.
- Do not stack the chicken thighs in the air fryer so that they cook evenly.
- You can skip most of the peppers in your chicken seasoning mix if you’re not a fan of spicy food.
👩🍳 Questions You Might Have
How long do you cook thighs in an air fryer?
Generally, it takes about 25 to 30 minutes to cook bone-in chicken thighs in an air fryer. However, air fryers have different power ranges where some have way more powerful fans than others.
The size of the chicken thighs would also affect the cooking time. If the chicken thighs are big, they will take a bit longer than if they were small. These and other factors would determine how long it actually takes.
Does it take longer to cook chicken thighs with bone-in?
Bone-in chicken thighs generally take longer to cook than boneless chicken thighs. This is because bone-in chicken thighs absorb more heat than boneless thighs.
It also takes more time for the hot air in the air fryer to circulate and fully crisp up chicken pieces with the skin on. Boneless skinless chicken thighs cook the fastest.
Does chicken cook quicker in an air fryer?
When comparing some kitchen appliances, a stovetop, an oven, and an air fryer, for example, chicken cooks faster in an air fryer. This is because an air fryer has a heating mechanism and a fan. It cooks by circulating hot air around to quickly cook the ingredients. So yes, the rapid circulation helps cook chicken and other ingredients faster.
📚 Related Recipes
Enjoy these delicious ninja foodi chicken recipes!
Frozen Chicken Wings in Ninja Foodi
Need more easy air fryer recipes? Next time, try these!
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Wings
Originally published in Oct 2021, this post was updated in July 2026 for accuracy and to include more helpful content.
📖 Recipe
Ninja Foodi Chicken Thighs
These ninja foodi air fryer chicken thighs come out crispy on the outside and juicy inside every single time. Just rub bone-in thighs with a simple homemade seasoning and let the air fryer do the work. Dinner is ready in 30 minutes with almost no cleanup.
Servings: 4
Calories: 284kcal
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Instructions
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Preheat the air fryer to 390F.
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Rub or spray the chicken thighs with olive oil.
4 chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon olive oil
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Rub the chicken thighs all over with the homemade chicken seasoning.
4 tablespoon chicken seasoning
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Air fry the chicken thighs for 15 mins.
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Flip it over and air fry for 10-15 minutes.
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Use a thermometer to make sure it has reached an internal temperature of 165F.
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Let the chicken thighs cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- The actual time needed to air fry the chicken thighs would depend on their sizes, the capacity of your air fryer, and if the thighs are bone-in or not. To be absolutely sure of doneness, make sure the internal temperature reaches 165F.
- You can skip most of the peppers in your chicken seasoning mix if you’re not a fan of spicy food.
Nutrition
Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 1251mg | Potassium: 255mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 88IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
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