Air Fryer Fried Chicken Thighs

Air fryer fried chicken thighs cook up perfectly every time. Crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, chicken thighs never tasted so good!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Servings:

Calories: 246kcal

Get Recipe Ingredients

Pull out and measure all of the ingredients.
Place the breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, and ground black pepper in a bowl and mix to combine.
Place the egg and buttermilk in a bowl and gently whisk. Put the flour in separate bowl as well to complete your breading station.
Coat each thigh in the flour and then the egg mixture.
Last, place in the breadcrumbs.
Put chicken in the basket of the air fryer coated in cooking spray.
Cook the chicken at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Flip and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Alternatively, cook at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping at the midway point. Although it takes a little longer, you end up with less burnt spots on the breading. Both ways are delicious.
Continue to cook in batches until all the chicken has been cooked.
Serve with your favorite sauces. We have a list of our favorite dip recipes for you to choose from or use a store-bought option; barbecue sauce, honey mustard, Ranch and more.
Serve with your favorite side enjoy every bite.

Don’t skip the panko breadcrumbs! Once you fry them up in your air fryer, they crisp up perfectly and are the main reason that this air fryer chicken thighs recipe has that crisp outer crust. If you omit and use just flour, you're not going to get the same results.
When breading, make certain to completely coat the chicken in the buttermilk and eggs. This is the binding agent that will hold on to the dry mixture of flour and breadcrumbs as well or allow for adequate coating of dry ingredients.
If you're worried about your chicken sticking to the air fryer basket, spray it with a non-stick cooking spray. I love to use coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil but it's really up to you.
Even though you're going to be setting your air fryer timer to cook the chicken, still peek and use your visual cues as well. This recipe does require you to cook both sides of the chicken in the air fryer basket so you will need to flip it halfway through cooking.