Bring the taste of barbecue indoors with this air fryer BBQ chicken thighs recipe. Made in under 30 minutes and topped with your favorite sauce, these juicy chicken thighs are always great for dinner.
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You're going to love making bbq chicken thighs in the air fryer. Within just 30 minutes, you'll get a tasty batch of deliciously juicy chicken topped with your favorite BBQ sauce (storebought or homemade BBQ sauce is fine).
Serve it up with some other fun summer side dishes, and you'll have a great meal ready in no time.
For more chicken thigh recipes, make sure to check out my Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes, and Sheet Pan Chicken, Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- It's easy! There is hardly any hands on effort or prep needed for this recipe. It's great for a "set it and forget it" type of meal.
- Minimal ingredients. You don't need much to make this recipe, so don't worry about making a large grocery trip to the store.
- Complements any number of side dishes. You can serve bbq chicken air fryer thighs with simple side dishes like roasted potatoes and Air Fryer Canned Green Beans or add in a classic BBQ favorite like Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad.
🛒 Ingredients
Chicken thighs- Use bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs for the best results. Boneless and skinless chicken thighs will have a lessened cooking time.
BBQ sauce- Use your favorite BBQ sauce for this recipe or use some homemade sauce.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Chicken thighs. You can use boneless chicken thighs instead of bone-in thighs if desired. To do this, you will follow along with the recipe exactly but possibly reduce the cooking time by about 2-4 minutes because they will take less time to cook through.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Choose bone-in thighs. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are usually the lowest-cost cut and stay juicier than boneless, giving you better flavor for less money.
Buy family packs. Larger packs of chicken thighs offer the best price per pound. Freeze portions in meal-sized bags so you always have an affordable protein ready to cook.
Keep seasonings simple. Salt, pepper, and BBQ sauce are all you need. Skip extra spice blends unless you already have them on hand.
🥄 Instructions for Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs
Step 1: Place your chicken thighs, skin side up in an air fryer basket. Sprinkle the tops and bottoms of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Cook at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Flip the chicken over so that it is skin facing down. Continue to cook for another 8 minutes.
Step 4: Remove the chicken from the air fryer. Brush the tops and sides with your favorite BBQ sauce. Return the chicken to the air fryer and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Step 5: Let stand for 3 minutes before serving.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Chicken Safety Tip: Use an instant-read food thermometer to check if your chicken is cooked. Once it reaches 165°F, it's done. Though the meat and juices might have a slight pink hue, they shouldn't look raw.
- Optional Step: For added color and caramelization on the BBQ sauce, you can cook your thighs a bit longer. Keep an eye on them every minute or so to prevent overcooking or burning.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
Storage: Keep leftover chicken stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. For best results, store the pieces in a single layer so the skin stays as crisp as possible.
Reheating:
Air Fryer Method: Warm leftover chicken in the air fryer at 350°F for 4-5 minutes, or until heated through and the skin crisps back up.
Microwave Method: Place a piece on a microwave-safe plate and heat for about 2 minutes, just until warm
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
These air fried BBQ chicken thighs go great with any number of tasty side dishes. I suggest trying my Dill Pickle Potato Salad or Instant Pot Boxed Au Gratin Potatoes.
- Dill Pickle Potato SaladRecipe $3.68 / Serving $0.37
- Instant Pot Boxed Au Gratin PotatoesRecipe $3.02 / Serving $0.30
- Deviled Egg Pasta SaladRecipe $6.14 / Serving $0.51
- 2 Hour No Knead BreadRecipe $1.15 / Serving $0.12
❓ Recipe FAQs
Cooking them at 400 degrees F will take about 18 minutes. This is because the air circulates around the chicken in the basket, and it helps to cook it evenly from all sides much more quickly than in a traditional oven.
Yes, you can place raw chicken in your air fryer. You can cook your chicken while it's still partially frozen or fully thawed. Please note that frozen thighs may take a little longer to cook.
As tempting as it may be to cook a large batch of chicken at once, you should not stack the meat. Air fryers work by circulating air around the product, and if meat is stacked and touching, there is an area not receiving the heated air which means that spot will not cook at the same speed as everything else and may be unsafe to eat.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Air Fried Oreo CookiesRecipe $2.94 / Serving $0.74
- Air Fryer Frozen Mozzarella SticksRecipe $2.22
- Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan WingsRecipe $5.83 / Serving $1.47
- Air Fryer Canned CornRecipe $1.47 / Serving $0.37
🐝 If you tried this Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Recipe, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs - ($5.60)
- ½ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.02)
- ½ cup BBQ sauce - ($0.52)
Instructions
- Season. Place the chicken thighs in the air fryer basket, skin side up. Season both sides with salt and black pepper.
- Air Fry. Cook at 400°F for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken so the skin side is down and cook for another 8 minutes.
- Sauce. Remove the chicken and brush the tops and sides with BBQ sauce.
- Finish. Return to the air fryer and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Rest. Let rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Doneness. Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Boneless Option. Boneless thighs can be used. Reduce cooking time by 2 to 4 minutes and check early.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Reheating. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for 4 to 5 minutes or microwave until warmed through.
Nutritional Information
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