These air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs only take 15 minutes at 400 degrees in an air fryer! They're the perfect quick and easy protein to prep for tacos, bowls, burritos, and salads.
I've always had mixed feelings about cooking chicken, mostly because I only used chicken breast for the longest time, which is notorious for being dry. But chicken thighs? So forgiving, so easy, and they turn out deliciously every time. Better yet, they only take 15 minutes to cook in an air fryer, which makes them SO easy to make as a weeknight protein!
As far as flavor, hot honey and taco seasoning are our top choice for air fryer chicken thighs at the moment. As a taco, burrito, and bowl-loving family, having an easy protein for those types of meals is a game changer on weeknights! Just season up the chicken thighs generously, pop them in the air fryer, and they're out of mind while you prep everything else (this fresh peach salsa is a go-to pairing in summer). Also, they're great for meal prep if you like prepping proteins to use throughout the week.
Key Ingredients + Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs - For ease, this recipe uses boneless skinless chicken thighs. They cook quickly and stay nice and juicy!
- Taco seasoning - Use you favorite! We've been buying the Spice Islands one lately and love it. If your seasoning blend doesn't have salt in it, you'll want to add some to the recipe (notes on how in the recipe card below)!.
See recipe card for quantities.
Can I Use Bone-in Chicken Thighs for this Recipe?
Definitely! We make bone-in chicken thighs in our air fryer all the time, one of our favorites being this berbere chicken recipe. A couple differences to note in how you prepare the recipe:
- Cook time: Bone-in thighs take a little bit longer to cook, about 22-23 minutes.
- For skin-on: If they're skin-on, it helps to get some of the seasoning under the skin for the best flavor.
If you're exploring other quick weeknight dinner recipes, we also love these 15-minute weeknight ground chicken tacos!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Coat chicken thighs on both sides with olive oil, season all sides with taco seasoning, and drizzle with hot honey. Be generous!
- Step 2: Transfer to the base of your air fryer in a flat layer. Depending on your air fryer size, you might need to do multiple batches (I usually get 4-5 boneless skinless chicken thighs in ours).
- Step 3: Air fry at 400 degrees for 13-14 minutes.
- Step 4: Allow the chicken to rest for a couple minutes after you take them out of the air fryer, then enjoy as desired! For tacos, I like to slice thin or cut into tiny cubes.
Tera's Sustainability Tips
- If you can't eat it quickly enough: As a family of three, we usually don't have a lot of leftovers for this amount of air fryer chicken, but if you feel like you can't eat all the chicken quickly enough (e.g. if you're cooking for one or two), this is a great quick protein to have in your freezer.
- Repurposing leftovers: The nice thing about this air fryer taco chicken is that it can be used in so many ways! The more obvious ones are tacos, burritos, bowls, and salads, but you could also toss leftovers into some chicken tortilla soup for a shortcut in winter!
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs FAQs
Definitely! Air fryers are just small convection ovens, so this work well in an oven especially if you have a convection setting. I bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes, and chicken thighs are done at 165 degrees.
You can store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. They reheat beautifully in the air fryer, so they're great for weekly meal prep.
Pairing
We love serving these air fryer taco chicken thighs with
📖 Recipe
Quick Air Fryer Chicken Thighs (with Taco Spices + Hot Honey!)
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 chicken thighs 1x
Description
Air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs meet taco seasoning + hot honey for the ultimate flavor combo! Ready in 15 minutes and perfect for tacos, bowls, or salads.
Ingredients
- 1-1.5 pounds chicken thighs, boneless + skinless
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon hot honey
- ½ teaspoon salt, if none in taco seasoning (see notes)
Instructions
- Season chicken. Coat the chicken thighs with olive oil (adding more if needed), then sprinkle on the taco seasoning, generously coating the chicken thighs on both sides. Drizzle each side of the chicken with hot honey.
- Air fry. Transfer the chicken thighs to the air fryer in one even layer. They can be touching but shouldn't overlap, so if you need to cook in multiple batches, you can. Air fry the chicken thighs at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, optionally flipping halfway through (not totally necessary). Let it rest for a couple minutes before serving. Yum!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Taco seasoning. Some taco seasonings contain salt, while others do not. If yours doesn't have any, I recommend mixing in ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt in with your taco seasoning. After that, season the chicken according to instructions.
- Serving ideas. We love these chicken thighs sliced or diced on tacos and in burritos. They're also great on salads or bowls!
- Storage & freezing instructions. You can prep and store these chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat leftovers in the air fryer to re-crisp the edges!
- Oven version. No air fryer? No worries! Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes in an oven, ideally with a convection setting if you have it (air fryers are mini convection ovens, after all). Check the cooked chicken temp to make sure it hits 165, and you're golden.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner, main meal
- Method: Air fryer
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 184
- Sugar: 4.4 g
- Sodium: 161.3 mg
- Fat: 8.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 4.7 g
- Protein: 22.3 g
- Cholesterol: 106.5 mg
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