Rushing to make dinner and discovered your chicken is still frozen? We've all been there. With our recipe for Frozen Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer, you can transform frozen chicken thighs into a crispy and flavorful air fryer dinner, all in just 35 minutes!
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Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs
Can you cook chicken thighs from frozen in the air fryer? The answer is a resounding yes! There's absolutely no need to thaw them first, allowing you to cook them directly from the freezer and achieve flavorful, crispy, and juicy results.
The air fryer works its magic particularly well on chicken skin, making it incredibly crispy and chip-like, while ensuring the chicken is cooked evenly all around. This means no more under-cooked or overly dry parts—every bite is guaranteed to be juicy and tender.
Frozen chicken thighs are ready to be enjoyed in roughly 35 minutes, featuring a crispy skin on the outside while remaining tender and juicy on the inside. The chili seasoning adds a wonderful flavor kick, but the real beauty of using the air fryer for frozen chicken thighs is the ability to tailor the seasonings to your taste. This invites you to get creative and shake things up for dinner.
So, let's get air frying!
Watch the Video
Ingredients
- Frozen Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs: You can find frozen chicken thighs in the frozen food section of your local grocery store, or you can freeze your own when you buy fresh chicken thighs in bulk. Place chicken thighs on a baking tray in a single layer and place the tray in the freezer until frozen solid. Then place the frozen thighs in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze until ready to use. Look for bone-in and skin-on thighs for the best results!
- Oil Spray: Use a spray bottle filled with your desired oil, such as olive oil or avocado oil. Avoid using a pressurized cooking oil spray with additives as those might damage the non-stick coating of your air fryer. Learn more: Air Frying Oils
- Chili Seasoning: You'll find Chili seasoning in the spice aisle of the grocery store. If you can't find it, you can make your own following Our Signature Chili Spice Blend - which we recommend! Alternatively, use your favorite seasonings for chicken thighs with this dish. Some other great examples are lemon pepper seasoning, or simple salt, pepper, and paprika paired with BBQ sauce.
For full measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
How to Air Fry Frozen Chicken Thighs
Step 1 - If your frozen chicken thighs are stuck together, run cold water over them until they separate. The water must be cold. Optionally, using a sharp knife, score the tops of the chicken thighs through the skin and into the meat. This helps the seasoning penetrate the meat better.
Step 2 - Spray each chicken thigh with oil and sprinkle them with chili seasoning. Make sure they're evenly coated on all sides.
Step 3 - Place the seasoned chicken thighs in the air fryer basket, skin side down, in a single layer.
Step 4 - Air fry at 400°F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn each chicken thigh over using tongs so the skin side faces up, and continue air frying for another 10-15 minutes.
Step 5 - Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh meat without touching the bone. The chicken thighs are done when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. If needed, continue cooking until the proper temperature is reached.
Remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer and let them rest for 10 minutes before serving. This helps keep them juicy. Enjoy your air fryer dinner!
Recipe Tips
- Cook time may vary depending on your specific air fryer. As always, use the cook time and temperature as a guide until you are more comfortable with your specific air fryer model.
- If cooking in multiple batches, be sure to check on the remaining batches early, as they may cook more quickly.
- Using a sharp knife, score the tops of the chicken thighs through the skin and into the meat. This helps the seasoning penetrate the meat better.
- Don't be afraid to try different seasonings to change up the flavor profile of this air fryer frozen chicken thighs recipe.
What to Serve with Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Air Fryer Potatoes and Onions
- Air Fryer Red Potatoes
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Air Fryer Broccoli
- Try all of our Air Fryer Chicken Recipes!
Storage Instructions
- Store leftover cooked frozen chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftover chicken thighs last for up to 3-4 days.
What does it mean to score the chicken thighs?
Scoring refers to making small, parallel cuts through the skin and into the meat of the chicken. This ensures the flavor of the seasoning penetrates the meat instead of seasoning only the skin.
To score the frozen chicken thighs, use a sharp knife to carefully make shallow slits through the skin and into the meat (see our video for a demonstration). This will not only result in crispy, seasoned chicken skin, but the seasoning will get down into the chicken meat for maximum flavor!
FAQ
Yes, you can use frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs, but these have a much faster cooking time, so be sure to check the temperature after only 8 minutes or so depending on the thickness of your chicken thighs.
You can use any seasoning you like or a simple mix of salt, pepper, and paprika for a basic flavor.
Yes, you can cook various frozen meats in the air fryer. See our Air Fryer Frozen Foods section for more recipes!
Yes, you can! See our recipe for Air Fryer Thin Chicken Breast as well as our Air Fryer Bone-in Chicken Breast for guides on cooking chicken breasts in the air fryer
Thawed chicken thighs require 20 minutes of cooking time or less. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F, then air fry for 10 minutes, skin-side down. Flip using tongs, and air fry for another 10 minutes. Check the internal temp of the chicken thighs using a meat thermometer.
Air Fryer Frozen Recipes
- Air Fryer Frozen Burrito
- Air Fryer Frozen Egg Rolls
- Air Fryer Red Baron Deep Dish Pizza
- Frozen Chicken Strips in Air Fryer
- Try more of our Air Fryer Chicken Recipes, too, like our Bone-in Chicken Breast!
Leave a comment and review for us below if you enjoyed this recipe, or if you have questions about any of our air fryer recipes!
Frozen Chicken Thighs in Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 4 Frozen chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- Oil spray
- 1 tablespoon Chili seasoning divided
Instructions
- If your frozen chicken thighs are stuck together, you will need to run cold water over them until they separate.
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F.
- Optional, but recommended: Using a sharp knife, score the tops of the chicken thighs through the skin and into the meat.4 Frozen chicken thighs
- Spray each chicken thigh with oil and sprinkle each with chili seasoning. Do this on the chicken, not the air fryer basket.Oil spray, 1 tablespoon Chili seasoning
- Place frozen chicken thighs in the air fryer basket skin-side down in a single layer.
- Air fry for 15 minutes at 400°F. After 15 minutes, turn each chicken thigh over using tongs so the skin side is up, and continue air frying another 10-15 minutes.
- Check the internal temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh meat without touching the bone. The chicken thighs are done when the thigh meat registers at least 165°F internally. Continue cooking until the proper temperature is reached if needed.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer and rest for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If your frozen chicken thighs are stuck together, you will need to run cold water over them until they separate.
- Optional, but recommended: Using a sharp knife, score the tops of the chicken thighs through the skin and into the meat.
- Preheat air fryer oven to 400 degrees F.
- Spray each chicken thigh with oil and sprinkle each with chili seasoning.
- Place frozen chicken thighs on the air fryer tray skin side down in a single layer. TIP: For easier clean up, place a small baking sheet lined with aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the air fryer toaster oven.
- Air fry at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Turn each chicken thigh over so the skin side is up and continue air frying another 15 minutes.
- Check the internal temperature by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh meat without touching the bone. The chicken thighs are done when the thigh meat registers at least 165 degrees F. Continue cooking until the proper temperature is reached if needed.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the air fryer and rest for 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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