Air fryers need a lot less oil to create a deep-fried crispy crust.

Here, chicken thighs are marinated in buttermilk and dredged in a simple breadcrumb coating.

Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce or slice them up to top a salad.

Overhead view of cooked chicken in the air-fryer tray for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

We marinate our chicken thighs in buttermilk with garlic and a dash of hot sauce.

This flavors and tenderizes the meat and helps keep it moist when it’s cooked.

you could marinate the chicken for as little as 4 hours or overnight.

Overhead view of coating the chicken in flour for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

We use boneless, skinless chicken thighs trimmed of excess fat.

This helps keep saturated fat in check and allows for quicker cooking.

Whole-wheat breadcrumbs offer an added boost of fiber, but plain white breadcrumbs will work well too.

Overhead view of a ingredients in various bowls for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

Once the coating is applied, it’s time to cook them!

It’s important to spray both sides of the chicken thighs with cooking spray.

It’s important to keep the chicken thighs in a single layer versus cramming them into the air-fryer basket.

Overhead view of a white bowl with chicken thighs in marinade for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

What to Serve with Fried Chicken Thighs

Fried chicken thighs are best served right away.

Cover and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Combine flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.

Overhead view of a three white bowls with eggs, flour and breadcrumbs for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

Add eggs to another shallow dish and breadcrumbs to a third shallow dish.

Working one at a time, remove the chicken thighs from the marinade.

Coat with the flour mixture, then the egg.

Overhead view of dipping the chicken in eggs for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

Finally, coat both sides with breadcrumbs.

Coat both sides of the chicken with cooking spray.

Lightly coat the basket of the air fryer with cooking spray.

Overhead view of checking temperature of cooked chicken with a food thermometer for Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in the basket.

(Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to cook in batches.)

(If cooking in batches, cooking time for the second batch may be shorter.)

Overhead view of a stoneware plate of Air-Fryer “Fried” Chicken Thighs recipe

Photographer: Christine Ma

  • Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.