Made with honey, mustard, garlic and savory spices, these air fryer chicken thighs are unbelievably tender, juicy and full of flavor. This is one of those recipes that will make you a superstar with your air fryer.
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, expertly seasoned and cooked to absolute perfection in your air fryer.
Why I Love This Recipe
Air fryers one of the top selling kitchen appliances for good reason – they’re awesome! You can make so many amazing recipes in a fraction of the time of traditional frying, broiling or baking. And here’s the thing, they’re not just for making “fried” foods. In fact, this recipe doesn’t use any breading, but rather a seasoning mix that includes both wet and dry ingredients and then cooks for about 20 minutes, producing a chicken dish that’s worthy of any good restaurant.
Ingredients
We start, of course, with boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are loaded with flavor and are also easy to work with. Even if you overcook them slightly, the results are still excellent. Chicken thighs are naturally tender and juicy.
Honey, Garlic, Mustard and Simple Seasonings
We’ll use an awesome combination of simple ingredients to season our chicken. Our ingredient list includes:
- Honey
- Mustard
- Minced Garlic
- Oregano
- Tarragon
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Salt and pepper
We’re getting so many amazing flavors with this seasoning mix and result is simply stellar. We get sweet from the honey, vibrant from the mustard and savory from the oregano, tarragon and garlic. The cayenne won’t be hot, but rather will help bring all the other flavors to life.
Tarragon, the secret ingredient!
Do you use tarragon much? It’s the perfect “secret” ingredient for a dish such as this to add an extra level of savory goodness.
Tarragon is a leafy green herb with an ever-so-subtle hint of licorice flavor. When added to chicken it helps to provide an extra, fresh vibrance to the dish while deepening the savory qualities with the other ingredients.
Preparation
We start by trimming the chicken thighs of any extra visible fat. Then, in a large bowl, mix the honey, mustard, and garlic with all the dry ingredients. Now it’s time to get those chicken thighs wet! Mix them into the bowl with the seasoning and get them good and coated on all sides.
Should we marinate the chicken?
With this recipe, you can season the chicken and put it in the air fryer right away. However, if you want to marinate the chicken for a couple of hours, go for it! This will help deepen the flavors and infuse them more into the meat.
Cooking
Preheat the air fryer to 400°(F) for 5 minutes, then using the air fry setting, air fry for 16-20 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°(F). No need to flip during cooking.
Serving
When the chicken is done, remove to a plate and let rest for a couple of minutes. This helps all the juices redistribute throughout the meat.
You’re now ready to dig in!
I love to serve this dish with veggies, rice, or a good mac and cheese or pasta. But really, the possibilities are endless.
Some of my favorite side dishes are…
- Air Fryer Roasted Zucchini and Peppers – Honestly, I could have this as a side-dish for literally any meal. Super easy to prep and make. Excellent with chicken!
- Creamy Instant Pot Garlic Parmesan Orzo – I love orzo so much! This is an excellent and filling side-dish for our chicken thighs.
- Irresistible Air Fryer Garlic Herb Potatoes – chicken and potatoes are a natural together. These simple potatoes are so awesome and super easy to make.
You know what else? You can also serve them on a bun! Toast some brioche buns, add a couple of pickle slices, and you’ve got a chicken sandwich that will rival any chicken joint for sure!
You can also slice up the chicken to be served cold with salad. It’s a terrific way to add delicious protein to your salad and perfect to bring to work.
Storage and Reheating
These chicken thighs can easily be stored in air tight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat in microwave
The best way to reheat is in the microwave. Place them on a microwave safe plate and sprinkle the chicken with a little water. Just a very drops on each piece. Then cover the chicken with a damp paper towel.
Microwave for 1 minute, then in 30-second intervals until chicken is heated through.
Reheat in air fryer
When reheating in the air fryer, make sure to coat the chicken with some water or broth to help prevent drying out. Then air fry at 350°F for 3-5 minutes or until heated through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Just double all the ingredients. When cooking, make sure not to overcrowd the air fryer basket and don’t let the pieces of chicken overlap or touch. Do two batches if necessary.
Yes. Follow the recipe the same. The time may be a minute or two more, depending on the size of the chicken thighs. Monitor for doneness with an instant-read thermometer. Internal temp should be 165°F.
Recipe
Best Damn Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 thighs
Description
Savory, tender and juicy boneless, skinless chicken thighs cooked to perfection in your air fryer. With a homemade honey mustard seasoning you won’t believe.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 6-8oz each, trimmed of fat
- 2 tbs honey
- 2 tbs yellow mustard
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp tarragon, dried
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground cayenne
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix honey, mustard, garlic, paprika, oregano, tarragon, cayenne salt and pepper.
- Add chicken to bowl and toss well with the seasoning.
- Preheat air fryer at 400°(f) for 5 minutes.
- Place seasoned chicken in air fryer basket or on air fryer tray and use “air fry” setting at 400°(F) for 16-20 minutes, or to internal temperature of 165°(F) when measured with an instant read thermometer.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: American
MJ says
Delicious! I made only one change. Instead of cayenne, I used a good pinch of red pepper flakes. Definitely will be making again and again!
Barb Skladan says
This was delicious. I only had skin on bone in chicken thighs in the freezer. After thawing I let them sit in the marinade for a couple of hours.
I cooked for a few minutes more in the air fryer and they were very juicy and the skin was sticky and so good! Wonderful flavours! I highly recommend this recipe!
Ellen D Hughes-Williams says
I have not had a bad recipe form you yet! These thighs are very very good. Easy too. could you recommend a good meat thermometer?
Frank says
Outstanding! Will be going into our regular rotation for sure.
Thanks for sharing !
Shirley says
I made this for dinner tonight and will be a favorite at our table! I didn’t have yellow mustard so I used Dijon and it was delicious ……..love the honey it gives it just enough sweetness…..Thanks Jason
RecipeTeacher says
Awesome! I’m glad you liked it! Thanks, Shirley!!
Audrey Kavanaugh says
I am not a fan of tarragon so I substituted fresh lemon thyme. Quick, easy, and tasty way to prepare these skinless, boneless chicken thighs in an air fryer.
Mitch says
Tastiest chicken thighs I have ever cooked. Delicious
Sue says
Can I use bone in thighs?
RecipeTeacher says
You sure can, Sue! The cooking time should be close to the same, but could take an extra minute or two. Start skin-side down and flip halfway.
Jim says
Tried the air fryer thigh recipe. Came out delicious. Oregano took a little bit from the taste. May leave it out next time or use less. Delicious!!
Ginger says
This is now one of my favorite recipes. The tarragon really adds something different than all the other honey mustard chicken recipes out there. I’m looking for simple and delicious recipes to share with my son, but he doesn’t have an air fryer (maybe he’ll get one for Christmas!) but he does have an instant pot. Do you know if these ingredients work in an instant pot?