Crispy Air Fryer Asian Chicken Thighs

Easy, sensational Crispy Air Fryer Asian Chicken Thighs are moist and tender with an amazing sticky glazed crisp on the outside. Pull this recipe out any time life calls for amazing thighs!

If you made my Asian Baked Boneless Chicken Thighs or my Asian Baked Chicken Breasts, I have a hot new take for you!

During the hot months of the year, most of us don’t love using the oven for cooking, and prefer keeping the additional heat to a minimum.

Enter: air fryer recipes.

The air fryer is magical at keeping the heat contained so that you aren’t breaking a sweat while cooking.

Truthfully, I don’t use my air fryer often, but I do love using it for crispy chicken thighs.

In fact, if you haven’t already made my Lemon Garlic Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs or my Air Fryer Crispy Chicken Thighs (which calls for bone-in chicken with skin), I highly recommend them!

Chicken thighs in the air fryer turn out simply sensational. Perfectly tender, moist and juicy with the most amazing little crisp.

And these Asian-inspired boneless chicken thighs are no exception.

They include a divine marinade that forms a light glaze during the air frying process that is both sweet and savory with classic Asian umami flavors.

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this recipe!

Ingredients for Air Fryer Asian Chicken Thighs:

Chicken Thighs: Boneless thighs are the star of the show here! If you enjoy making air fryer chicken recipes, you can use other cuts of chicken such as drumsticks, breasts, wings, and more.

Coconut Aminos: Bringing sweet, umami flavors to the marinade, coconut aminos is responsible for the amazing sticky glaze and tasty flavor. 

If you don’t have coconut aminos on hand, replace it with low-sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos and add 2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup or sugar.

Rice Vinegar: Adding tang to the marinade to offset some sweetness and add to the flavor profile, rice vinegar or lime juice bring acidity to the mix.

Avocado Oil & Sesame Oil: A combination of avocado oil and sesame oil is used for adding fat and flavor. Toasted sesame oil is common in Asian cooking, so be sure you don’t skip it to get the full effect of the flavor.

Fish Sauce: Adding salty, umami flavors, fish sauce is an incredible ingredient in Chinese and Japanese cooking. Be sure you don’t omit it unless you absolutely hate it because it provides salt content and also a huge amount of flavor.

If you’re weirded out by the concept, don’t be – you’ve definitely eaten it if you’ve had any type of Asian or Thai cuisine.

Garlic Powder: A little garlic powder goes a long way in bringing bold flavor to the amazing thighs. If you prefer using fresh garlic, feel free to use 3 to 4 cloves of minced fresh garlic. 

Sriracha: Providing a nice kick to balance out the flavor profile, a little sriracha adds spicy nuance to this easy chicken recipe. It doesn’t make the chicken spicy per se, but if you don’t like any heat, omit it.

Can I Use Bone-In Thighs or Chicken Breasts?:

You can easily use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or chicken breasts instead of boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. 

If you use bone-in thighs, air fry at 375 for 10 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. 

Looking to make boneless chicken breasts instead? Air fry at 350 degrees for 9 minutes per side, until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Let’s make some chicken thighs in the air fryer!

Now that we’ve covered the basics and the ingredients list, let’s make crispy air fryer chicken thighs!

How to Make Air Fryer Crispy Asian Chicken Thighs:

In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the ingredients for the marinade until well-combined.

Transfer the raw chicken to a zip lock bag (or bowl or sealable container) and pour in the marinade.

Seal the bag and move everything around until the chicken is coated in the marinade. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, ideally several hours (up to 24 hours).

Preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F for 3 to 5 minutes. If needed, you can spray the basket with cooking spray.

Place the marinated chicken thighs in the air fryer basket in a single layer with the rounded side up. Air fry for 14 minutes at 375. 

Flip the chicken thighs and air fry for another 4 to 6 minutes, or until the chicken is crispy and cooked through.

Note: depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the chicken in two batches. Mine holds four at a time, so I do two batches.

Note that the chicken will be fully cooked (165 degrees internal temperature) before it becomes crispy. In this sense, you’ll be cooking the chicken longer than it technically needs in order to maintain a tender inside but achieve that delicious crispy outside.

To check the temperature of the chicken, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken thigh. Wait until the numbers stop moving to get an accurate read.

Serve these juicy chicken thighs with your favorite side dishes for a complete meal.

Store leftover air fryer Asian chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you love cooking in the air fryer, also check out my other healthy air fryer recipes.

More Air Fryer Recipes:

• Air Fryer Steak Bites  
• Crispy Air Fryer Salmon 
• Air Fryer Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers  
• Lemon Garlic Air Fryer Shrimp  
• Air Fryer Chicken Wings  

Enjoy these crispy chicken thighs any night of the week!

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