Air-Fryer Fried Chicken Thighs Recipe with Asparagus – These crispy and juicy air fryer chicken thighs are the perfect weeknight dinner! Perfectly seasoned chicken thighs are cooked in the air fryer with crisp asparagus for a complete and balanced meal with minimum clean-up. Low-carb, Keto-friendly, and gluten-free, this air fryer fried chicken thighs recipe is a delicious family-friendly dinner in under 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the Air-FryerFried Chicken Thighs Recipe
- 5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 pound (450g) asparagus, trimmed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lemon + lemon slices, for garnish
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper flakes, optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
1. To make the air fryer chicken thighs: Pat the chicken thighs with a paper towel to dry. Add them to a shallow plate.
2. In a small bowl, combine onion powder, paprika, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Season chicken thighs generously with the spice mixture. Set aside while you prepare the asparagus.
3. Place the seasoned chicken thighs in the basket of the air fryer. Cook at 380ºF (190ºC) for 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, arrange the asparagus on a shallow plate. Combine with garlic powder, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
5. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken thighs and add the asparagus to the air fryer basket. Continue to cook for 7-8 more minutes until chicken thighs are no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165ºF (74ºC).
6. Sprinkle with parsley and red chili pepper flakes, and serve the air fryer chicken thighs and asparagus immediately, with lemon slices on the side. Enjoy! ❤️
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Tips for the Air-Fryer Fried Chicken Thighs recipe
Here are a few tips to make this recipe for air-fryer fried chicken thighs:
- Remove chicken thighs from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to bring them close to room temperature.
- We use boneless and skinless chicken thighs because they render less fat and cook quicker than bone-in. Plus, it is easier to rub the spice mixture deep into the chicken meat.
- Season chicken thighs just before cooking to prevent drawing out moisture and drying out the meat. If you want to let it sit longer, omit the salt from the spice mixture, and add it 10 minutes before cooking.
- You don’t want to overcrowd the air fryer and overlap the chicken thighs too much. It will prevent the air from being able to circulate around all the chicken legs and it won’t get done evenly.
- For a variant of this air fryer fried chicken thighs recipe, you can use chicken tenders instead of chicken thighs. They’re delicious and cook faster! Just set the air fryer to a shorter cooking time.
- If you like your asparagus more tender, you can blanch them in boiling water for 4 minutes, then soak in ice-cold water before seasoning.
What to serve with the air fryer fried chicken thighs?
These air fryer chicken thighs and asparagus are already a meal on their own, but if you’re extra hungry, a side of steamed cauliflower rice will be amazing. Or, like this pan-seared chicken thighs recipe, you can opt for a side of green beans.
How and how long to keep the air fryer fried chicken leftovers?
You can keep the air fryer fried chicken thighs leftovers for up to 3 days in an air-tight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
More chicken recipes you might like
- Chicken Breasts with Spinach in Creamy Parmesan Sauce
- Garlic Butter Chicken Bites with Lemon Asparagus
- Crock Pot Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs
- CrockPot Tuscan Garlic Chicken Thighs With Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Leave a Reply
MJM
2024-04-22 20:05:29
We really enjoyed but it indicates salt and pepper on both chicken and asparagus but only listed once. I just recommend adding salt and pepper as desired on asparagus. In addition, I used bone in, skin on chicken thighs and we really enjoyed. Took a little longer to cook but still very good. This is a keeper.
Tamara V
2021-05-13 10:21:12
I'm about to make this tonight but noticed the recipe asks for minced garlic but the instructions don't say where to incorporate this. I'm going to take a guess and assume it goes with the chicken rub...
