This Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken uses bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, and cooks in just about 20 minutes. The chicken thighs are marinated in a combination of coconut aminos, honey, lime juice, and garlic olive oil. These are the ultimate protein staples to serve when it’s time to make a quick dinner or meal prep.
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Why you will love this recipe
Chicken thighs in the air fryer are so simple and easy to make, yet they lack the ultimate flavor regardless of the choice of marinade. If you love your air fryer and Chicken thighs as much as I do, try these teriyaki chicken thighs. These are so much quicker to make than worrying about putting them in the oven which can sometimes feel like forever to cook!
One thing I love to do is make a batch of jasmine rice ahead of time in the rice cooker. I keep the rice stored in the fridge for those busy weeknights when all I have to do is pull out the marinated chicken thighs, place them into the air fryer, steam some veggies, and microwave the jasmine rice. Which I must say, microwaves very nicely when a wet paper towel is placed over it!
Ingredients
- Bone in, skin on chicken thighs: I do like to use chicken thighs with the skin on, this will allow the honey to caramelize and create crispy, ends on the skin of the chicken.
- Coconut aminos: coconut aminos are used in place of soy sauce, not only to keep this recipe gluten-free but to keep the sodium content down.
- Olive oil: for this recipe, I like to use a combination of regular and garlic, olive oil by Costabile Brand for added flavor (use code 15GOLDENGK for 15% off).
- Honey: Honey provides a subtle sweetness to these air fryer chicken thighs without the added sugars of something like brown sugar.
- Lime juice
- Paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper: I like to purchase my seasonings from OliveNation. They have a wide variety of gluten-free seasonings (Use code NK15 for 15% off of your order).
Instructions
- Remove chicken from the package, wash, and place into a large bowl. Remove any excess water that may have made it to the bowl.
- Coat the chicken with oils, honey, coconut aminos, lime juice, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Using your hands, mix very well until all the chicken is covered.
- Then, pour the entire contents of the bowl into a ziploc bag. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight to marinate. I like to do mine overnight.
- Once marinated, preheat the air fryer to 400 ℉. Using a pastry brush, coat the air fryer tray with oil to prevent any sticking from the chicken.
- Next, place the chicken thighs' skin down onto the air fryer basket, keeping enough space between each thigh so that they are able to crisp when cooking and not sweat on each other.
- Cook thighs for 10 minutes then flip and cook for 8 minutes. Once done, check the internal temperature. Depending on the size of the thighs the cooking time will vary. If they have not reached 165 ℉ internally, flip and cook at 3-minute intervals until they reach the desired temperature. (Flipping after each additional 3 minutes)
Equipment
Storage:
- Keep these garlic honey chicken thighs in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To reheat, simply place them 2 at a time on a microwave-safe plate and into the microwave for one and a half to two minutes.
Top Tips:
For extra flavor, using a pastry brush, brush some of the marinade onto the chicken thighs when flipping.
FAQ
How can I serve this air fryer honey garlic chicken?
This air fryer garlic, honey chicken can be served as is, or you can remove it from the bone and slice thinly. It goes great over fried rice, with pasta, in a sandwich, with French fries or with a side salad. You can also serve up this sautéed zucchini and squash.
Can I use parchment paper to line my air fryer?
You can, although I don’t recommend it. Lining the bottom of the air fryer tray with parchment paper will keep all of the excess fats and oils from draining down into the bottom of the basket. With that, the underneath of your chicken will end up less crispy.
Is this air fryer chicken thigh recipe recipe gluten-free?
Yes, this air fryer honey garlic chicken thigh recipe is gluten-free. To keep this gluten-free, we are using coconut aminos. If you do not have a problem with gluten, feel free to use low-sodium soy sauce instead. Just keep in mind that soy sauce is not gluten-free unless purchased with a gluten-free label.
More FAQ
How will I know when my air fryer honey garlic chicken thighs are done cooking?
Chicken is one of those proteins, that you never want to serve undercooked. You will know the chicken is not done because there will be pink juice running from it, Or when you cut into it, there will still be some blood around the bone area. It’s very important to cook chicken thighs to the appropriate temperature.
Because all chicken thighs are different sizes, and every air fryer cooks differently, cooking times will depend on the size of the chicken thighs and the heating strength of your air fryer. I always recommend checking the temperature of your chicken with a meat thermometer.
You will want to make sure you have cooked your chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165 °F. I like to remove mine once they have reached somewhere between 165 °F and 175 °F. Always keep in mind that your chicken will cook for a little while longer once it has been removed from the air fryer and placed onto a plate. To ensure the chicken thighs are cooking evenly, I like to move them around on the tray when they are being flipped over. Not all four sides of the air fryer will cook at the same temperature.
More FAQ
What is the best air fryer to cook chicken thighs in?
Any air fryer will work for these chicken thighs. If you have a smaller air fryer, you may only be able to cook four or five chicken thighs at a time. Always make sure to keep the chicken in a single layer with minimal space in between. You want the air to be able to circulate around the chicken while it is cooking.
Can I use boneless chicken thighs for this air fryer honey garlic chicken recipe?
Absolutely, boneless chicken thighs will work great for this air fryer recipe. If you are using boneless skinless chicken thighs, please reduce your cooking temperature. Start out with six minutes per side and then check the temperature aiming for 165 ℉.
More recipes to try
- Air Fryer Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Grilled Chicken
- Air Fryer Chicken Skewers
- Easy, air fryer sweet chili honey garlic chicken skewers
- Chili Lime Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken
Ingredients
- 7-8 bone in chicken thighs
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon roasted garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon Coastabile olive oil (use code 15GOLDENGK for 15% off)
- 1 ½ tablespoon garlic olive oil (use code 15GOLDENGK for 15% off)
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Remove chicken from package, wash and place into a large bowl.
- Remove any excess water that may have made it to the bowl.
- Coat the chicken with both oils, honey, coconut aminos, lime juice, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Using your hands, mix very well until all chicken is covered.
- Then, pour the entire contents of the bowl into a ziploc bag.
- Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes or over night to marinate. I like to do mine overnight.
- Once marinated, preheat the air fryer to 400 ℉.
- Using a pastry brush, coat the air fryer tray with oil to prevent any sticking from the chicken.
- Next, place the chicken thighs skin down onto the air fryer basket, keeping enough space between each thigh so that they are able to crisp when cooking and not sweat on each other.
- Cook thighs for 10 minutes then flip and cook for 8 minutes.
- Once done, check the internal temperature. Depending on the size of the thighs the cooking time will vary.
- If they have not reached 165 ℉ internally, flip and cook on 3 minute intervals until they reach the desired temperature. (Flipping after each additional 3 minutes).
Genevieve says
Air fryer honey garlic chicken looks like the perfect weeknight meal idea!