Easy Air Fryer Keto Chicken Thighs
These Air Fryer Keto Chicken Thighs are amazing! From the crispy skin, to the juicy tender dark meat. The whole family will love these delicious chicken thighs! With only 2 ingredients this is a super easy recipe to follow! Plus you will have it done in under 20 minutes.
Air Fryer Keto Chicken Thighs
These Keto Chicken Thighs use my Homemade Chicken Dry Rub Seasoning, and let me tell you, the flavor is on point! You can even use the dry rub on chicken breasts or on chicken wings.
These crispy air fryer chicken thighs are great for an easy weeknight dinner, or even to use for meal prep.
For this recipe, I use bone-in chicken thighs, but you can use boneless chicken thighs if you prefer. But you’ll absolutely love the flavorful, crispy chicken skin if you use bone in chicken thighs. It’s honestly my favorite part!
A big thank you to Do Good Chicken for gifting me these delicious chicken thighs! Do Good Chicken has no antibiotics. The Chickens are 100% natural and cage-free! They are also hatched, raised, and harvested here in the United States.
If you enjoy my dry rub seasoning as much as I do make sure you check out these other mouthwatering air fryer recipes: Air Fryer Chicken Legs with Dry Rub, Keto Air Fryer Chicken Wings, and Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters.
Why you’ll love this easy air fryer recipe
- Budget Friendly – Bone-in chicken thighs are almost always cheaper than boneless skinless chicken thighs. And to make the dry rub for the chicken, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry!
- Quick and Easy Recipe – This chicken recipe only has two ingredients, so it’s super easy. Only takes 18 minutes to cook!
- Keto Friendly – The dry rub seasoning on the chicken thighs is keto-friendly and contains no sugar or starches. Perfect for anyone who is on a low carb or keto diet.
- No need for added oil – you’ll love that you don’t have to use olive oil or cooking spray for the seasoning to stick or to create delicious crispy chicken thighs.
Ingredients
- Bone-in Skin-on Chicken thighs
- Homemade Dry Rub Seasoning or your favorite spice blend
Tips & Tricks
To ensure that the chicken stays moist, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. Once they reach 165F, remove them from the air fryer. Be sure that you don’t overcook the chicken thighs.
Tools to make this Keto Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer
- Cosori Air Fryer – this is my favorite air fryer. The large air fryer basket makes it so easy to cook your favorite recipes
- Tongs – tongs are easiest to remove and flip the chicken drumsticks
- Instant Read thermometer – You always want to make sure the internal temperature of ANY chicken 165F.
How to Make Air Fryer Keto Chicken Thighs
- Remove the chicken thighs from the package and transfer 2 of them to a ziplock bag.
- Sprinkle a half tablespoon of dry rub seasoning on the chicken. Add in the other two chicken thighs and top with the dry rub seasoning.
- Close the ziplock bag and make sure you remove the air from the bag. Toss the chicken around to make sure they are coated in the seasoning.
- Transfer the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs to the air fryer basket, placing them in a single layer and cook at 390F for 18 minutes flipping halfway through. The size of your chickens will ultimately determine the cook time.
- Once the timer goes off make sure the internal temperature is 165F. The skin should be golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken from the air fryer basket, wait 5 minutes before eating to cool down.
Oven Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the package, blog chicken dry with a paper towel, and transfer 2 chicken thighs to a ziplock bag.
- Sprinkle a half tablespoon of dry rub seasoning on the chicken. Add in the other two chicken thighs and top with the dry rub seasoning.
- Close the ziplock bag and make sure you remove the air from the bag. Toss the chicken around to make sure they are coated in the seasoning.
- Transfer the chicken thighs to a baking pan and place them inside the oven.
- Cook the chicken thighs for 20 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off remove the chicken from the oven and serve.
Substitutions
If you don’t have bone-in chicken thighs, you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead. You will just have to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.
If you don’t want to use my homemade dry rub for this air fryer chicken thighs recipe, simply use sea salt or kosher salt, ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, or your favorite chicken or poultry seasoning.
You can follow the cooking directions in these Easy Air Fryer Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs.
What to serve with these low carb chicken thighs
If you are looking to keep this meal keto, here are some low-carb side dishes that pair perfectly with these juicy chicken thighs: Zoodles, Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, Garlic Mushrooms, Green beans, or Roasted Brussel Sprouts.
Now if you aren’t following any kind of diet my go-to side dish is Mashed Potatoes.
How to store
- Store leftovers in a glass airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
How to reheat these keto air fryer chicken thighs
Remove the lid from the container and microwave on high for 1 to 1.5 minutes or until the chicken is warm. Alternatively, you can transfer it to a microwave save plate to warm it up.
If you want to warm this up in your air fryer, cook it for 2-3 minutes at 400F.
FAQs
How many carbs are in these air fryer chicken thighs?
These Chicken Thighs have 1g of carbs, and the carbs come from the chicken dry rub.
How long does it take to cook chicken thighs in the air fryer?
Bone-in chicken thighs take about 18 minutes at 390F. Make sure the internal temperature is 165F before serving.
Can you eat the skin on chicken thighs on keto?
The skin-on thighs will add healthy fats and fat soluble vitamins into your diet.
More Air Fryer Chicken Thigh Recipes
If you loved these keto chicken thighs in the air fryer, check out these other chicken thigh recipes.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
- Katsu Chicken Thighs
- Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
Seasonings for your Chicken Recipes
Air Fryer Keto Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp dry rub seasoning
Instructions
- Remove the chicken thighs from the package and transfer 2 of them to a ziplock bag.
- Sprinkle a half tablespoon of dry rub seasoning on the chicken. Add in the other two chicken thighs and top with the dry rub seasoning.
- Close the ziplock bag and make sure you remove the air from the bag. Toss the chicken around to make sure they are coated in the seasoning.
- Transfer to the air fryer basket and cook at 390F for 18 minutes flipping halfway through.
- Once the timer goes off make sure the internal temperature is 165F. Remove from the air fryer basket and serve.
Nutrition
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