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Herb-Marinated Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are a delicious low-carb dinner that’s inexpensive if you watch for the chicken thighs to go on sale! And you can make this in the oven if you don’t have an air fryer.
PIN the Herb-Marinated Air Fryer Chicken Thighs to try it later!
I’m featuring this recipe for delicious Herb-Marinated Air Fryer Chicken Thighs for this week’s Friday Favorites pick! These chicken thighs were so perfect for a quick and easy dinner, and I did love the way the air fryer crisped up the skin on the chicken!
I used the marinade from the Garlic, Lemon, and Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts that I used to make so often when I had summer dinner guests, and that tasty marinade uses ingredients most people probably have on hand, making it even more of a winner.
But I’m not trying to convince you to buy an air fryer if you don’t already have one, so I’ll give you instructions to make this tasty chicken dinner in the oven if that’s what works for you. Chicken thighs are something that go on sale regularly at my store, so put this idea into your dinner rotation and see what you think!
What ingredients do you need?
Can you use other chicken parts for this recipe?
You can also cook chicken drumsticks in the Air Fryer, check out that recipe if you have kids who love drumsticks. I do also have a good recipe for Marinated Air Fryer Chicken Breasts, so check the cooking method for that if you prefer white meat chicken.
Which Air Fryer Did I Use?
I absolutely love the Cuisinart Convection Air Fryer Toaster Oven (affiliate link). It was an investment, but I use the toaster oven part often and I love the larger basket this machine has, plus the convenience of having an air fryer that could stay out on the counter. The Cuisinart is the air-fryer I used for this recipe to cook 8 chicken thighs at once, but if you have a smaller model you might only be able to fit 6 thighs.
Want more Low-Carb Air Fryer Recipes?
Check out 100 Keto Air Fryer Recipes to see a huge round-up of Air Fryer recipes from Kalyn’s Kitchen and blogs around the web!
Marinating the Chicken for Air Fryer Chicken Thighs:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- Trim some of the skin and most of the fat from the chicken thighs. (I used kitchen shears (affiliate link) to trim the chicken.)
- I like to make short slits through the skin and into the meat of the chicken before it’s marinated, but that’s not essential.
- Mix together marinade ingredients, put chicken in a Ziploc bag or container with a snap-tight lid, add the marinade and marinate chicken in the fridge at least 6 hours, or all day while you’re at work.
- When it’s time to cook, drain the chicken well in a colander placed in the sink and discard marinade.
- Arrange chicken top-side down in the air fryer basket or on a baking rack and let the chicken come to room temperature while you preheat the air fryer to 360F/185C (if needed) or preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
To Cook Chicken in the Air Fryer:
- Cook chicken in the pre-heated air fryer for 8 minutes.
- Then turn the chicken thighs over and cook about 6 minutes more.
- After six minutes, check the chicken to see if some pieces are getting too browned and rearrange the chicken thighs in the air-fryer basket if needed. (I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but I switched some of the outside more-browned pieces to the inside.)
- Cook about 6 minutes more, or until the chicken is well-browned with crispy skin and the internal temperature is at least 165F/75C.
- Use an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) for this if you have one.
To Cook Chicken in the Oven:
- If you have a baking rack that lets hot air flow around the chicken, use that on your baking sheet.
- Cook chicken top-side down in the preheated oven for 10 minutes,
- Then turn chicken pieces over and cook about 25 minutes longer, starting to check after 20 minutes.
- Cook until the chicken is well-browned, skin is crisp, and the internal temperature is at least 165F/75C.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
This would be delicious with Twice-Baked Cauliflower, Fried Cauliflower with Bacon and Mushrooms, Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash with Kale, Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower, or Roasted Turnips for a low-carb meal!
More Low-Carb Dinners from the Air Fryer:
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (see notes)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 T lemon juice (see notes)
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning, or use any all-purpose herb blend.
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried sage
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Instructions
- Trim some of the skin and most of the fat from the chicken thighs. (I used kitchen shears to trim the chicken.) I like to make short slits through the skin and into the meat, but that’s not essential.
- Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) or another seasoning blend, dried basil, dried oregano, onion powder, dried sage, and black pepper to make the marinade.
- Put chicken thighs in a Ziploc bag or plastic container with a snap-tight lid, add the marinade and let the chicken marinate in the fridge at least 6 hours, or all day while you’re at work.
- When it’s time to cook, drain the chicken well in a colander placed in the sink and discard marinade.
- Arrange chicken top-side down in the air fryer basket or on a baking rack and let the chicken come to room temperature while you preheat the air fryer to 360F/185C (if needed) or preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
- TO COOK IN AIR FRYER: Cook chicken top-side down in the pre-heated air fryer for 8 minutes. Then turn the chicken thighs over and cook about 6 minutes more. After six minutes, check the chicken to see if some pieces are getting too browned and rearrange the chicken thighs in the air-fryer basket if needed. (I switched some of the outside more-browned pieces to the inside and I think some pieces would have burned if I hadn’t done that.) Cook about 6 minutes more, or until the chicken is well-browned with crispy skin and the internal temperature is at least 165F/75C.
- TO COOK IN THE OVEN: If you have a baking rack that lets hot air flow around the chicken, use that on top of your baking sheet. Cook chicken top-side down in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then turn chicken pieces over and cook about 25 minutes longer, or until the chicken is well-browned, skin is crisp, and the internal temperature is at least 165F/75C.
- No matter which cooking method you use, I recommend using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to check the internal temperature of the chicken if you have one.
- Serve hot. If you want to use the air fryer and need to cook two batches for a larger family, keep the first batch warm in a 200F/100C oven while the second batch cooks.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 100Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 220mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Herb-Marinated Air Fryer Chicken Thighs would be a good option for low-carb diets, including Keto. The original South Beach Diet doesn’t recommend chicken thighs, especially with the skin, but personally I would eat this for South Beach without worrying too much. You could remove the skin for South Beach if you prefer
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Chicken Recipes or Air Fryer Recipes for more tasty ideas for dinner! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2018. It was updated with more information in 2022.
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