Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs

The best way to cook your boneless chicken thighs is in the air fryer and smothered in a sweet BBQ sauce. 

These air fryer chicken thighs coated in a sweet BBQ sauce were voted top 10 of all of my recipes! They are a little crispy and have all of the tastes of BBQ chicken wrapped up into a little bite. Plus, they are done in less than 20 minutes and only require two ingredients plus some seasonings.

Why are these one of my favorite dishes? Mostly because they only require chicken thighs and BBQ sauce. Plus, of course, some seasonings that I am sure you have in your cabinet. They are a fan favorite and you can try them out in any type of dish. From salads, to wraps, to just eating them with a fork and knife.. these are amazing!

I am a huge chicken fan; however, my husband prefers a less lean meat. We compromise a lot with some chicken thighs. I have made sweet and sour chicken thighs, garlic butter chicken thighs and some made in the instant pot. But, the air fried boneless chicken thighs is the way to go!

If you want something spicy, you have to try out my similar recipe: air fryer buffalo chicken thighs.

Quick Tips From Allie Carte

• These are sweet; however, if you want something spicy, try substituting buffalo sauce.
• The chicken thighs will be done early; however, if you can air fry for a little extra longer to keep it a bit crispy.
• These are amazing in any dish from salads, to wraps, to just eating them with a fork and knife.
• Try this out with a different cut of chicken if you want a leaner meal.

What You Need for Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs

Why are these one of my favorite dishes? Mostly because they only require chicken thighs and BBQ sauce. Plus, of course, some seasonings that I am sure you have in your cabinet.

First off, you will need an air fryer, you can use a basket type air fryer; but, I really like a rack type air fryer as well. However, you can also make them in the oven. I will go over both directions. 

• Chicken thighs
• BBQ sauce
• Brown sugar
• Seasonings

Chicken Thighs

I used some Publix brand boneless and skinless chicken thighs. The boneless and skinless are my favorite as they are easier to cut and eat without the bones. Also, without the skin, they are a bit leaner.

You can use bone-in thighs if that is what you prefer. Boneless thighs take a little less time to cook. Therefore, if you substitute bone-in, cook it for an extra minute or two.

BBQ Sauce

These air fryer chicken thighs are smothered in BBQ sauce. Now, these are spicy spicy! You will smother them in BBQ sauce. I use Sweet Baby Ray's sugar free BBQ sauce; however, you can use any brand that you love.

If you want something spicy, I love using this method but with buffalo sauce. It is basically the same concept; however, spicy.

Brown Sugar

Brown sugar replacement is a staple in my household, it is great on so many dishes. I use the Swerve brand; however, Splenda has a brown sugar blend, and, alternatively, you can use regular brown sugar.

Seasonings

Now, we can go over the seasonings that I use. This may seem like a lot; however, you should have all, if not most, in your cabinet.

• Garlic powder
• Garlic salt
• Onion powder
• Chili powder
• Paprika

You should have most of these in the cabinet; however, if you do not, you can skip a seasoning if you do not want to buy it. But, I do think all of these seasonings really make it taste amazing.

How to Make Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs

Start by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees. Grease the basket with cooking spray.

Combine the seasonings in a small bowl, mixing together. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with the seasonings and press them into the chicken.

Pour the BBQ sauce into a small bowl. Dunk the chicken into the sauce and press the sauce into the chicken.

Place each chicken into the air fryer, trying not to let them overlap.

Air fry for 16-18 minutes, flipping halfway.

The chicken will be done after about 11 minutes; however, I like to leave them in longer to let them get crispy.

Oven / Stovetop Version

If you do not have an air fryer, you need one! But, in the meantime, you can make these on the stovetop/oven.

Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Grease a baking tray with cooking spray.

Combine the seasonings in a small bowl, mixing together. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with the seasonings and press them into the chicken.

Pour the BBQ sauce into a small bowl. Dunk the chicken into the sauce and press the sauce into the chicken.

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 3-4 minutes per side. 

Transfer to a greased baking tray and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until fully cooked.

Ranch Sauce!

Make sure you try this with my homemade ranch dip!

Love BBQ?

If you love BBQ, try to some of my recipes. I have a BBQ chicken dip, air fryer chicken tenderloins, Hawaiian pulled chicken and BBQ chicken stuffed spaghetti squash.

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Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs

The best way to cook your boneless chicken thighs is in the air fryer and smothered in a sweet BBQ sauce. 

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