Air Fryer Greek Chicken Thighs

Air Fryer Greek Chicken Thighs are crispy, lemony, and so flavorful! The Greek-inspired marinade coats the chicken and the air fryer crisps them to perfection. An easy meal that is quick to make for a weeknight or weekend dinner.

Chicken thighs in the air fryer might be the most genius thing ever. The skin gets crispy, and the chicken stays moist and flavorful. It's easily become my favorite way to make chicken thighs. Even better? It cooks SO MUCH more quickly than when I cook chicken thighs in the oven. As someone who is usually rushing to get dinner on the table, this is such a win.

And I love the Greek-inspired marinade for these. It's lemony, bright, and flavorful. And so incredibly easy to make. It brings together lemons, oregano, and some garlic and onion powder for a delicious marinade.

Once you make these lemony chicken thighs once, you'll make them again and again and again. My husband always says how perfect the flavor is on these.

What type of air fryer should I use?

It's up to you! We have the Cosori Max XL and love it. It's a great size for perfectly cooking 4 chicken thighs. However, if you're wanting a smaller air fryer, you may only be able to cook 2 chicken thighs at a time, depending on the size of the thighs. Check out our post for what to look for when shopping for an air fryer.

Do I need to preheat my air fryer?

For a lot of recipes, I don't think you need to preheat your air fryer. But in this recipe, I have found that preheating does help get the skin crisped to perfection. I preheat for 5 minutes at 380 degrees F.

What if my chicken thighs are bigger or smaller?

Chicken thighs come in all different sizes! That's why we 100% recommend getting a meat thermometer and checking frequently to make sure your chicken thighs are cooked through. We've found that cooking for 10 minutes on one side and 10 minutes on the other side work well for the size we typically use, however if you're using smaller or bigger chicken thighs, it may not work perfectly for you.

To test to see if your chicken thighs are properly cooked, get a meat thermometer, stick it into the thickest part of the thigh and make sure that temp reaches 175-180 degrees F. Easy, and you make sure your chicken thighs are properly cooked and safe to eat.

What type of chicken thighs to use:

For this recipe, I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. That crispy chicken skin is just perfection.

However, if you prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, you can do that too, but the cook time will be shorter. It will usually be more in the 12-14 minute range total. However, you'll still want to use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.

Step by Step Instructions:

First, take your marinade ingredients and combine them in a bowl. The oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, juice of two lemons, and olive oil. Stir together until combined.

Next, take your chicken thighs and place in a large bowl or bag.

Add the marinade, and rub into both sides of the chicken.

If placing in a bag, close the bag. If in a bowl, place saran wrap or cling wrap over the top of the bowl and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours to marinade.

After chicken is marinated, preheat the air fryer at 380 degrees F for 5 minutes. Then add your chicken thighs in a single layer, skin down, and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, flip, and cook for an additional 8-12 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken thighs.

Remove from the air fryer, let rest for 5 minutes, and then serve and enjoy!

Cooking tips:

• I highly recommend using a meat thermometer when cooking any kind of meat, especially in the air fryer, to make sure it's cooked properly and heated to the proper temperature. Meat comes in a lot of sizes, and cooking times will depend on the size and thickness.
• It's best to marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to let the chicken really absorb the flavor of the marinade.
• This recipe can serve 2-4. It can serve 2 if you give each person 2 chicken thighs or 4 if you serve each person 1 chicken thigh.
• I love serving this chicken with a healthy vegetable like zucchini. This air fryer zucchini is one of my favorites! It also pairs beautifully with a Greek salad or Caesar salad.