Chicken thighs have more fat than breast meat, which makes them far more forgiving in an air fryer — a minute or two over doesn't dry them out the way it would a breast, because that extra fat continues to baste the meat from the inside as it renders.
Timing
Bone-in, skin-on thighs: 190°C for 22–25 minutes, skin-side up, no need to flip. Boneless thighs: 190°C for 14–16 minutes, flipping once. Bone-in cuts always take longer than boneless at the same weight, since the bone slows heat transfer to the meat around it.
The Target Temperature
Thighs should reach 74°C at the thickest point near the bone, the same UK food safety threshold as chicken breast. Because thigh meat has more connective tissue, it actually benefits from going a little past this — 80–85°C gives a more tender result as the collagen breaks down further, unlike breast meat, which just dries out past its safe minimum.
Getting Crispy Skin
Pat the skin completely dry before seasoning — any surface moisture steams instead of crisps in the first few minutes of cooking, which is the single biggest reason thigh skin comes out rubbery rather than crackling. No oil is strictly necessary on the skin itself, since the fat under it renders and self-bastes as it cooks; a light rub simply speeds up the initial browning.
Bone-In vs Boneless
Bone-in, skin-on thighs give the best texture and flavour in an air fryer specifically because the skin has direct contact with the circulating hot air on all sides, unlike in an oven where a tray's underside stays comparatively cooler. Boneless thighs cook faster and are easier to portion for meal prep, but without skin they lose some of what makes the air fryer method so good for this cut.
Common Mistakes
Skipping the dry-pat step is the most common mistake, followed by overcrowding the basket — thighs are a relatively large, irregular shape, and packing several in tightly blocks the airflow around the skin that's doing most of the work in getting it crispy.