Welcome to AirFryDay, you guessed it, every Friday Mashable brings you the latest trends, tips and reviews of your air fryer recipes.
At AirFryDay, we often test popular TikTok recipes. Your taco pizza and cookie donuts if you like. They’re usually delicious, sure, but fresher than anything you’ve cooked—something you’ve cooked in your dorm room or for a group of begging kids.
But air fryers aren’t just for college hacks and snacks. They are actually compact electric convection ovens that are easy to clean. This is an ideal option for a hearty and tasty dinner on a weekday. I have one staple that you absolutely must cook in the air fryer: chicken thighs.
I have created a recipe for you below, but this is a meal that you can modify to your liking. You don’t need to marinate the chicken. Or you can use a different marinade. Maybe your grocery store only has leather on the thighs. It’s OK. Or maybe he just has boneless thighs. It’s cool too. Just put them in the air fryer.
Optional, marinade: about 1/2 cup soy sauce, 3 cloves minced garlic, about 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 small can minced pineapple, sip sriracha.
If you are marinating, place the chicken in the marinade as soon as possible the day before cooking. I mixed all the ingredients for the marinade and soaked the chicken thighs in this mixture the night before cooking. One way or another, this marinade is not the only way. Here is what I had on hand that day. I usually try to combine salt (in this case soy sauce), acidity (balsamic), sweetness (pineapple), and spiciness (garlic and sriracha). Play and use what you like.
Before cooking chicken thighs, remove them from the marinade and pat dry. Let them sit at room temperature for a while.
Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you like. I usually add salt in moderation, but if your marinade is too salty, be careful not to overdo it. The chicken will absorb the flavor and saltiness of the marinade. For reference, I halved the normal amount of salt as my marinade had a lot of soy sauce in it.
After preheating, spray the air fryer basket with non-stick spray and fry the chicken for about 20 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of your thighs and whether they are on the bone. After the chicken is cooked, the juice should be clear. The best way to measure cooking time is to use an internal thermometer to take a reading of at least 165 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh.
Again, this is a recipe that needs exposure. have it! In fact, I often use boneless thighs marinated in a mixture of Greek yogurt instead of soy sauce. This recipe doesn’t work for me either.
It is important to use an air fryer for cooking chicken thighs. It works well for several reasons. First: I love grilled marinated chicken thighs. The sugar in the marinade will burn off and the dark meat on the thighs will stay juicy in the heat. Deep fryers approach this result by rotating hot air. No charcoal or propane required. Secondly, fryers are easy to clean and use. The marinade is washed off directly from the non-stick grids and baskets. On the other hand, pans often turn into a sticky mess. By pressing a few buttons, you can prepare a great dinner.
See the blackened part of the chicken? This is the fried texture you are looking for. The meat also retains a juicy, tender inside, as chicken thighs are probably the most gentle cooking method in the world. The marinade has time to penetrate and flavor each bite, which means you get the salty, spicy, and sweet taste all over the thigh, not just the seasoned surface.
In a nutshell: this is the perfect weekend main dish. It tasted like a lot of work, but it took about 20 minutes in total. Deep fryers aren’t just a TikTok hack, and this recipe proves it.
Post time: Oct-02-2022