Frozen Chicken Thighs in Air Fryer

Frozen chicken thighs in air fryer with barbecue sauce are killer! Tender meat with crispy skins and tons of flavor. Cooking frozen chicken thighs to tender can create a healthy delicious dinner right out of the freezer.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Frozen

These were rock solid. Water was run over them so that they weren’t in one solid block. You really need them broken apart, but not thawed. It also helps to poke the top with a fork like you see here.

1. Frozen chicken thighs that aren’t defrosted
   1. bone in skin on chicken thighs are best if you ask me
   2. if they are fresh I’ll share a link to timing for those below
2. My favorite bbq sauce is great on top to give it tons of flavor and get crispy chicken skin

You could alternatively just brush the top with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top at the end. Then add a few more minutes once the insides are at the correct internal temperature and serve.

Frozen Bone In Chicken Thighs in Air Fryer

You’ll want to put them in with the skin side facing up so it can become the best consistency. If you need to run them under water to break them apart, just pat dry with paper towels before laying them inside.

1. Place bone in skin on frozen chicken in air fryer basket with the skin side facing up. If they are stuck together run water over the top so they separate.
2. Poke top with a fork once.
3. Set to 350 F for 20 minutes cooking time (timing will depend on size, these were on the smaller size, very large may take up to 30 minutes)
4. Check internal temp. to insure they are 165 F in the thickest part.
5. If you want to add bbq sauce brush this on and cook an additional 2 minutes or until browned as much as you desire.

See how yummy these look??!! OH MY the flavor was great. I chose a bit of a spicy and sweet sauce. You can add more before serving too.

Can you cook frozen chicken thighs from frozen?

Yes, I hope we answered that question for you today! You can also cook Instant Pot frozen chicken thighs if you want to. OR you can pressure cook them and then crisp the skin in your Foodi at the end with some sauce.

Either way you make them they’re low in saturated fat and calories especially if you take the skin off. I don’t always eat that part, well maybe a bite if they are super crunchy.

Let me tell you that air frying chicken thighs is a game changer. It gives them the perfect texture all the way around.

Frozen BBQ Chicken Thighs Air Fryer

What if yours are defrosted? You can make air fryer chicken thighs that are not icy too if you remember to take them out, no problemo!! I kid you not if you made a batch of each with the same bbq on top you may be surprised.

Do it some night with your family. See if they can tell the difference between the two and then you’ll know you won’t have to worry in the future. If you use boneless you could take a few minutes off for the most part.

Skinless isn’t really recommended though, I’ll tell you why. You want it (even if you don’t eat it) to keep the meat nice and moist when it is cooking. That added layer on the top will drip a bit over the protein and make it absolutely perfect. Believe me, I have tried it both ways.

And that is really it, super easy overall and doesn’t take much time from start to finish. A great way to save dinner when you forgot to defrost your meat the night before. Other chicken thigh recipes are on the way here too my friends, I have made a lot of them over the past few years….

• Traeger smoked chicken thighs are killer. Use apple chips or pellets for added flavor, great for summertime grilling with the fam bam.
• I use any leftovers I have to make crack chicken pasta, usually the night after. I hate to waste food so….
• If they aren’t frozen you can dice them up and turn them into air fryer teriyaki chicken served over white rice.