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Home » AIR FRYER RECIPES

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs

May 27, 2022 · Modified: Apr 15, 2023 by Foodies Terminal Leave a Comment 1655 words. [feast_sponsored_disclosure before=“”]

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Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs made with our homemade salt free Cajun seasoning turns out so juicy & delicious with an amazing crispy skin. You don't need to thaw the bone-in skin-on frozen chicken thighs for this air fryer recipe.

Check out our Air Fryer Recipes collection & Instant Pot Recipes for new recipes from time to time!

air fryer frozen chicken thighs garnished with fresh chopped parsley
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs

Frozen Chicken Thighs in Air Fryer

Frozen chicken thighs air fryer recipe is effortless, no thawing or defrosting required and you'll get the crispiest skin ever. You can simply make a batch with your favorite seasoning.

I used my homemade salt free Cajun seasoning. It's a blend of fresh spices, you can make a small batch and it stores very well.

For cooking frozen chicken thighs in air fryer all you have to do is freeze the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs individually on a baking sheet and than store them in a large zip lock bag in the freezer. This way you can avoid a large clump of frozen chicken.

You can also directly season the individual frozen chicken thighs and than air fry them. This will save you a huge amount of time and effort.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Find the Ingredients with actual measurements at the bottom of the post. The list below is just a reference.

  • Frozen chicken thighs: I used bone-in skin-on frozen chicken thighs. You must freeze the chicken thighs individually in a baking sheet. This recipe won't work well if the chicken thighs are stuck with each other in a large clump.
  • Seasoning: Homemade salt-free Cajun seasoning is what I used. It's a blend of readily available pantry staple spices and herbs. It stores well and tastes so much better than the store bought seasoning. You can sub the Cajun seasoning with any seasoning of your choice. I make this same recipe often with a blend of just Italian seasoning & sweet paprika or sometimes just oregano, red pepper flakes & sweet paprika combo.
  • Salt: Add according to your own personal taste preference.
  • Olive Oil: Use either extra light or light olive oil. You can also use avocado oil, it's a wonderful choice for high heat cooking.
frozen chicken thighs in air fryer basket
Frozen chicken thighs in air fryer

Top Tips

  • Frozen chicken thighs idea: Do freeze the bone-in skin-on chicken thighs individually on a baking sheet. Than, store the frozen chicken thighs in a zip lock bag in the freezer. Individually frozen chicken thighs are a must in this recipe. You'll save so much time and the recipe would turn out fantastic.

How to cook frozen chicken thighs in air fryer?

Find the detailed step by step recipe along with measurements + Video at the bottom of the post.

Step #1 Season Chicken Thighs

seasoned frozen chicken thighs
Season frozen chicken thighs
  • Season frozen chicken thighs: Drizzle lemon juice on both sides of the individually frozen bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and rub well to coat the thighs well. Now, coat the thighs with cooking oil spray. Than, sprinkle a generous amount of the homemade salt free Cajun seasoning on each side and rub well to coat the thighs very well with seasoning.

Step #2 Air Fry

air frying chicken thighs
Air Fry
  • Air Fry: Air fry the seasoned frozen chicken thighs in a pre-heated (360 F) air fryer for 25-30 mins. Flip the thighs half way through. Once, done check the internal temperature of the cooked chicken thighs with a meat thermometer, the temp. should reach 165 F/74 C. If the chicken thighs are slightly on the bigger side you might have to cook them a bit longer.
  • Crisp up skin: For extra crispy skin increase the air fryer temp. to 400 F and air fry the thighs skin side up for another 2-3 mins. Keep checking every min.
  • Serve: Garnish the cooked chicken thighs with chopped fresh parsley and lemon juice and serve hot. Enjoy!
frozen chicken thighs air fryer recipe served with a lemon slice and garnished with fresh chopped parsley
Best Air Fryer frozen chicken thighs

Serving Ideas

Serve the cooked frozen chicken thighs with the following seasoned rice or steamed veggies. You can also serve it with a bowl or creamy cheesy soup like this instant pot Panera broccoli cheddar soup, or this instant pot cheesy potato soup.

  • 15 minute instant pot Mexican Rice.
  • Chipotle Cilantro lime rice instant pot.
  • Instant pot steamed broccoli.
  • Instant pot steamed carrots.
  • Instant pot green beans no steamer basket.
  • Instant pot beets.

How to store

Fridge

You can store any leftover air fryer frozen chicken thighs for up tp 5 days in the fridge in air tight containers. Follow the reheating directions given below.

Freezer

Freeze any leftovers for up tp 2 months in the freezer. Freeze the cooked chicken thighs individually on a baking sheet first and than store them in a freezer safe heavy duty bag or container in the freezer. It's so much easier to thaw and reheat as many pieces as you want rather than thawing and reheating a huge clump of frozen chicken.

Reheating Directions

  • Microwave Oven: Reheat the cooked chicken thighs in the microwave oven until warm or hot.
  • Air Fryer: Reheat the chicken thighs in a 370 F pre-heated air fryer for 2-3 mins.

FAQs

How long do you cook frozen chicken thighs in air fryer?

Frozen chicken thighs needs to be cooked for 25-30 mins in air fryer. The cook time will depend on the size of the chicken thighs. For larger chicken thighs the cook time might slightly increase by few mins.

Can you cook chicken thighs from frozen?

Yes, you can cook chicken thighs from frozen either in the air fryer or in the oven.

How long do chicken thighs take in air fryer?

Fresh or thawed Chicken thighs take about 16-25 mins to cook at about 400 F depending on their size.

How do you cook frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs in air fryer?

You have to season the boneless skinless chicken thighs first and than air fry them at 390 F for 12-15 mins flipping sides half way through. The cook time might slightly vary depending on the size of the boneless skinless chicken thighs.

More Air Fryer Recipes you might like

  • Air Fryer Tilapia.
  • Air Fryer Brownies.
  • Air Fryer Sausage and Potatoes.

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I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! If you try this Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I would love to hear how it turned out for you, or any changes you make. You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe our free NEWLETTER for new recipes every week!

air fryer frozen chicken thighs garnished with chopped parsley & lemon slice on a white plate

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 259kcal
Author: Meghna

Watch Recipe Video

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs made with our homemade salt free Cajun seasoning turns out so juicy & delicious with an amazing crispy skin. You don’t need to thaw the bone-in skin-on frozen chicken thighs for this air fryer recipe.

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs (**frozen bone-in skin-on chicken thighs. Individually frozen. )
  • 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning (**use our homemade salt free cajun seasoning. It's amazing & stores well.)
  • 2 tbsp Lemon Juice (**freshly squeezed.)
  • Salt (to taste) (**add according to your own taste preference. If you are using store bought cajun seasoning skip the additional salt as store bought seasoning already contains salt.)
  • cooking oil spray (**we love avocado cooking oil spray. It's great for high heat cooking.)
Want more Recipe Videos?Check out our Youtube channel!

Equipment Used

air fryer

Instructions

Season Frozen chicken thighs

  • Place the individually frozen (no need to thaw) bone-in skin-on chicken thighs on a large plate. Drizzle lemon juice on both sides and rub well to coat the thighs well.
    bone-in skin-on frozen chicken thighs on a white plate skin side up
  • Now, sprinkle the homemade salt free cajun seasoning on one side rub well to coat well. Flip sides (skin side up) coat the thighs with cooking oil spray and sprinkle the homemade cajun seasoning, rub well with the help of your fingers to coat the frozen chicken thighs very well. Don't skim on the seasoning.
    seasoned frozen chicken thighs on a white plate

Air Fry

  • Spray the air fryer basket with cooking oil spray. Pre-heat the air fryer at 360 F/180 C. Once, the air fryer is pre-heated line the seasoned frozen chicken thighs in the basket in a single layer. Do not stack or over crowd. Air Fry at 360 F/160 C for 25-30 mins. Flip the chicken thighs half way through. The cook time might slightly vary depending on the size of the chicken thighs. I used smaller thighs. Once the cook time is over, check the doneness of the chicken thighs with an instant meat thermometer. The temp. should reach 165 F/74 C. If not air fry a little longer (3-5 mins).
    seasoned frozen chicken thighs in a single layer inside the air fryer basket

Crisp up the skin

  • If you love extra crispy skin just like us than do increase the temperature of the air fryer to 400 F and air fry the chicken thighs for 2-3 mins skin side up. Check every min for the crispness. Enjoy!
    air fryer frozen chicken thighs served with lemon slice and garnished with chopped parsley on a white plate

Notes

  1. Frozen Chicken Thighs: Freeze the chicken thighs individually. Lay the fresh chicken thighs on a parchment layered baking sheet, freeze them. Than pop the individually frozen chicken thighs in a large zip lock bag and store them in the air fryer. This is a must! A large clump of frozen chicken thighs won't work in this recipe!
  2. Homemade salt free Cajun seasoning: Do use our homemade salt free Cajun seasoning for extraordinary flavors. It'll take just 5 extra mins to whip up the Cajun seasoning with pantry staples spices and herbs. You probably already have everything in your pantry. Do not forget to add salt according to your own personal taste preference as our homemade Cajun seasoning doesn't contain salt.
  3. Store Bought Cajun Seasoning: If you are planning to use store bought Cajun seasoning than do skip the additional salt from todays recipe as the store bought seasoning already contains salt.
  4. Extra heat: If you love spicy food, add about ¼ teaspoon cayenne to the seasoning mix.
 
Calorific details are provided by a third party application & are to be used as indicative figures only. If you are on a restricted diet please do use your own preferred nutritional calculator.
 
Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs
Amount Per Serving
Calories 259 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 8g
Cholesterol 111mg37%
Sodium 89mg4%
Potassium 319mg9%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 1812IU36%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 18mg2%
Iron 2mg11%
* Read our privacy policy - Calorie information is provided as a courtesy only and should be leveraged as an estimate rather than a guarantee.Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 259kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1812IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 2mg
Course :Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine :American
Keyword :air fryer frozen chicken thighs, frozen chicken thighs in air fryer, how to cook frozen chicken thighs in air fryer
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