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

Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Thighs

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.
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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
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 259kcal
Author: Meghna
Cost: $4

Equipment

  • air fryer

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.

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

Video

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