Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes

Last Updated on September 18, 2023 by Harry & Johan. This post may contain affliate links, see privacy policy

Make air fryer chicken thighs and potatoes for a quick lunch or dinner ready in 35 minutes!

These air fryer chicken thighs and potatoes are delicious, crispy and the perfect quick lunch or dinner! Seasoned with herbs, spices, and some parmesan cheese these chicken thighs and potatoes are cooked to perfection in your air fryer.

I love making lunches and dinners in my air fryer because:

• They make entire meals quicker and more hands-off to prepare.
• They use less oil.
• Less washing up is also a bonus!

This recipe is pretty hands-off once you get everything in the air fryer and is ready in just 35 minutes. If you want to just make potatoes in the air fryer, check out my recipe for Air Fryer Greek Potatoes - the perfect side dish!

If you need another super quick and easy recipe, give my 15-minute Instant Pot Mac and Cheese a try! It's so creamy and cheesy. If you have any chicken leftover from this recipe you have to try my Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos!

Jump to:

• 🥬 Ingredients
• 📖 Instructions
• ⏰ How long to cook chicken thighs in air fryer?
• 🍶 Substitutions
• 🥘 Variations
• ⏲ Equipment
• 🥣 Storage
• ❗️ Top tip
• Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
• 🍳 Related Recipes

🥬 Ingredients

You'll need a handful of ingredients to make this tasty lunch or dinner. You might even have some of them on hand already! I love making recipes that use pantry staples like this, then I can make them whenever I like.

You can also easily substitute a couple of these ingredients to suit what you have on hand.

To make air fryer chicken thighs and potatoes, you'll need:

• Chicken thighs
• Olive oil
• Seasonings: I used paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and sugar
• Baby potatoes or Russet potatoes
• Parmesan cheese

See the recipe card for precise quantities and instructions.

📖 Instructions

You'll only need 5 minutes to prep this recipe. For the rest of the 20 - 30 minutes, it's cooking in the air fryer. It's a perfect hands-off lunch or dinner that's ready fast to make!

Step 1: Cut the baby potatoes in half or, if using larger potatoes, cut them into 1-inch thick pieces. Place in a mixing bowl and add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the herbs and spices seasoning. Add parmesan cheese if using. Mix well to coat the potatoes.

Step 2: Place potatoes in preheated air fryer basket and air fry for 10 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C).

Step 3: In a small bowl, mix together all the herbs and spices. They are paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and sugar. You can also use your own mix of herbs and spices.

Step 4: While the potatoes are cooking, coat the chicken thighs with olive oil and the dry spice rub. Coat the chicken all over.

Hint: if you find the dry spice rub isn't sticking to the chicken well enough, you can lightly spray it with an oil or water spray. This gets the herbs and spices to stick to the chicken skin better. I used canola oil in an oil sprayer but you can also use a water spray bottle.

Step 5: Once the potatoes have cooked for 10 minutes, place the chicken thighs into the air fryer, skin side down. You can move the potatoes to the sides of the air fryer and place the thighs in the middle. Or you can use a metal stand or trivet to place the chicken in the air fryer.

Step 6: Air fry for 15 minutes and then flip the chicken thighs. Air fry for 5 - 10 minutes until the chicken thighs register 175 °F inside and are cooked through perfectly.

⏰ How long to cook chicken thighs in air fryer?

I cooked these chicken thighs for a total of 20 - 25 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C) until they registered 175 °F using a meat thermometer. Flipping the chicken halfway through ensures even cooking (and crispy skin!).

If you are going to cook the chicken thighs without the potatoes, air fry them for only 18 - 20 minutes at 400 °F (200 °C) until cooked through.

🍶 Substitutions

Here are some suggestions for substitutions based on what you have in your pantry:

• Different potatoes to use - you can use any potato that you have on hand for this recipe and they will work well. Just cut them to the same size (about 1 inch thick) for the best results
• Chicken thighs or chicken legs - you can use chicken legs, chicken breasts, and chicken wings for this recipe. They need to cook less in the air fryer, but if they reach 175 °F on a meat thermometer, they are perfectly cooked!
• Herbs and spices - I have also tried using Italian herbs to season the potatoes instead of the other chicken seasoning mix. You can use your imagination and try any combination of herbs and spices you want. The potatoes and chicken are versatile and will work well with a wide variety of flavors.
• Low-Sodium - to make this recipe low sodium, reduce or omit the salt entirely. You might use more of the other seasonings to keep the flavor but the recipe will still come out delicious!

🥘 Variations

Chicken and potatoes are versatile ingredients that can be seasoned and prepared in many different ways! If you want to make this recipe your own or spice it up after making it a few times, here are some variation ideas!

• Make it spicy - add red chili pepper flakes, chili powder, or cayenne pepper for spiciness. Add it to the seasoning mix for the chicken and/or the potatoes to achieve your desired level of spiciness!
• Use different vegetables - sweet potato, red potatoes, butternut and pumpkin are all great hard starches. They all can cook quickly in the air fryer with the chicken thighs.
• Try other cuts of chicken - chicken legs and chicken breasts also work well for this recipe. Cook chicken legs for a few minutes less than the thighs. Chicken breasts should be cooked for a total of 20 minutes at 380 °F - 400 °F (180 °C - 200 °C).

This recipe is really versatile and forgiving so make it a few times, switching it up every time and give some variations a try!

⏲ Equipment

This recipe has been developed and tested using a Cosori Max XL Large Cooker. It has a capacity of 5.8 quarts.

I love making quick lunch and dinner recipes in the air fryer - it uses so little oil and all the food comes out crispy and delicious every time! Cleaning up is a breeze, and I can stick it in the dishwasher!

If your air fryer is out of commission or to make this recipe in the oven, follow these steps: 

• Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C) and grease a large baking dish or baking sheet.
• Place the seasoned chicken and potatoes on the greased dish and bake for a total of 40 - 45 minutes. Flip the thighs halfway through.
• The thighs should register an internal temperature of 175 °F (80 °C).
• If the potatoes need to be cooked a bit longer, remove the chicken and cover with foil. Then broil the potatoes for a couple of minutes longer.

🥣 Storage

Store any leftover chicken thighs and potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the leftovers to fully cool before storing them in the refrigerator.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Use leftover chicken in my Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos recipe or make chicken mayo sandwiches. These leftover chicken thighs are perfect for them!

❗️ Top tip

Cook the chicken thighs skin side down for the first bit of the cooking to get a nice crispy skin on the thighs. The sugar and spices create a crunchy layer on the skin and then once you flip the thighs over, they crisp up even further with the air fryer.

Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and a comment below and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram!

This recipe was tested with these air fryers:

🍳 Related Recipes

• Air Fryer Chicken Drumsticks (30 Minute Recipe!)
• 15 Minute Instant Pot Creamy Pasta
• Easy Vegetarian Spicy Shakshuka
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Skin