Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Thighs that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The extraordinary ranch flavor paired with the crunchy chicken will have your family grabbing an extra piece or two!
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HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees
- Using a paper towel, pat the chicken dry
- Season both sides with dry ranch dressing
- Place onto air fryer rack
- Spray top of chicken thighs with non-stick cooking spray
- Cook 10 minutes, flip, then cook 10 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees
HOW TO USE YOUR NINJA FOODI AIR FRYER OVEN
- Press the POWER button to turn on your appliance
- Turn the START/PAUSE dial to select your desired cooking function
- Press the TIME/SLICE button to select your cooking time
- Press the TEMP/DARKNESS button to select temperature - use the dial to adjust to a different darkness level
- Press the START/PAUSE dial to start the cooking process - if you need to add more time, turn the dial. If you need to pause the air fryer, press the dial.
Start by preheating your air fryer to 400 degrees. Then, use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BREAST INSTEAD FOR RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS?
You sure can! I tend to cook with chicken thighs because they are more tender, cost-effective and super kid-friendly. However, if you have chicken breast in the fridge or freezer then feel free to ingredient swap.
CAN I USE SKINLESS, BONELESS CHICKEN THIGHS FOR RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS?
Absolutely! I go back and forth between bone-in skin-on and boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you are looking for more of a good old-fashioned piece of fried chicken, I highly recommend buying bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. Skinless, boneless chicken thighs will not be crispy.
Season both sides of the chicken thighs with a dry ranch dressing.
I personally love a Homemade Dry Ranch Dressing for this recipe. By the time you are done making your fried chicken, you will not even need a dipping sauce. The flavor is just that good!
Have a kid that loves cooking? Let him/her make the ranch seasoning while you prep the chicken. My daughter usually claims the job of mixing together the dry ranch dressing at my house.
PRO TIP: Looking to make a cheesy ranch chicken? Add nutritional yeast to your dry ranch dressing mixture!
Place the chicken thighs onto the air fryer rack.
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY CHICKEN IN AN AIR FRYER
- PREHEAT YOUR AIR FRYER: This allows for even cooking and ensures crispy chicken. If your air fryer does not have a preheat setting then let it run for 5 minutes before adding your chicken.
- SPRAY WITH OIL: Spray the top of chicken thighs with a non-stick cooking spray. I prefer cooking spray because it is easy. You could take the extra step of brushing melted butter, canola oil or olive oil on the top of each chicken thigh before placing it in the oven.
- DRY THE CHICKEN: Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. By removing the extra moisture prior to air frying, you will end up with a crispier piece of chicken. Make sure to do this step before you add your seasoning!
- FLIP HALFWAY: Flip halfway through cooking. This allows both sides of the chicken to become crispy.
- SEASON WITH SALT: Make sure to choose a dry ranch dressing with salt as an ingredient. The salt helps to pull out any extra moisture from the chicken that is then evaporated with the air fryer technology.
- LAY CHICKEN IN A SINGLE LAYER: Make sure you do not overcrowd your air fryer basket by stacking the chicken thighs. This will cause uneven cooking and crispiness.
HOW LONG TO FRY CHICKEN THIGHS
An air fryer is built to cook at high temperatures by circulating hot air around the food with a fan. This allows you to end up with food that is fried on the outside and juicy on the inside. No more dodging hot oil popping from your stovetop as you fry your favorite foods. My favorite part is the clean up because there is no need to dispose of a large pot of oil!
PRO TIP: The crumb tray and wire rack tray are hand wash only. The sheet pan and air fryer basket are dishwasher safe.
If using the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Oven, or similar air fryer, cook for 10 minutes, flip, then cook 10 more minutes.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN AIR FRYER RANCH CHICKEN THIGHS ARE COOKED
The internal temperature will reach 165 degrees and that is when you know your chicken is done cooking. I highly recommend investing in a meat thermometer. It will come in handy - trust me!
If using the Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Oven, or similar air fryer, make sure to place the baking pan on the rack under the air fryer pan as the chicken will drip and the pan will catch the juices rather than having to clean them from the bottom of the air fryer.
Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Thighs are great for weeknight dinners, potlucks or parties. This recipe can feed your family or be doubled/tripled to feed a crowd. Serve your ranch chicken thighs with Hasselback Potatoes with Cheese, Red Potatoes or Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes for a complete meal.
If you enjoyed this chicken thigh recipe, make sure to add chicken thigh recipes to your weekly menu!
CHICKEN THIGH RECIPES
- Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Thighs
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
- Greek Chicken Thighs
More Air Fryer Recipes:
If you enjoyed the recipe make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below! Then follow me on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. I love seeing what you come up with!
Ingredients
- 6 Bone-In Skin on Chicken Thighs
- 1 Packet Dry Ranch Dressing Mix
- Non-Stick Cooking Spray such as avocado oil spray
- paper toweling
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees
- Using paper towel, pat the chicken dry
- Season both sides with dry ranch dressing
- Place onto airfryer rack
- Spray top of chicken thighs with non-stick cooking spray
- Cook 10 minutes, flip, then cook 10 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees
Marybeth says
The ranch was awesome, going to try Italian dressing next.