30-60 min6 servingsair fry

Honey and Spice Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Icon of two silouettes of people

6 Servings

Icon of clock

30-60 min

Icon of metric scale

Easy

Honey and Spice Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Red background with darker red circles

Recipe Details

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Total Time: 30-60 min

Cooking Technique: Air Fry, Instant Omni Toaster Oven and Air Fryer

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, minced
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp table salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of any blobs of fat
Because there’s no bread coating on these chicken thighs, you don’t have to be quite as meticulous about taking off the chicken fat as you do with the Crunchy Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (page 106). That said, healthy is healthy, so you still should remove any large pieces of fat. Also, because these thighs are not coated, they don’t need as much air space around them. You can squeeze them into a single layer because they will shrink and pull in a bit as they cook. For the recipe for the roasted butternut squash on the plate with the chicken thighs, see page 207. Photograph © Eric Medsker Author © Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Stir the lemon juice, oregano, honey, oil, salt, and garlic powder in a large bowl. Add the thighs and toss well until they are evenly and thoroughly coated.
  2. Set the machine to Air Fry. Set the temperature to 400°F and the time to 20 Minutes (which will be a little more than you need). Press Start.
  3. When the machine beeps, indicates Add Food, or is heated to the proper temperature, set the thighs in one compact layer in the basket or on the tray. They can touch: Squeeze them in but don’t let them overlap. Use separate trays or work in batches as necessary.
  4. Air-fry, turning once after 7 Minutes but otherwise ignoring any Turn Food indicator, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 Minutes. If you’ve used multiple trays, swap them top to bottom when you turn the thighs.
  5. Turn off the machine and use nonstick-safe kitchen tongs to transfer the thighs to a serving platter or plates. Cool for a couple of minutes before serving hot.
  6. Swap out the lemon juice for lime juice, unseasoned rice vinegar, red or white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
  7. And/or swap out the olive oil for sesame oil, almond oil, walnut oil, avocado oil, melted bacon fat, or melted butter.
  8. And/or swap out the oregano for rosemary or thyme.
  9. And/or swap out the garlic powder for onion powder, ground sage, a curry blend of any sort, a jerk blend, a barbecue dried spice blend, or smoked paprika.
  10. And/or swap out the honey for Dijon mustard or a Thai curry paste.

Notes

Leftover: Seal any cooled leftovers on a plate under plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Heat them straight from the fridge in a single layer (unplated and unwrapped, of course) in a 325°F air fryer for about 3 minutes.

About the chef

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough

In this duo, Bruce Weinstein is the chef and Mark Scarbrough, the writer. Together, they’ve published over 35 cookbooks, hit international best-seller lists, won national and international awards, and have been interviewed by the best, from Lester Holt to Barbara Walters. Weinstein also writes knitting books, designs patterns, and teaches knitting workshops. Besides writing their cookbooks, Scarbrough also teaches literature classes; has a podcast called Walking With Dante, where he takes you on journey from hell to paradise; and has written a memoir, BOOKMARKED: HOW THE GREAT WORKS OF WESTERN LITERATURE F*CKED UP MY LIFE.

View All Bruce's Recipes

GET COOKIN’ WITH US