Air fryer smoked paprika chicken thighs

Name: Air fryer smoked paprika chicken thighs
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp garlic granules; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp ground black pepper; 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Chicken thighs with shatteringly crisp skin and juicy meat, ready in about half an hour with no oven.

Time35 mins
LevelEasy
Costabout £1.26 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

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8chicken thighsbone in, skin on
2 tbspolive oil
2 tspsmoked paprika
1 tspgarlic granules
1 tspdried oregano
1 tspsalt
½ tspground black pepper
1lemoncut into wedges

Method

1
Pat the chicken thighs very dry with kitchen paper. Dry skin is what makes it crisp.
2
Mix the oil, paprika, garlic granules, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and rub the mix all over, under the skin as well.
3
Heat the air fryer to 200C for 3 minutes. Lay the thighs skin side down in the basket in one layer, in two batches if needed.
4
Cook for 12 minutes. Turn them skin side up and cook for another 10 to 12 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and crisp.
23 min
5
Check the thickest part has no pink and the juices run clear, or reach 75C on a probe. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with lemon wedges.
5 min

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.