Air Fryers are the latest new gadget we love- and they aren’t going away any time soon. Make year round BBQ chicken in yours with this easy recipe! A quick simple marinade with store-bought BBQ sauce, honey and lime smothered chicken thighs make this a chicken recipe you will use over and over. Plus- it’s none to done in only 15 minutes of cook time!
Ingredients need for Air Fryer BBQ Chicken
- Chicken Thighs: I like using chicken thighs best for their flavor- the dark meat and BBQ combination caramelize well in the air fryer. You can use chicken breasts, but you will also need to increase the cook time as they are thicker and take longer to reach 165 degrees farenheit internally.
- BBQ Sauce: I like to use Sweet Baby Rays, but any kind you prefer will work.
- Honey: This sweetens it up and helps even further caramelize the sauce on the chicken.
- Lime Juice/Zest: This adds some zest to the sweetness of the sauce. Don’t skip it!
To start, we will mix our marinade. BBQ sauce, honey and lime juice/zest. I let mine marinate for about 3 hours, but the beauty of this is that you can marinate it for however long or as little as you like. I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of marinating time, and a maximum of 24 hours. Set aside about 1/4 cup of this mixture to baste the chicken with.
Combine the BBQ sauce mixture and chicken thighs in a bowl, ensuring the chicken is completely covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator, and allow to marinate until ready to cook.
How to Cook Chicken Thighs in an Air Fryer
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Once it is fully heated, use nonstick spray to coat the basket. Then, place chicken directly onto basket. Allow to cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature- it should be close to 150 degrees by this point (not fully cooked, but almost there!).
- Next, using a basting brush and the reserved BBQ mixture, baste the chicken, and put it back in the air fryer for an additional 5 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees internally.
The result is perfectly caramelized chicken with a little bit of char on it…Perfection!
If you are looking for other air fryer recipes, we recommend:
Need some side dish ideas to go with your BBQ chicken? Try these!
Cheers to delicious Summer recipes! – Kathi and Rachel
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Pin RecipeA delicious and simple recipe for sticky sweet BBQ chicken, made right in your air fryer!
- 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or, 2 per person)
- 3/4 cup BBQ Sauce (we like Sweet Baby Rays)
- 1/4 cup honey
- juice and zest of 2 small limes
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Combine BBQ sauce, honey and lime juice/zest in a medium sized bowl. Reserve about 1/4 cup to baste with and set aside.
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Add chicken thighs to bowl with marinade and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes to 24 hours.
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Preheat Air Fryer to 400 degrees farenheit.
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Spray air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Place mainated chicken directly into air fryer basket. Air fry for 10 minutes, the baste chicken with reserved sauce,and air fry another 5 minutes, or until chicken is 165 degrees interally at its thickest point.
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