These Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are tender and juicy with a light and crisp coating and a homemade honey garlic sauce. There's no marinating required, so this recipe comes together in just 30 minutes! We love to serve it with rice and steamed broccoli but my air fryer sugar snap peas or air fryer roasted carrots work well too!
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Quick Look: Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- ⏱ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 👩🏻🍳 Air Frying Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Servings: 6 chicken thighs
- ⚡ Calories: 216 per chicken thigh
- 🔥 Flavor/texture: tender and juicy with a thin and crisp coating and thick honey garlic sauce.
- 👌 Difficulty: quick and easy dinner recipe.
- ❤️ Why you'll love: honey garlic flavor without any marinating; dinner is ready in 30 minutes; perfect for busy weeknights.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- No marinating: Some air fryer honey garlic chicken recipes require marinating. To save time, we're skipping that step. Instead, we're making a quick and easy sauce while the chicken thighs air fry. So, dinner is ready in 30 minutes!
- Honey garlic sauce: This homemade sauce perfectly balances sweet and savory ingredients. The flavor of honey and garlic really shine through with just a hint of molasses and soy sauce.
- Healthier cooking: While I sometimes cook boneless chicken thighs in a skillet on the stove top, I love that the air fryer uses less oil but you still get a crispy texture (similar to these crispy air fryer chicken cutlets).
- Crispy texture: Tossing the chicken in cornstarch and spices and then spritzing with oil, creates a thin and crisp coating that helps the sauce cling perfectly to every bite.
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Chicken thighs - You'll need 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe, or about 1.5 - 2 pounds, depending on the size of the thighs. I like to trim any excess fat before getting started.
- Cornstarch - This pantry staple works its magic to lightly crisp up the chicken and to thicken the sauce. A light coating on the chicken also helps seal in the juices, like it does with my air fryer pork medallions.
- Seasonings - The chicken is seasoned with a simple mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. I like to keep it simple so the seasoning doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the sauce.
- Sweeteners - To sweeten the honey garlic sauce, we're using a mix of honey, granulated sugar and a little fancy molasses. (Avoid blackstrap as it isn't very sweet).
- Garlic - Fresh minced garlic is the way to go here for the best flavor in the sauce.
How to make air fryer honey garlic chicken thighs
The sauce can be made while the chicken thighs are air frying, so it can all be ready in just 30 minutes!
Step 1: Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Mix together the cornstarch and seasonings and coat the chicken on all sides.
Step 2: Spray the chicken with oil and place in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until crisp and golden, flipping the pieces over after 7-8 minutes. The internal temperature should be at least 165F.
Step 3: Add the honey, soy sauce, water, molasses, vinegar, sugar and garlic to a small sauce pan. Stir together over medium heat until it starts to bubble.
Step 4: Whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry. When the honey mixture starts to bubble, whisk in the slurry and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
Step 5: Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and pour the warm sauce over the chicken. Serve with sliced green onions and/or chopped fresh parsley along with your favorite side dishes.
Storing leftovers and reheating
I think this saucy chicken is best served right away. If you have any leftovers, store covered in the fridge and enjoy within 2-3 days.
If you're planning ahead for leftovers, delay adding the sauce to the chicken until you're ready to serve.
To reheat, you can warm the sauce covered chicken in the microwave for 1 ½ - 2 minutes or heat it in the oven on 350F for 10-12 minutes.
If you've left the sauce off the chicken, you can reheat the chicken in the air fryer on 400F for 3-5 minutes and heat the sauce on the stove top or in the microwave.
Expert tips
- Pat chicken dry. Before you get started, patting the chicken dry with paper towels removes moisture from the surface and helps the chicken crisp up.
- Coat well with cornstarch. Make sure the chicken is evenly coated with the cornstarch and seasoning mixture. The cornstarch helps absorb moisture and contribute to a light and crisp texture. While I coated the chicken by using my hands, you can also add everything to a large resealable bag and shake until the chicken is coated all over.
- Use spray oil. Spraying both sides of the chicken with oil (after the cornstarch layer) will also help create a golden brown and crisp surface on the chicken.
- Don't overlap chicken. To ensure the chicken cooks evenly on all sides, it should be placed in the air fryer basket in a single layer with a little space around each piece.
- Sauce consistency. If you prefer a honey garlic sauce that's thinner, just add more water. If you prefer a thicker sauce, use more cornstarch slurry.
Air fryer honey garlic chicken thighs FAQs
The chicken isn't going to turn out as crispy as if you used a breading, but it should have a thin crisp layer. If the surface of the chicken still had moisture on it or didn't have enough cornstarch coating on it, this could prevent it from crisping. You also need to spray the chicken with oil before air frying. The other reason could be that the chicken wasn't cooked long enough. Even if the chicken has reached 165F, you can air fry it a little longer to crisp it up. Chicken thighs will not get tough and rubbery like chicken breast if they're overcooked a bit.
Adding a thin, crisp coating to the chicken before adding the sauce adds texture and helps the sauce cling to the chicken better.
Yes, but you'll need to increase the air frying time by about 8-10 minutes.
Yes, but you'll need to reduce the air frying time by a few minutes. You can also try my air fryer boneless chicken wings recipe. They're made with chicken breasts and air fried with a double coating of flour. The honey garlic sauce would cling to these perfectly!
This chicken goes well with so many side dishes, including my crispy air fryer baby potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts with prosciutto or my air fryer green beans recipe!
More air fryer chicken recipes
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs (No Marinating)
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 1 ½ - 2 pounds, excess fat trimmed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- ¼ cup (85 g) honey
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon fancy molasses
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup water, for cornstarch slurry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, for cornstarch slurry
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken on all sides.
- Spray both sides of the chicken thighs with oil and place in a single layer in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly crisp and golden, stopping after 7-8 minutes to flip the pieces over. The internal temperature should be at least 165F but it's okay if it goes to 175F.
- While the chicken air fries, add the honey, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons water, molasses, vinegar, sugar and garlic to a small sauce pan. Stir together over medium heat until it starts to bubble.
- Make a cornstarch slurry by whisking together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and ¼ cup of water. Whisk into the honey mixture and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the air fried chicken to a serving dish and pour the warm sauce over the chicken. Serve with sliced green onions and/or chopped fresh parsley along with your favorite side dishes.
Notes
- Make sure the chicken is evenly coated with the cornstarch and seasoning mixture. The cornstarch helps absorb moisture and contribute to a crispy texture. While I coated the chicken by using my hands, you can also add everything to a large resealable bag and shake until the chicken is coated all over.
- To ensure the chicken cooks evenly on all sides, it should be placed in the air fryer basket in a single layer with a little space around each piece. I used a 5.8 quart air fryer, which fit 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs. If you have a smaller air fryer, you will need to air fry in batches or half the recipe.
- If you prefer a honey garlic sauce that's thinner, just add more water. If you prefer a thicker sauce, use more cornstarch slurry.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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