Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes

This recipe for air fryer chicken thighs and potatoes cooked together in the air fryer is simple to prepare, kid-friendly, and means you can have dinner on the table in no time!

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you are after an easy weeknight meal, this recipe for air fryer chicken thighs and potatoes is the perfect solution! The chicken thighs are juicy and tender, while the potatoes are crispy and delicious. This meal is very quick and easy to prepare and only takes a few minutes in the air fryer.

The real beauty of this recipe is that the chicken thighs and potatoes are cooked together in the air fryer, reducing the hassle, and means you have fewer pans to clean up!

For some other one-pan air fryer recipes, try air fryer chicken breast and potatoes, or air fryer pork chops and potatoes.

Scroll down for the printable card for this air fryer chicken thighs and potatoes recipe, or read on for all the details.

What do you need?

Ingredients and substitutions

Chicken thighs

I use fresh boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can use skin-on in this recipe, but if you are using bone-in then you will need to adjust the cooking time. Add an extra 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the thighs), and be sure to check the final internal temperature to ensure they have reached at least 165°F/74°C in the center.

Potatoes

Choose a roasting variety. Most types of red potatoes, yellow or gold should give good results. Try russet, Maris Piper, Agria, or Sebago potatoes.

The recipe below uses regular potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes, but you can use baby potatoes and cut them in half or quarters so that they are around 1 inch wide.

Seasoning

This recipe uses fine ground sea salt to season the potatoes and a chicken seasoning mix. Either use your favorite pre-made spice blend, or you can make a simple homemade mix with:

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder or onion powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Please feel free to adapt the seasonings to your taste preferences.

Oil

The recipe below specifies light olive oil, but you can substitute any other cooking oil that you would normally use in your air fryer. Choose one with a high smoke point, like corn oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil.

Equipment

You will need an air fryer with a big enough capacity to hold 2 pounds (1kg) for the recipe below.

If you have a small air fryer, which doesn’t have a huge capacity, you have two options.

1. You can adjust the quantities to match your air fryer’s capacity, or
2. You can part-cook the potatoes for 15 minutes ahead of cooking the chicken thighs, remove and cover them while the chicken cooks. Then return them to finish cooking for ten minutes once the chicken is resting.

How to cook chicken thighs and potatoes in an air fryer (at the same time!)

This is a very simple recipe, but there are a few steps that it is important to get right (and do in the right order) so that this recipe comes out perfect every time.

1. First, prepare the potatoes. Once you have peeled and diced the potatoes, place them in a large bowl filled with cool water to soak. This helps to remove the surface starch from the potatoes, which helps to get them crispier. Drain the potatoes, pat them dry (getting them really dry at this stage helps to make them extra crispy), then toss with a drizzle of oil and sea salt.
2. Prepare the chicken thighs. Simply pat the chicken thighs dry, then toss in a bowl with another drizzle of oil and the seasoning.
3. Air fry chicken thighs and potatoes together for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken thighs over halfway through the cooking time to ensure they cook evenly. Check the internal temperature of the chicken thighs in a few places to ensure they have reached 165°F/ 74°C all the way through. Remove chicken thighs to a plate and cover with kitchen foil to rest for ten minutes.
4. Finish cooking the potatoes. Shake the potatoes in the air fryer basket to redistribute them. This ensures that they cook evenly. Then air fry the potatoes on their own for a final ten minutes while the chicken thighs rest.

Serving ideas

I normally serve chicken thighs and potatoes with a side salad and a tasty dressing or sauce like sweet chili mayo, ranch dressing, or bbq sauce.

For some other easy and healthy side dish options, try:

• Instant Pot Steamed Carrots
• Microwave Fresh Green Beans
• Microwave Steamed Carrots

Storage and reheating

Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.

To reheat, place the chicken thighs and potatoes in the air fryer, and set to cook at 360°F/180°C for ten minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 165°F/74°C.

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