Air Fryer Panko Chicken Thighs are tender and juicy with an irresistible crunchy coating -- and a great way to enjoy crispy fried chicken without all the oil. Easy 30-minute weeknight dinner the whole family will love.
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Crispy, golden brown fried chicken without the mess and almost none of the oil? Yes, please!
These crispy air fryer chicken thighs are breaded in a mixture of panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and simple seasonings, and air fried to juicy perfection in under 30 minutes.
And they're super easy to make!
No need to mess with a breading station with flour and eggs. A thin layer of zesty mayonnaise coats the chicken and keeps the panko bread crumbs from falling off the chicken.
We love cooking with chicken thighs because they're so flavorful and juicy and much harder to overcook than boneless skinless chicken breasts.
You can make this easy air fryer chicken recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken thighs -- with or without skin.
For more recipes for air fryer boneless skinless chicken thighs, check out Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs and Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
Easy weeknight dinner you can make in about 30 minutes
Flavorful juicy chicken thighs with a crunchy, crispy coating
Easy recipe for crispy chicken thighs without deep frying in oil
Ingredients
Chicken thighs. You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken thighs, with or without skin. Bone-in takes a bit longer than boneless -- see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for cooking instructions for both.
Panko bread crumbs. Panko breadcrumbs are Japanese-style breadcrumbs that are lighter and crunchier than regular breadcrumbs. They create a crispy breading on chicken, fish, and pork chops and a crunchy topping for macaroni and cheese and crab artichoke dip.
Mayonnaise. A layer of mayonnaise coats the chicken and helps the panko breading stick to the chicken.
Seasonings. A blend of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning add flavor to the panko breadcrumbs. Feel free to adjust the seasonings and quantities to your personal preferences.
Parmesan cheese. Just a little freshly grated parmesan cheese adds flavor and a bit of saltiness.
Variations
Season the panko breading mixture with your favorite seasonings!
- Cajun seasoning
- Chicken taco seasoning
- Lemon pepper
- Cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
- Lawry's seasoned salt
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Montreal seasoning
How to Make Panko Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer: Step-by-Step
1. Prep the air fryer.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray the air fryer basket with pure avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray.
2. Prep the chicken thighs.
Pat the chicken dry and generously season both sides with salt and black pepper.
3. Coat with mayonnaise mixture.
Stir mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat the chicken.
4. Bread with panko breadcrumbs.
Combine the panko, Parmesan cheese, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl or pie plate.
Press each chicken piece into the panko mixture, thoroughly coating all sides of the chicken.
5. Air fry chicken thighs.
Arrange the chicken thighs top-side down in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray with a light coating of olive oil or avocado oil spray.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Air fry for 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over and spray with oil. Air fry for 7 more minutes*.
Bone-in chicken thighs (skinless or skin-on): Air fry for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and spray with oil. Air fry for 8-10 more minutes*.
*Exact cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
Air fry panko chicken thighs until they are dark golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
For the juiciest, most flavorful chicken thighs, cook to an internal temperature of 175 to 195.
6. Rest, serve, enjoy!
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. If desired, serve panko parmesan chicken thighs with a side of marinara sauce, roasted green beans, orzo pesto salad, or roasted broccolini salad.
Dipping Sauces
Panko parmesan chicken is awesome with a side of marinara sauce. Or try one of these!
- Copycat Big Mac sauce
- Jack Daniels BBQ sauce
- Honey teriyaki sauce
- Honey mustard
- Spicy mayo
- Ranch dressing
Storage & Reheating
Store leftover air fryer panko chicken thighs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat panko breaded thighs in the air fryer at 350 degrees until warmed through to 165 degrees, about 7 minutes for boneless chicken thighs and 9 minutes for bone-in chicken thighs.
Expert Tips
- Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. Poultry should be cooked to 165, but chicken thighs are even juicier and more flavorful at 175 - 195.
- For best results, pat the chicken dry to help the mayonnaise mixture and panko breadcrumb mixture stick to the chicken.
- To keep the panko breading from sticking to your tongs while flipping the chicken, spray the tongs with a little olive oil spray.
FAQs
This air fryer chicken thighs recipe has two secrets to getting panko bread crumbs to stick to the chicken: paper towels and mayonnaise!
Chicken juices are kind of slippery and can cause breading to fall off. A quick pat with paper towels primes the chicken thighs for the breading process. The mayonnaise creates a sticky coating for the breadcrumb coating to grab onto.
Bonus third secret: oil. If your tongs stick to the breading while flipping them over, spray the tongs with a little oil.
When you cook bone-in skin-on chicken thighs in the air fryer, place them skin-side down in the air fryer basket. Turn the chicken over halfway through the cooking time to ensure the chicken cooks evenly and the skin gets perfectly crispy.
Yes, you can make this chicken thigh recipe with regular breadcrumbs, but the texture won't be quite as crispy.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs and bone-in skin on chicken thighs both cook quickly in the air fryer.
Air fryer boneless chicken thighs take less time, about 15 minutes, while bone-in chicken thighs take about 20 minutes.
Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to make sure it's cooked through.
Stuff I Use
My 6-quart Instant Pot Vortex Plus air fryer has a nice roomy basket and a window in the front so I can see what's going on inside.
This instant read digital meat thermometer is also magnetized -- I keep ours stuck to the side of the fridge for easy access.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Air Fryer Panko Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 to 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs boneless or bone-in (skinless or skin-on)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Spray the air fryer basket with olive oil or avocado oil.
- Pat the chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Stir the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard together in a large bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat the chicken.
- Combine the panko, Parmesan cheese, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Press each chicken piece into the panko mixture, thoroughly coating all sides of the chicken.
- Arrange the chicken thighs top-side down in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray with a light coating of olive oil or avocado oil spray.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Air fry for 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over and spray with oil. Air fry for 7 more minutes*.
- Bone-in chicken thighs (skinless or skin-on): Air fry for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken over and spray with oil. Air fry for 8-10 more minutes*.
- Air fry boneless and bone-in chicken thighs until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 165, up to 175 to 195.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. If desired, serve with marinara dipping sauce.
Notes
- Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. Poultry should be cooked to 165, but chicken thighs are even juicier and more flavorful at 175 - 195.
- To keep the panko breading from sticking to your tongs while flipping the chicken, spray the tongs with a little oil.
- Patting the chicken dry helps the mayonnaise mixture and panko breadcrumbs stick to the chicken.
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