Juicy Air Fryer Honey Garlic Marinated Chicken Thighs are a little sticky, but so worth the mess! Made with a simple 5-ingredient honey garlic marinade that is going to have your family coming back for seconds.
Quick cooking and delicious dinners are our favorite dinners just like this air fryer honey garlic marinated chicken. Another incredible meal you can make in the air fryer is Chicken Breast Without Breading, it comes out so tender and juicy. Or try making Air Fryer London Broil and serve with Dinner Rolls in the Air Fryer.
Marinated Chicken in Air Fryer
In need of an easy dinner? We’ve got you covered with this finger licking good, honey garlic chicken! Just consider dinner (basically) done! Well, the idea part is done, you still have to cook.
I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe for a meal that is healthier and lower in fat.
You may be wondering why we are using a marinade for chicken in this recipe. I love using marinades because it is a great way to infuse a ton of flavor into your chicken. It’s also very easy to dry out chicken in the cooking process because it is a lean protein. Using a marinade makes the chicken even more flavorful and juicy.
Air Fryer Marinated Chicken
Making your own marinade means you can control all of the ingredients. You get a say in how much salt, sugar, and preservatives get added (or don’t get added). And homemade marinade is just so simple to make and cheaper.
For this marinade you will need honey, olive oil, garlic cloves (or 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder), rice wine vinegar, a little soy sauce, salt, and pepper. All basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Just go buy chicken thighs, that’s it.
Can you Cook Marinated Chicken in an Air Fryer?
If you are wondering if marinated chicken can be cooked in an air fryer, the answer is yes. You can definitely use the air fryer for marinated chicken. In fact, I recommend making it this way because it is the best way to get juicy chicken.
Why Make This Air Fryer Chicken Recipe?
- Cooks Quickly. This chicken cooks in under 15 minutes.
- Low ingredient recipe. You only need 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper) to make this recipe.
- Delicious. Makes a meal your family is going to love.
- Healthy. A great source of protein and great for your health. This recipe is low in sugar, keto friendly and low carb.
How Long to Marinate the Chicken Thighs?
I recommend marinating chicken thighs in the marinade for at least 30 minutes. But, it can also sit in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Since this marinade has vinegar in it, the acidity may break down your chicken or make it tough.
How Much Chicken Can I Make with This Marinade?
I have made up to 3 lbs of chicken using this marinade. If you are making more chicken than that then I recommend doubling the marinade.
Can the Marinated Chicken be Layered in the Air Fryer?
Make sure that you keep the air fryer chicken thighs with honey garlic marinade in one layer when you are cooking it in the air fryer. If you stack the raw chicken it will not cook properly or evenly.
What Temperature to Cook the Chicken Thighs to?
Use an instant read thermometer to check on the temperature of the chicken. It should be at 165°F
What if I Don’t Have Time to Marinate the Chicken?
Sometimes, we need dinner on the table stat and do not have time to fuss with marinating the chicken. Don’t worry about it because you can just do a quick marinate on this chicken. Pour all of the ingredients into a large zip bag along with the chicken and let it sit while the air fryer preheats.
It won’t be quite as flavorful as it would be if it had soaked for 30 minutes, but it will still add some flavor.
Air Fryer Honey Garlic Marinated Chicken Ingredients
- Oil: I use olive oil to make these chicken thighs.
- Honey: I like to use a local honey.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic that has been minced.
- Vinegar: You will need white wine vinegar, but any white vinegar will work.
- Soy Sauce: I used regular soy sauce, buy low sodium soy sauce can also be used.
- Salt and Pepper: I like to use just a pinch of sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
How to Make Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Thighs
- Cut any extra fat off the chicken thighs.
- In a gallon sized zip bag, add in all of the seasonings . Zip the bag closed and smush around all the ingredients. You can also do this in a large bowl, stir ingredients.
- Pour 1/4 cup of marinade into a small bowl to later pour on cooked chicken.
- Add in chicken thighs. Try to get air out of the zip bag and zip closed.
- Place the chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
- Pull chicken out of the fridge.
- Preheat air fryer. Once heated, carefully place chicken into the air fryer.
- Cook chicken. Flipping over halfway through cooking time.
- Let chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. Top with reserved marinade.
How to Bake Marinated Chicken Thighs in Oven
If you don’t have an air fryer, it is no problem at all. Here are the instructions on how to cook chicken thighs in the oven.
- Pull the marinated chicken thighs out of the refrigerator to warm up.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook chicken for 25-35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes to see how done it is. Cook until the internal temperature is 165°F.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving it. Top with the reserved marinade.
Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Tips and Variations
- Check on your chicken at any time if you are worried about it burning or over cooking.
- Chicken thighs are done when a meat thermometer reads 165°F.
- Depending on the size of the chicken thighs and the amount you are making (and the size of your air fryer basket), you may need to cook the chicken in batches. I can comfortably fit 6 small or 4 large chicken thighs in my Cosori 5.8 quart basket style air fryer.
- Make sure not to poke any holes in the chicken when putting into the air fryer or pulling it out.
- Let chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are chicken thighs healthy? Chicken thighs when prepared in a healthy manner, are actually good for you and a great source of protein. They are also typically more affordable than chicken breast. So, if you like chicken thighs I say get them.
Is this air fryer chicken recipe gluten free? Since regular soy sauce is traditionally made with wheat and soy, this means it contains gluten. So this is not a gluten free recipe. But, you can easily make it gluten free by using Tamari soy sauce, it’s typically gluten free but you will want to check the ingredients or buy gluten free soy sauce if you can find it.
Storage Instructions
How to refrigerate air fryer marinated chicken? Let the chicken cool and put in an air tight container. It should last about 3-5 days in the fridge.
How do you reheat marinated chicken in air fryer? Pre-heat the air fryer to 350° F. Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes or until heated to your liking.
How to freeze air fryer marinated chicken? Let chicken cool completely before wrapping well with plastic wrap and put into an air tight, freezer safe container. Chicken can be frozen for 3-6 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.
How to thaw frozen air fryer marinated chicken? Thaw frozen cooked chicken on a plate in the refrigerator overnight until defrosted.
Try these other dinner favorites!
- Air Fryer Chicken Breast without Breading
- Frozen Chicken Breast in Air Fryer
- Almond Flour Baked Chicken Tenders
- Greek Yogurt Marinated BBQ Chicken
- Cornish Hen in Air Fryer
- One Pan Tuscan Chicken in Parmesan Cream Sauce
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Air Fryer Honey Garlic Marinated Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 6 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste
- pepper
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- In a gallon sized zip bag, add in all of the honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, oil, and garlic. Zip the bag closed and smush around all the ingredients. You can also do this in a large bowl, stir ingredients.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade to later pour on cooked chicken.
- Cut any extra fat off the chicken thighs.
- Add the chicken thighs into the zip bag. Try to get all the air out of the zip bag and zip closed.
- Place the chicken in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
- Pull the chicken out of the fridge.
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
- Once heated, carefully place chicken into the air fryer.
- Cook the chicken for 10-15 minutes. Flip the chicken over halfway through cooking time.
- Let chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. Top with reserved marinade.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out!
If you’ve tried this or any other of my recipes, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and leave me a comment. I love hearing from you! Share a picture on Instagram and hashtag it #homecookedharvest.
veenaazmanov
Air Fryer sounds healthy. The Glaze on the top looks so tempting. I am drooling with the Marinade combinations. Yum
Tristin
This is definitely a drool worthy dish. Thanks Veena!
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Tristin
Awww you are so sweet Allyssa, thank for commenting!!
Colleen
These chicken thighs were amazing. The came out of the air fryer so juicy and tender and the marinade is perfect. Thanks for sharing!
Tristin
Isn’t that marinade amazing? My kids love these chicken thighs. Thanks so much Colleen!!
Linda
What a delicious chicken recipe! So flavorful, juicy, and easy to make.
Tristin
Oh good Linda, so glad that this chicken came out juicy for you. Thanks for commenting!
Heidy
These Air Fryer Honey Garlic Marinated Chicken Thighs were super juicy and so tender! I loved them, and so did the family. We will be making this Air Fryer recipe again and again!! Have a fabulous day!
Tristin
Great! I love to hear that one of my recipes was enjoyed by the whole family! Thanks Heidy!
Aya
I love using my air fryer and when I came across your recipe I had to try it! The chicken was packed with flavor and it was absolutely delicious. I love how easy it was to make this recipe and will definitely be making it again!
Tristin
Oh great, Aya! I am so glad that you loved this chicken recipe. Thanks!!
Erin
We all loved these thighs! And I loved how easy they were. My husband even made them! 😀 Thanks!
Tristin
Getting the husband to cook, I call that a win! Thanks Erin.
Alex
I made these with coconut aminos and couldn’t be happier with the result! They were just perfect. Thanks!
Tristin
Mmm, I love coconut aminos, too. I will try that one of these times that I made this. Thanks Alex.
Brianna
These chicken thighs were so easy to make. The flavor was great and my kids absolutely loved it!
Tristin
It isn’t always easy to please kids, so that is saying something! Thanks so much Brianna!
Amy Liu Dong
I will def love this recipe. It’s delicious and so easy. I’ll be making this for everyone this weekend.
Natalie
That was delicious! Flavors are amazing and the recipe was super easy. I will definitely make it again. Thanks for this lovely recipe!
Tristin
You are so welcome, Natalie. I’m glad this turned out tasty! Thanks for you comment.
Tristin
I can’t wait for you to try it Amy!! Thanks for commenting.
Kathy
This is a winner! Incredibly tasty and super easy in the air fryer. Making it again next week.
Tristin
I agree, I could eat air fryer chicken almost every night, it is that good! Thanks Kathy!!
Maria
These are delicious and pretty easy…and the kids like them. All around win, especially on busy evenings.
Tristin
We love this recipe and eat it all the time. I’m so glad you found this one! Thanks so much for commenting Maria.
Jackie Eichelberger
This recipe sounds absolutely delicious!! I’m going to try it this evening! Just wondering should I rub the 1 Tbsp. Of Oil on chicken before placing it in Ziploc bag, or add it with ingredients that go in the bag before placing chicken in the bag?
Tristin
Hi Jackie! Just put the oil right in the bag with the other ingredients. It should cook up perfectly! Thank you for bringing that error to our attention. Got it fixed.
Robin S
So delicious in the air fryer 400° F for 15 minutes. Brush the sauce before you flip it half way through and after flipping them. I meal prepped with shredded cabbage, match stick carrots, and sliced bell pepper. Yum! Thank you for inspo from pinspo!
Tristin
I love the idea of adding sauce as the chicken cooks. I am so glad you liked this chicken recipe, Robin!