Love my Cracklin’ Chicken, but hate the mess? It turns out that my popular and tasty take on Whole30-friendly fried chicken thighs isn’t just easier to make in an air fryer, it’s less messy, too! Make Cracklin’ Chicken in an air fryer, and you won’t spend any time cleaning the grease from your stovetop and floors!
Almost as soon as the air fryer craze started sweeping the nation, questions from loyal Nomsters started landing in my inbox, asking if my Cracklin’ Chicken recipe (a.k.a. Ollie’s Cracklin’ Chicken) could be made in this gadget. There’s no question that Cracklin’ Chicken is a super delicious and easy recipe to cook, but it makes an unholy mess every time I fry it on the stovetop. Even when I use a splatter guard or fry the chicken in a cast iron skillet on my outdoor grill, hot schmaltz still gets everywhere. You just have to take the good with the bad—or so I thought. Enter the air fryer!
What’s an air fryer?
An air fryer is a stand-alone countertop kitchen appliance (mine kind of looks like a ginormous Darth Vader’s helmet) that “fries” food with circulating hot air, using a minimal amount of fat. Basically, it’s like a self-contained convection oven.
Should you buy an air fryer?
To be honest, I don’t think it’s necessary to get one if you already have a good wall or countertop oven. I resisted buying an air fryer for a long time because the reviews were mixed (at least from many of my trusted sources) and I already own a Breville Smart Oven Air, which has an air fryer function. That said, I never used the air fryer function on my Breville because on the rare occasion that I did, it was such a pain to clean up afterwards.
But after seeing some of my blogger pals show off lots of tasty, crispy foods that they were making in their air fryers, I had a bad case of FOMO and broke down and bought one. Plus, the model I wanted was marked down 50% at the time, and who can resist a bargain?
Which air fryer should you buy?
As with all of my kitchen purchases, I did tons of research to find the best reviewed model. After weighing all the pros and cons, I settled on the Philips Avance Digital Turbostar Airfryer because it was highly recommended by Cook’s Illustrated. It’s also the priciest air fryer on the market, so I waited for it to go on sale before I bought it. (I didn’t buy the XL model because it wasn’t on sale and Cook’s Illustrated says the extra capacity isn’t substantial.)
The verdict? All in all, I’m very happy with my purchase…but then again, I’m a compulsive kitchen gadget hoarder.
What are the pros of making Cracklin’ Chicken in an air fryer?
Clean-up is a breeze because you can just plop the greasy parts of the air fryer in a dishwasher or wash them by hand with warm soapy water. Also, the chicken skin gets really thin and crispy because the hot circulating air melts away all of the fat under the skin. It’s no wonder I’m now making Cracklin’ Chicken several times a week now that I have an air fryer!
What are drawbacks to making Cracklin’ Chicken in an air fryer?
Although I love making Cracklin’ Chicken in my air fryer, it’s not perfect. There are three main drawbacks:
- Because of the size constraints of the air fryer , you can cook only up to THREE chicken thighs at a time.
- If you don’t dump out the accumulated grease at the bottom of the basket in between batches, the appliance can emit a lot of greasy smoke.
- The chicken thigh meat can turn out a little drier than when you fry it according to the original recipe. (For me, the lack of mess does make up for the slightly less moist chicken, though!)
Can you reheat Cracklin’ Chicken in an air fryer?
Yes! Place the leftover Cracklin’ Chicken skin-side up in the air fryer basket and cook it at 400°F for 8 minutes or until the skin is crispy.
Psst! If you just like the crispy skin, make my Air Fryer Chicken Cracklings!
Let’s make Air Fryer Cracklin’ Chicken!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 3 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (1.25 pounds or less)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Magic Mushroom Powder (optional)
Equipment:
Method:
Grab some chicken thighs and a sharp pair of kitchen shears. Blot the chicken dry with a paper towel. If the thigh bone isn’t exposed, use the shears to snip down to expose it. Then, starting at one end, carefully cut out the bone, making sure you don’t cut through the meat.
Trim as close to the bone as possible. When you get to the other end, trim around the joint and cartilage and remove the bone. Save these bones for homemade bone broth! Repeat with the remaining thighs.
Flatten the chicken with a meat pounder to ensure uniform cooking.
Sprinkle Diamond Crystal kosher salt on both sides of the chicken thighs. If you want to spice things up, you can sprinkle your favorite seasoning salt (e.g. Magic Mushroom Powder) on the meat side—but avoid sprinkling anything but salt on the skin side. (I don’t recommend putting anything besides salt on the skin because the spices can burn.)
Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer in the the air fryer basket.
You can actually smoosh up to three chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer basket without leaving any space in between them. They’ll turn out fine—the pieces will shrink as they cook.
Set the air fryer to 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the size of the thighs. (My air fryer does not need to be preheated, but preheat yours if necessary.)
The Cracklin’ Chicken is ready when the skin is crispy and the meat is thoroughly cooked (at least 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh). If you’re making another batch, pour out the rendered fat before cooking another batch to reduce the amount of smoke.
Slice up the Cracklin’ Chicken and enjoy!
No air fryer? Make the original Cracklin’ Chicken on the stovetop!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Air Fryer Cracklin’ Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 chicken thighs skin-on, and bone-in (1.25 pounds or less)
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt or your favorite cooking salt
- Magic Mushroom Powder (optional)
Instructions
- Grab some chicken thighs and a sharp pair of kitchen shears. Blot the chicken dry with a paper towel. If the thigh bone isn’t exposed, use the shears to snip down to expose it. Then, starting at one end, carefully cut out the bone, making sure you don’t cut through the meat.
- Trim as close to the bone as possible. When you get to the other end, trim around the joint and cartilage and remove the bone. Save these bones for homemade bone broth! Repeat with the remaining thighs.
- Flatten the chicken with a meat pounder to ensure uniform cooking.
- Sprinkle Diamond Crystal kosher salt on both sides of the chicken thighs. If you want to spice things up, you can sprinkle your favorite seasoning salt (e.g. Magic Mushroom Powder) on the meat side—but avoid sprinkling anything but salt on the skin side. (I don’t recommend putting anything besides salt on the skin because the spices can burn.)
- Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer in the the air fryer basket. You can actually smoosh up to three chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer basket without leaving any space in between them. They’ll turn out fine—the pieces will shrink as they cook.
- Set the air fryer to 400°F for 15 to 18 minutes, depending on the size of the thighs. (My air fryer does not need to be preheated, but preheat yours if necessary.)
- The Cracklin’ Chicken is ready when the skin is crispy and the meat is thoroughly cooked (at least 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh). If you’re making another batch, pour out the rendered fat before cooking another batch to reduce the amount of smoke.
Carrie says
Hey Michelle, I absolutely LOVE making these in the air fryer! So much less mess! Question- I don’t love the flavor of the chicken skin by itself (with only salt). Do you have any other ideas to incorporate them with a sauce (maybe for dipping or drizzling) or into another recipe after they are cooked and crispy? I tried them in your Chinese Chicken Salad and that was great!
lem says
Can you leave the bones in?
Alison says
I do!
Melissa P says
Why do you have to cut out the bone? If it wasn’t for that part, this recipe would be even easier! And isn’t meat tastier with bone in?
Alison says
I leave the bones in, and just cook for a little longer. No problems!
Mary Keefe says
I made this with the instant pot air fryer lid. Worked great and waaaay less mess! Made another batch of Chinese chicken salad
Timothy Griess says
What does nom nom mean?
Tammi says
The sound one makes when eating incredibly tasty food.
Holly Masclans says
Easy and fast. I love the magic mushroom powder. I have autoimmune and can’t do mushrooms but it doesn’t bother me and it really adds to the chicken.
Mikayla says
Seriously this was AWESOME!! Came out perfectly crispy, perfectly golden, perfectly juicy. (I don’t have magic mushroom powder, I used 21 Season Salute from my last mainland trip to Trader Joe’s.) It was delicious! This totally justifies my new air fryer, I will definitely be making this regularly!
XT says
Can I do this in a convection oven?
Michelle Tam says
It doesn’t get quite as crispy in a convection oven, but it is less messy than the stovetop version.
Anna says
Can this recipe work with boneless skinless chicken breasts? I have a hard time finding chicken with skin on, and I prefer the taste of breast meat over thighs. But perhaps that switch would ruin the recipe? Thanks!
Michelle Tam says
Nope. Skin-on, boneless thighs work the best.
Bushra says
Can’t we just use boneless skin on thighs if the bones needs to be taken out?
Michelle Tam says
Yep! I buy these at Japanese markets, but most stores don’t carry boneless skin-on thighs.
Mel says
I have friends coming for dinner and want to try this. I’ll need. 8 thighs. If I cook in batches of three would I keep them warm in oven till they are all ready? Will they stay crispy?
Florence says
I was hungry and lazy. Made with 4 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs. Did not remove the bone. Used magic mushroom powder on the meaty side and under the skin. Salted the skin. Air fried for 25 minutes at 400 degree. Yummy, Good cracklin’ chicken skin. Thanks for the recipe.
Kitty says
Excellent in the air fryer, better than when I’ve made it in the skillet, thanks Michelle!
Keenan says
HUGE fan of the original recipe and excited to try this one. Could you do this with drumsticks in the air fryer? I’m assuming the cooking time would change.
Michelle Tam says
Drumsticks don’t work as well because the skin doesn’t get as crispy.