Everything's better with bacon! This 20 minute air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs recipe includes only a handful of simple ingredients to turn boneless and skinless chicken into a savory, meaty, and delicious main dish that everyone loves!
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Savory, juicy, meaty and utterly delicious air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs are... surprisingly easy to make with only a handful of ingredients, boneless and skinless thighs cook in under 20 minutes
Want to make a dish even more delish with barely any effort? Wrap it in bacon! These air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs are next-level flavorful. And are so easy to make any night of the week!
This recipe combines two tasty meats to create one high-protein entree that is simply irresistible. It starts with succulent boneless and skinless chicken thighs, perfectly seasoned with only a few classic spices. Then wrap each thigh in a layer of bacon, air fry, and serve with your favorite comfort food side dishes in less than 20 minutes.
Not only does the bacon make simple (and economical) thighs instantly more jazzy, the fattiness from the pork locks in the juices so the chicken cooks beautifully moist and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Plus, the bacon gets lightly crisp with just the right amount of chewiness. So every bite has the best combo of textures and savory flavors!
Recipe ingredients
- Chicken Thighs: Dark meat boneless and skinless thighs are tender, moist, and very easy to cook relatively quickly. And they happen to be budget-friendly, too!
- Bacon: Use quality strips of long length regular cut bacon. Bacon that's lesser quality is often too thin and rips easily. Thick-cut bacon is, well, too thick for wrapping around the thighs and air frying. Substitute with turkey bacon if desired like in this turkey bacon wrapped chicken recipe.
- Spices: This recipe includes a simple but flavorful blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. The combination is earthy, smoky and savory. It balances perfectly with the salty bacon and meaty thighs!
How to make air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs
In a small bowl, mix together ½ teaspoon of black pepper, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt. Evenly sprinkle the seasoning mix over both sides of the chicken thighs.
Take a slice of bacon and wrap it around each seasoned chicken thigh. You can use toothpicks to secure the bacon if needed. Continue wrapping until all the chicken thighs are wrapped in bacon.
Place the bacon-wrapped chicken thighs in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Make sure they are not touching or overlapping! Cook at 370°F for 17-20 minutes. You can flip them half way through cooking, but its not that necessary.
If you have an instant meat thermometer at home, please use it to check for internal temperature. Chicken meat is safe to eat when it at at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Leftovers and reheating
Store leftovers in the air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 or 5 days. I like to use my glass containers but any container really will work. Reheat in the air fryer for 2 minutes at 400 degrees or in the microwave for one minute.
Frequently asked questions
Start at the lowest recommended cook time and check for doneness. Then keep a close eye on the meat, checking every minute or so, and remove the thighs as soon as they are thoroughly cooked.
I suggest using an internal meat thermometer to be sure the chicken thighs reach at least 165 degrees. But you don't want the internal temperature to get any higher than 170 degrees or so.
Yes, you can. 1 pound of boneless and skinless chicken thighs is usually about 4 thighs, and is equal to 2 small-to-medium boneless and skinless chicken breasts. I recommend pounding chicken breasts to be equally 1-inch or so thick. They should be uniform in size for even cooking.
Bacon wrapped chicken breasts will likely need a few minutes extra to cook, but start with the time recommended in the recipe card. Continue to check for doneness every minute; they should take anywhere from 3-5 minutes more, depending on thickness.
Yes, I suggest using tongs to flip the bacon-wrapped thighs once, about halfway through the cook time. This helps the hot air circulate all around the chicken, so every side is cooked evenly with crisp and chewy bacon
Compared to bone-in and skin-on thighs, no... Boneless and skinless thighs take less time to cook in the air fryer. They tend to be smaller, and without bones the meat cooks much faster.
Boneless thighs also take less time than boneless breasts, which usually are a bit thicker.
Yes, this can happen - and it's totally ok! Pork bacon typically contains nitrates, a preservative that is nitrogen-based, and causes meat to be pink or red in color (like a steak purchased at the store). The more nitrates your bacon has the more likely it is to cause the chicken to have a slightly pink tinge.
As long as the internal temp of the air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs are at least 165 degrees they're safe to eat.
You may also like
- Blackened chicken thighs
- Tyson crispy chicken strips
- Homemade chicken nuggets with ground chicken
- Air fryer chicken breast cubes
Hope you will like this air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs as much as we do. Rate the recipe if you made it and leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.
Recipe
Air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 lb bacon
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Season thighs,. Wrap each one in bacon.
- Cook in air fryer at 370 degrees for 17 minutes. Flip once.
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