Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs air fryer recipe is a quick, simple, and delicious weeknight meal. Perfect for low carb and keto eaters with just a few ingredients and cooked in less than 30 minutes.
You will love making this bacon wrapped chicken thighs air fryer recipe because they are so simple to prepare. Even if you haven’t cooked much before, you’ll find them so easy to make! Fantastic for a quick meal on busy evenings, you’ll have a delicious and satisfying meal ready in around 30 minutes.
This bacon-wrapped chicken thigh in air fryer recipe calls for little seasoning to maximize the chicken and bacon flavors. You won’t have to spend hours searching for obscure ingredients in the grocery store.
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The deep flavor of the bacon is gorgeous with the milder flavor of the chicken, and everything is tied together by smokey and warming old bay seasoning, creating a mouthwatering dish.
This recipe calls for chicken thighs rather than chicken breast, making it more cost-effective than other bacon wrapped chicken recipes, particularly if cooking for a large group of people. Chicken thighs and bacon are a truly delicious combination, and cooking them in the air fryer reduces the need for oil, which means less fat than other recipes.
Ingredients
- Bacon: Thin bacon works great with this recipe if you like crispy bacon. And thick bacon if you prefer juicy and pliable with crisp edges.
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless and skinless chicken thighs were used to test and make this recipe. If you prefer chicken breast, you may need to cook longer or shorter depending on the size of the breasts.
- Old bay seasoning is a blend of spices, including celery seed, paprika, mustard, salt, and red and black pepper. If you can’t find old bay seasoning, you could substitute for cajun seasoning with a similar flavor.
**Find the full list of ingredients along with the recipe instructions at the end of this post**
Tools Used
- Air fryer: This Cosori 5.8 qt is what you see in the images and used for this recipe.
- Baking sheet: This one is a great size for preparing different types of sheet pan meals or using it as a prep board.
- Instant Meat thermometer: highly recommended if you want to cook meat in the air fryer because each air fryer cooks differently. It is the safest way to know your meat is cooked all the way through.
- Kitchen tongs: If you want to protect the coating of your air fryer, silicone kitchen tongs are a must to have at home.
How to cook bacon wrapped chicken thighs in an air fryer
- Begin by laying out the chicken thighs on a baking sheet or large cutting board in a single layer. Then, season with old bay seasoning on both sides.
- Next, wrap each thigh in a piece of bacon. Be sure to wrap them tightly and tuck the end underneath to secure them.
- Now, place the bacon wrapped chicken thighs in the air fryer basket. Do this seam side down so that the bacon doesn’t come undone. Cook to 370°F for 10 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF degrees and the bacon is crispy.
Recipe Tips
- Use thin or thick bacon to make this recipe. It depends on your preference.
- To ensure the bacon gets nice and crispy, cook them in a single layer.
- You can double this recipe and make as many thighs as you want.
- Use Smoked bacon to give the chicken thighs a delicious smoky flavor.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for three months.
- Reheat in the air fryer for 5 minutes straight from the refrigerator or 15 minutes straight from the freezer.
How long to cook bacon wrapped chicken thighs in the air fryer
The exact cook time will depend on the size of your chicken thighs, but the total cook time is usually around 20 minutes - 10 minutes per side at 370°F.
You can tell when the chicken is ready by using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature - it’s done when the temperature is 165°F.
What to serve with bacon wrapped chicken thighs
These bacon wrapped boneless chicken thighs are delicious on their own as an appetizer or served with a side of your favorite veggies for a keto-friendly air fryer meal!
- To serve this keto chicken thighs air fryer recipe, you can serve them with instant pot mashed cauliflower or loaded mashed cauliflower or other air fryer keto-friendly recipes.
- For non-keto eaters, serve this air fryer skinless chicken thighs with air fryer baby potatoes, simple air fryer sweet potato cubes, and if you need some veggies, this sweet and delicious air fryer baby carrots and air fryer green beans.
Are air fryer chicken thighs keto-friendly?
Absolutely! This keto-friendly bacon wrapped chicken thighs recipe contains only chicken, bacon, and seasoning, so it’s entirely suitable for the keto diet.
How to store air fryer bacon wrapped chicken thighs
Your bacon wrapped chicken thighs will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Ensure that you store them in an airtight container and move them to the fridge or freezer as quickly as possible. I like to keep mine in the freezer in a Ziploc bag with the date and name, so I don’t forget when I put it in there.
How to reheat the leftovers
To reheat bacon wrapped chicken thighs in an air fryer, if you want first, remove your bacon wrapped chicken thighs from the fridge or freezer and allow it to come to room temperature.
- Then, heat the air fryer to 370°F and put the chicken in the air fryer basket. Heat for around 5 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- If reheating from frozen, you don’t need to defrost first all the way through. Just put them directly in the air fryer and reheat to 350ºF for 15 minutes. If the bacon is not crispy enough increase the temperature to 400ºF for the last couple of minutes.
- Check that it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F with a meat thermometer before serving.
More Air Fryer Recipe To Try
- Air Fryer Bacon
- Bacon Wrapped Scallops Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
- Air Fryer Bacon Wrapped Brussel Sprouts
- Healthy Air Fryer Teriyaki Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Thighs Bone-in Skin-on
- Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Air Fryer Recipe
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Bacon Wrapped Chicken thighs Air Fryer Recipe
Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs air fryer recipe is a quick, simple, and delicious weeknight meal perfect for low carb and keto eaters with just a few ingredients and cooked in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 medium boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste (optional)
- 8 slices bacon
Tools
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in a baking sheet pan or a large cutting board, season with old bay seasoning on both sides.
- Wrap each thigh tightly in a slice of bacon, tucking the end underneath to secure it.
- Place in the air fryer basket with the seam side down; cook to 370ºF for 10 minutes per side or until an instant-read thermometer reaches 165ºF degrees and the bacon is crispy.
Notes
- Use thin or thick bacon to make this recipe. It depends on your preference.
- To ensure the bacon gets nice and crispy, cook them in a single layer.
- You can double this recipe and make as many thighs as you want.
- Use Smoked bacon to give the chicken thighs a delicious smoky flavor.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for three months.
- Reheat in the air fryer for 5 minutes straight from the refrigerator or 15 minutes straight from the freezer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2Amount Per Serving: Calories: 409Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 224mgSodium: 540mgCarbohydrates: 1gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 51g
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on products used. When the recipe list salt to taste the amount of salt is not calculated, only the sodium in the other ingredients is calculated.