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Author:
Franco Salzillo
Chicken thighs are comfort food, especially when roasted bone-in and with crispy, golden skin. Thighs are the most flavorful piece of chicken, and they can become the star of the show on any weeknight — even on special occasions.
If you want that chicken juice while crusty, you’ll need to cook it at a high temperature, and that’s where the air fryer comes in. Did we mention you can roast colorful veggies at the same time?
You’ll need the right ingredients to make a rustic meal of tender chicken thighs and veggies. Free-range chicken tastes better than regular chicken, so that’s a good start. Ensure you get bone-in thighs and leave their skin — we’ll need it.
As for the veggies, potatoes and carrots are a no-brainer but experiment with other vegetables, including sweet potatoes, green beans and broccoli. Ideally, the veggies will gain flavor from the chicken as they air-fry together.
The neatest thing about roasted chicken and veggies, or in this case, air-fried thighs, is that this is a complete meal with proteins, carbs and veggies. Serve the chicken center table and dig in.
Of course, you can always start your meal with soup, cream or salad, and although we’re adding potatoes to our chicken dish, a starchy side, like creamy pasta or mashed potatoes, is always appreciated.
Wash the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Peel and cut the carrots into thick slices.
Place the potatoes and carrots in a mixing bowl, spray them with cooking oil and season them with salt and pepper. Toss until seasoned evenly. Place into an air-fryer basket.
Rub the chicken thighs with butter and season with salt, pepper and rosemary.
Arrange the chicken thighs in an air fryer rack above the vegetables in the basket. If your appliance doesn’t come with an air-fryer rack, fry the vegetables and the chicken separately.
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F.
If a rack is available, air fry the chicken over the vegetables. If not, air fry the vegetables first for 10-12 minutes and the thighs for 15-18 minutes.
Serve the chicken thighs and the vegetables. Alternatively, drizzle with olive oil for extra gloss and flavor.
