Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes. Bone-in chicken thighs with a mustard and panko bread crumb crust, air-fried on a bed of baby potatoes - it tastes fancy, but it is an easy meal to put together. Salt the thighs, rub them with mustard, and then coat them with panko breadcrumbs. Halve the baby potatoes, salt them, toss them in oil, then lay them in a single layer at the bottom of a preheated air fryer. Set the panko-crusted chicken thighs on top and air fry for 35 minutes, flipping them over after 20 minutes to brown evenly.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Jump to:
As I've said many times before, I am a fan of dark meat chicken - especially chicken thighs. They are cheap and full of flavor. This is one of my favorite ways to dress thighs up and make them fancy - baking them with a crispy mustard and bread crumb crust. I have an oven version of this recipe, and an air fryer is just a countertop convection oven in a convenient form factor, so it is perfect to make a small batch of this chicken.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Panko bread crumbs: Panko is Japanese bread crumbs, which are larger and more flaky than typical American store-bought bread crumbs. You can use regular bread crumbs if you have to, but Panko makes a much better crust for these chicken thighs. If you do get regular bread crumbs, I like using the Italian-style crumbs because they add extra herbs that pair well with the mustard.
- Dijon Mustard: Any mustard will do, even cheap yellow mustard. The only mustard I don't recommend is whole grain mustard - it doesn't cling to the chicken and panko as well due to the chunky grains of mustard. (Stone-ground mustard is fine.)
- Baby potatoes: Any baby potato will do - red, white, yukon gold, fingerling - they will all work well in this recipe.
- Big potatoes cut into chunks: You can also use whole potatoes, cut into 1-inch to 2-inch chunks in this recipe. They should cook in about the same amount of time as the baby potatoes.
- Other cuts of chicken: Chicken drumsticks are a great substitute - they cook about 5 minutes faster than the thighs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook too quickly - the crust will not get crispy. And, sigh, if you have to, you can use chicken breasts in this recipe. Bone-in, skin-on breasts will cook in about the same amount of time. Try to cook them to an internal temperature of 160°F so they don't dry out. (Chicken breast is less forgiving about overcooking than chicken thighs.)
- Adding herbs or spices to the panko: I'm doing a simple version of this recipe, but you can make it fancier by mixing some herbs or spices in with the panko. Some suggestions are: a half-teaspoon of garlic powder, a half-teaspoon of smoked Spanish paprika, a half-teaspoon of dried thyme, or (my favorite) a half-teaspoon of dried Herbes de Provence herb blend.
Step-By-Step Pictures of Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
Coat the chicken with mustard and panko breadcrumbs
Toss the chicken thighs with the mustard, then press into the panko to give it an even crust
Toss the potaotes with olive oil and salt
Potatoes and chicken into 400°F Air Fryer for 35 minutes...
...flipping the chicken after 20 minutes
Serve and enjoy
At 35 minutes, the chicken should be golden brown and delicious.
Adapted from: Baked Mustard-Herb chicken legs, Mark Bittman and the New York Times.
Print
Air Fryer Breaded Chicken Thighs and Potatoes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 thighs and potatoes
Description
Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes. Bone-in chicken thighs with a mustard and panko bread crumb crust, air-fried on a bed of baby potatoes - it tastes fancy, but it is an easy meal to put together.
Ingredients
Chicken Thighs with Panko-Mustard Crust
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup dijon mustard
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
Potatoes
- 24 ounces halved baby red potatoes
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or vegetable oil)
Instructions
- Coat chicken with mustard and panko: Trim any excess skin or fat from the chicken thighs. Sprinkle the thighs with the teaspoon of salt, then coat them with the mustard (either brush it on the chicken or put them in a bowl and toss until evenly coated). Put the panko in a pie plate. Press the chicken into the panko on both sides, shake off any excess, and set aside while the air fryer preheats.
- Prep the potatoes: Cut the baby potatoes in half, put them in a bowl, sprinkle with the salt, then add the olive oil and toss until the potatoes are covered in oil.
- Air fry the chicken and potatoes at 400°F for 35 minutes: Preheat the air fryer to 400ºF. Put the potatoes in the air fryer basket, then set the chicken thighs on top, skin side up. Set the air fryer for 35 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the chicken thighs skin-side down. After 35 minutes, the bread-crumbed crust should be browned, and the chicken should be 175°F or higher.
- Serve and enjoy: Remove the chicken thighs and potatoes to a platter, serve, and enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → - Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Air Fryer
- Cuisine: French
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh with potatoes
- Calories: 589
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 1300.5 mg
- Fat: 25.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 46.5 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 38.7 g
- Cholesterol: 182.2 mg
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should I pre-heat the air fryer? Yes, this recipe works better when you pre-heat the air fryer. Wait for it to reach temperature before adding the potatoes and chicken.
- How big of an air fryer do I need? You need to be able to fit the potatoes in one layer, and the chicken in another single layer. (No stacking the chicken, or the bread crumb crust will not brown.) I have a 6-quart air fryer, which was the perfect size for this recipe.
- Can I double this recipe? Not in a 6-quart air fryer - the chicken needs to be in a single layer. You can increase the recipe size if you have a larger air fryer; as long as you can fit the thighs in a single layer, not touching, you can add more thighs.
- Shouldn't everything be in a single layer? A reader asked why I'm doubling up on the potatoes and the chicken - most recipes say you should air fry in a single layer. In this recipe, I'm ignoring that, and cooking the meat and potatoes together in two layers. The potatoes get to soak up the chicken juices, and while they won't be quite as browned and crispy as the would be if they air-fried on their own, the extra flavor from the chicken drippings makes up for it. (And, as you can see in the pictures, they are still browned and crispy, especially the potatoes around the edge of the tray.) The chicken is browned on both sides because of the flip. And, it's a one-tray meal!
Make Ahead and Storage
This recipe is not a good one to make ahead - the panko will get soggy, and not crisp up in the air fryer. Leftovers will last for a couple of days in the refrigerator - the panko will get soggy, but the coat of browned panko still tastes good. You can save the whole legs; I like to cut the meat off the bone and into bite-sized chunks, then save the meat and potatoes in 2-cup containers so I can have it as a grab-and-go lunch later in the week.
Related Posts
Quick Air Fryer Tilapia (with Spice Rub)
Instant Pot Air Fryer Frozen French Fries (with an Air Fryer Lid)
Pressure Cooker Chicken With 40 Cloves of Garlic
Instant Pot Chicken Legs (with Herb Rub)
Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash recipe (with boneless chicken thighs)
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Air Fryer Recipes.
Enjoyed this post? Want to help out DadCooksDinner? Subscribe to DadCooksDinner via email and share this post with your friends. Want to contribute directly? Donate to my Tip Jar, or buy something from Amazon.com through the links on this site. Thank you.
Larry says
I'm a bit confused. (I've been cooking for 30 years, but am new to the air fryer game.)
Every air-fryer recipe I've read stresses "single layer." But in this recipe, the chicken sits on top of the potatoes for the entire time. How does that let the potatoes get crispy -- or are they not supposed to? How does that let both sides of the chicken crisp up -- or does it only crisp on the side that's on top? Does the flip halfway through cause the panko to not burn?
Thanks!
Mike Vrobel says
> How do the potatoes get crispy
They are crisped on the bottom, and where they peek around the edges of the chicken. Would they be more crispy if they were alone in a single layer? Yes. But they get the advantage of soaking up the dripping chicken juices, so I'm willing to make the tradeoff.
> How does both sides of the chicken crisp up/does the flip make them not burn
You've got it in your question - the chicken crisps (mostly) on top side, and that's why we flip. And also to keep the bread crumb crust from burning.
Larry says
Awesome! Thanks -- I'm gonna have to give this a try! (Air frying is still kinda a mystery to me...)
Mike Vrobel says
Don’t worry too much - an air fryer is technically a small convection oven. Anything you would roast or bake in an oven will work in an air fryer.
Cindy says
Made these last night, will add them to my list of go to easy recipes. I added seasoning to the panko bread crumbs and rosemary to the potatoes with the oil.
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!