Deep Fried Chicken Thighs Recipe

Deep fried chicken thighs recipe that's easy, and quick. These crispy fried chicken thighs are tender inside with golden brown crispy skin, flavorful, and delicious. Learn how to fry chicken thighs using bone in skin on or boneless skinless chicken thighs. 

Serve with side dishes like roasted baby potatoes, boiled broccoli, mac and cheese, rice, or any side dishes of your choice.

Deep Fried Chicken Thighs Recipe

This deep fried chicken thighs recipe is simple, quick, and ready in 30 minutes.

Fried chicken thighs make a great dinner option as it is versatile and can be served with most foods.

This recipe uses a few spices and herbs to season the chicken, they are then fried to perfection.

The seasoning used in this recipe is simple and flavorful, however, you can use any other good seasonings like jerk seasoning, peri peri seasoning, or cajun seasoning. 

In this post, I have detailed 2 methods of frying chicken thighs - fried with breading and deep-fried without breading.

It's low carb, and keto if you make it without breading. It's also high in protein.

Looking for a lower calories option? check my other blog chicken vibes for pan fried chicken thighs.

Related: Deep fried chicken wings, and fried chicken drumsticks.

Ingredients

Chicken thighs

Paprika

Cumin

Garlic powder

Onion granules

Black pepper 

Salt

Oil

Flour - If making it with breading.

How To Fry Chicken Thighs (Deep Fry Chicken Thighs) 

In a small bowl, add paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion granules, black pepper, and salt. Mix well.

Pat the chicken thighs dry then add the seasoning. Rub the seasoning in.

If you have the time, put the chicken in the fridge to marinate for 2-12hours.

In another bowl, add flour, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion granules, and salt. Mix till well combined. 

Place the seasoned chicken thighs one at a time in the flour mix, and coat all sides with the flour mix. Repeat this process for all chicken thighs.

Place a deep pot on the stove, add vegetable oil into the pot, and heat it to a temperature of 350F.

Let the oil be at least 2 inches deep so the chicken are immersed.

Add in the chicken thighs and fry them till they are golden brown, skin crispy, and inside tender (this takes about 25-30 minutes).

When cooked, remove the chicken thighs from the oil and put them on a paper towel-lined plate. 

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy. 

Fried Boneless Chicken Thighs

For fried boneless chicken thighs with breading, follow the recipe instructions above but reduce cooking time by 10 minutes but for deep fried boneless chicken thighs with no breading, follow the instructions below:

Add the paprika, cumin, black pepper, garlic powder, onion granules, and salt to a bowl. Mix till well combined. 

Add the seasoning to the chicken thighs and mix till the chicken are well coated in seasoning. 

Place a deep pot on the stove then pour in vegetable oil.

When the oil is heated to a temperature of about 350F, add in the chicken thighs.

Fry chicken for about 15 minutes or until they're cooked through and the skin crispy.

Take out the chicken thighs from the oil and put them on paper towel-lined plate. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy. 

How Long to Fry Chicken Thighs

How long to deep fry chicken thighs (bone in) is between 25-30 minutes at a temperature of 350F/175C.

For how long to deep fry boneless chicken thighs, it takes 15 minutes.

How long to pan fry chicken thighs is generally between 15-25 minutes. 

The chicken internal temperature should be at least 165F before it is considered safe to eat. You can check this by using a meat thermometer. Insert it at the thickest part of the chicken then read the temperature. 

What To Serve With Fried Chicken Thighs

They are versatile and can be served with foods such as:

Fried potatoes, air fryer diced potatoes.

Fried vegetables, boiled broccoli, boiled carrots, sauteed vegetables.

Mac and cheese, linguine, spaghetti.

Spicy rice, curry rice, long grain rice.

Couscous, Quinoa.

How To Store 

To store fried chicken thighs, leave them to cool completely then pack them in a sealable bag or an airtight container. 

Store in the fridge - label with name and dates, then put in the fridge where it will be preserved for up to 5 days. 

To store in the freezer: label with name and dates, put it in the freezer where it will be stored well for up to 6 months.

When ready to eat, bring out and reheat from frozen or thaw first.

It can be reheated on the stove, in the oven, air fryer, or microwave. 

To reheat in the microwave, put the chicken thighs on a microwave-safe plate, cover with microwave cover and reheat on high settings of at 30 seconds intervals till it's warmed through. 

Tips

• Adjust the pepper to suit how spicy you like it. 

• Be careful when frying as hot oil can cause severe burns.

• When deep frying it's good to use a slotted basket in the pot so the chicken pieces are easily and safely brought out of the hot oil. 

• A deep fryer is a good choice to deep fry but you can use a deep pan or chip pan with a slotted basket to fry. 

• Don't fry at too high a temperature as that will make the skin burn before the inside cooks. 

• Don't overcrowd the fryer. Overcrowding drops the temperature of the oil. 

• Put fried chicken on a kitchen towel to get rid of excess oil. 

What is the best oil to fry chicken in?

Oil with a high smoking point like peanut oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil are great for frying foods.

More Chicken Thighs Recipes

Stove top chicken thighs 

Honey soy chicken thighs

Air fryer chicken thighs 

Instant pot boneless chicken thighs

Baked boneless chicken thighs

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