Somewhere on da google, someone posted about a marinade with Sambal Oelek, soy sauce, maple syrup, and mayonnaise, and I knew, with a few changes, I would have to try it on chicken thighs – our fave cut.
Turned out to be perfection in the air fryer. That blackened skin you see is just that, a crispity shell that helped hold in all of the flavor and moisture and tenderness of the thigh meat; and I will wager it would turn out much the same if you tried this combination on your grill.
Of course, I did make a few changes to the original recipe; adding more garlic and cutting down on and using low-sodium Tamari in place of soy sauce (bonus! Tamari is gluten-free!).
All in all, a total keeper!
INGREDIENTS
Marinade:
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•3 tbsp rice vinegar
•2 tbsp mayonnaise
•1 tbsp Sambal Oelek
•1 tbsp maple sryup
•1 tbsp lower sodium Tamari
•1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
Chicken:
•4 to 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chicken thighs in a gallon-sized zipper bag.
Close the bag, toss to coat all sides of the thighs, then stash in the fridge for at least an hour or – always more better – overnight, flipping the bag over whenever you think to.
Remove the chicken from the fridge and heat your air fryer to 400º.
Brush the fryer basket with olive oil, then arrange the thighs, skin side up, in a single layer. Discard the marinade.
Air fry the thighs for about 18 minutes, until the skin is nicely browned (OK, a bit blackened) and an instant read thermometer inserted in the meatiest section of the largest thigh reads 165º.
Again, do not fret about that burnt looking skin – that is a reaction to the maple sugar, and rest easy, the crispity skin is every bit as tasty as the meat it is covering.