Tried frozen chicken thighs at 400 for 18 minutes and they came out rubbery

I got a bag of frozen thighs on sale for $5 and figured the air fryer would make them perfect... nope, they were tough and chewy. I think I needed to thaw them first or lower the temp, not sure. Has anyone else had luck with frozen chicken pieces in the air fryer without drying them out?

2 comments

2 Comments

blakem1310d ago

My buddy Steve tried this exact thing last week with some drumsticks he got on sale. He threw them in frozen at 400 too and said they came out like rubber bands... he was pretty mad about it. He told me he tried again the next night but lowered the temp to 350 and added 5 minutes to the time, and they actually came out juicy and crispy on the outside. The trick was that he stopped halfway through and shook the basket to break them apart so they cooked even. I'd def try 350 for like 22 minutes next time, that seemed to work way better for him.

drew_park10d ago

Nah man, at 400 degrees frozen thighs are basically asking for a chewing workout. I did the exact same thing last week and my jaw was actually sore after dinner, felt like I was eating a tire. @blakem13's buddy Steve has the right idea with 350 for longer - I tried 350 for 20 minutes on some frozen drumsticks and they came out way better, still juicy inside and the skin actually got crispy. Had to shake the basket halfway through too or they stick together like a block of ice meat. You ever try patting them dry with a paper towel first? That helped mine not turn into hockey pucks.