Keto Marinated Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer

For an easy and delicious dinner try these keto marinated chicken thighs in the air fryer. The marinade is bright and flavorful with citrus, cilantro and garlic that give the juicy chicken thighs so much flavor. This is an easy weeknight dinner especially if you are on a low carb diet. Each serving has just 5 grams carbs and 21.5 grams protein!

You might also like this keto smoked pork loin with mojo sauce.

My family loves chicken thighs and so I’m always finding new ways to make them. Today I wanted to use the flavor profile of a mojo sauce using oranges, limes, garlic and cilantro and made these keto marinated chicken thighs in the air fryer.

It was really quite delicious and we at them by chopping them up and making a bowl with southwest flavors. I used cauliflower rice, guacamole and diced tomatoes. My husband did the same but used regular rice and his pickled jalapenos.

However the marinade makes enough to be a dipping sauce so you can just eat them whole as a main dish. These marinated chicken thighs are very versatile and can also be grilled in the summer time. Each thigh has just 5 grams carbs and 21.5 grams of protein so this is a great dish for those on a low carb diet.

Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used for the marinade was fresh limes, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno pepper, orange juice, salt and sweetener. And use the marinade with boneless chicken thighs.

Chicken
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs however you can use this marinade with chicken breast or drumsticks. You can also use bone in chicken if you want. The cooking times may vary though.

Fresh Cilantro
The primary flavor for this marinade is cilantro (and garlic) so I would not recommend substituting it but if you must you can use fresh parsley.

Fresh Oranges and Fresh Limes
I prefer to use fresh orange juice and fresh lime juice because I also like to use the zest. But you could use no sugar added orange juice or bottled lime juice if you want. I would still use the zest from these fruits.

Swerve Sweetener
Because I wanted to keep this low carb, I used my favorite sugar substitute which is Swerve sweetener. You can use your favorite sweetener of choice for this recipe. And if you don’t care about carbs you can use regular white sugar.

Jalapeno Pepper and Fresh Garlic
This give the recipe some bite and the a bit of that green pepper flavor. However if you don’t have any you can add a little bit of heat by substituting with hot pepper flakes. I would also use fresh garlic cloves and not minced jar garlic or even garlic powder. It’s a big part of the flavor and fresh is much better for this recipe.

How to make this keto marinated chicken thighs in the air fryer.

Step 1: First zest the orange and then peel and place in the food processor or a high speed blender. The zest the lime and squeeze the limes in the food processor.

Step 2: Add the garlic, cilantro, salt, jalapeno pepper and olive oil. Blend well until well combined and makes the mojo sauce and marinade as seen below.

Step 3: Divide the marinade in half and pour in a large ziplock bag along with the boneless, skinless thighs. Mix it around to make sure all of the chicken is covered. Place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or even overnight.

Store the rest of the sauce in the refrigerator and use as a dipping sauce later.

Step 4: When ready to eat take out the chicken and let sit while you preheat the air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes. When done spray the air fryer basket with nonstick cooking spray. Gently take the raw chicken out of the bag and place the thighs in air fryer.

If you want you can spoon a little bit of the marinade from the bag over the thighs like I did below.

Step 5: Cook at 400°F for 18-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, flipping halfway through. The internal temperature should be 165°F when using a meat thermometer. Cooking times may vary. You may have to put it in for a few minutes longer.

Step 6: When done, let rest for 5 minutes and then serve. Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

As I mentioned above we chopped them up and made rice bowls using Mexican or southwest toppings. Some good keto toppings to try are avocado slices, guacamole, tomatoes, green onions, fresh herbs, cheese, black olives, jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, hot pepper flakes, etc.

However you can also serve them whole along with the leftover marinade that acts as a dipping sauce along with vegetables and a green salad. Or try one of these keto side dishes.

These would also be delicious on the grill. The marinade has such bright flavors that remind me of summer time. And if you are not on a low carb diet, they would be great as a sandwich.

More keto air fryer chicken recipes to try.

I have so many keto chicken recipes on this website but here are few of my favorite recipes that are made in the air fryer.

• low carb rotisserie pieces or kebabs
• keto chicken patties or chicken nuggets using canned chicken
• low carb sticky drumsticks or buffalo wings
• keto popcorn chicken or nuggets with pork rind breading
• keto stuffed bacon wrapped thighs

This was really quite delicious. This mojo sauce is one of those flavor combinations that are so full of flavor but also makes a good dipping sauce. These would also make a great sandwich. So next time you are looking for some quick but tasty keto dinner ideas try these air fryer marinated chicken thighs with mojo sauce.

Then nutritional information for 1 thigh is 284 calories / 26.1g fat / 6.1g carbs / 1.1g fiber / 21.5g protein = 5g net carbs

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Keto Marinated Chicken Thighs in the Air Fryer

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 25 minutes

For a deliciously easy low carb dinner try this keto marinated chicken thighs made in the air fryer. Using a mojo marinade that gives the thighs so much flavor and is uses simple ingredients!

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Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
• 1 orange zested then peeled
• 3 limes ( juiced and zest from 1 of them)
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sweetener
• ½ cup olive oil

Instructions

1. Using a high speed blender or food processor, zest the orange and then one lime. Peel orange and add to the food processor along with the lime juice of all 3 limes. then add the garlic, cilantro, salt and sweetener. Blend until everything is minced and well combined.
2. Lastly add in the olive oil and pulse a few times to mix it well. Place the thighs in a large ziplock baggie and pour half of the marinade over top. Save the rest of the marinade in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This can be used as a dipping sauce later.
3. Mix the marinade around the chicken pieces until they are all covered. Then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. When ready to eat, take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Preheat air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes. Then take out the air fryer basket and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Carefull place the thighs in the basket. if you want you can spoon some of the marinade from the baag on top of them.
5. Place the basket in the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 18-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The internal temperature should be 165°F when using a meat thermometer. Let rest for 5 minutes befor serving.
6. Serve chicken with the extra marinade and use it as a dipping sauce. Can use this chicken rice bowls or eat as is. Store leftovers in an air tight container.

Notes

Then nutritional information for 1 thigh is 284 calories / 26.1g fat / 6.1g carbs / 1.1g fiber / 21.5g protein = 5g net carbs

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284