We love to play with our air fryer, and so does BBQ World Champion Doug Scheiding of Rogue Cookers. After some testing, trial, and error, Doug offers this recipe for gluten-free, low-carb, air-fried chicken. Take the time to do the prep work Doug describes. It's worth it.
Power couple Doug Scheiding and Jennifer Talley make up the Rogue BBQ Cookers, cooking exclusively on Traeger Grills. Considering his technical background and constant desire to improve, Doug is known for tweaking recipes, which is where the team name was derived. Head Country Championship Seasoning and The Original Bar-B-Q Sauce have been a part of his arsenal since day 1 of his competitive smoking journey in 2009. Rogue Cookers have been lucky enough to cook at many of the larger BBQ cook offs across the country, winning several awards. Doug is also a Traeger Pro Team Member/Instructor and the TX Correspondent to The BBQ Central Show.
FOLLOW ROUGE COOKERS8-10 chicken thighs (should be 3.75-4.25 lbs)
Canola oil
Head Country Championship Seasoning, High Plains Heat
Head County Championship Seasoning, The Original
Turn thighs skin side down. Use kitchen shears to cut the chicken into a rectangle shape, to remove excess skin. Cut off the round part of the thigh bone. Flip thighs over and cut off any remaining meat that remains exposed.
Place 4-5 thighs on a cookie sheet. Coat chicken with canola oil, top and bottom.
Add a layer of Head Country Championship Seasoning, High Plains Heat. Then, apply a layer of the Original Championship Seasoning. Flip and repeat.
To make sure the skin cooks up crisp, refrigerate chicken, uncovered, for 2-4 hours. To hold the skin in place for better presentation, use steel turkey lacer pins, 2 per thigh, inserted parallel to bone.
Place seasoned thighs into the air fryer. It's fine if the chicken pieces touch. Cook at 380°F for 16 minutes.
Test chicken temperature with a good thermometer to make sure it is 170°F+.
Remove thighs from air fryer and allow to cool on a plate for 3-5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite BBQ sides.
