For standard fried chicken-style thighs at home, plan on about 12–20 minutes in 350 °F (175 °C) oil, but always cook until the internal temperature hits 165 °F at the thickest part.

Quick Scoop: Time & Temp

  • Oil temperature: 350 °F / 175 °C is the sweet spot for most home deep frying.
  • Internal doneness: Chicken thighs are safely cooked at 165 °F internal temperature.
  • Visual cue: Deep golden brown, crisp outside, juices running clear when pierced.

Bone-in vs boneless

  • Bone-in thighs
    • Typical deep-fry time: about 20–30 minutes at 350 °F, depending on size and coating thickness.
* Some recipes specify **25–30 minutes** for large, well-coated bone-in thighs.
  • Boneless thighs
    • Typical deep-fry time: about 12–18 minutes at 350 °F.
* Many home cooks find they’re done closer to the 12–15 minute mark if not too thick.

Think of it like this: boneless = quicker, bone-in = richer flavor but needs extra time so the heat reaches the center.

Simple Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Prep the thighs
    • Pat dry, season, and (optionally) dredge in seasoned flour or batter for a crispy crust.
  1. Heat the oil
    • Use a deep pot or fryer with at least 2 inches of oil so the chicken can be fully submerged.
 * Bring oil to about 350 °F.
  1. Fry in small batches
    • Gently lower 2–4 pieces in, depending on pot size, so you don’t crowd and cool the oil too much.
 * Bone-in: start checking around 18–20 minutes, often finishes 20–30 minutes.

 * Boneless: start checking around 10–12 minutes, usually done by 12–18 minutes.
  1. Check doneness
    • Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part, avoiding the bone: look for 165 °F.
 * If it’s under, return to the oil a few more minutes and re-check.
  1. Rest and serve
    • Let the thighs drain on paper towels or a rack for around 5 minutes to crisp and shed excess oil.

Alternate Frying Approaches

Some cooks use a two-stage fry for ultra-crispy skin: a lower-temp fry (around 300–325 °F) to cook the meat through, followed by a short high-temp fry (400–450 °F) to crisp the outside. This is more advanced but can yield very crunchy thighs.

Handy Time Overview (HTML Table)

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Chicken type Oil temp Approx. time Key check
Bone-in thighs 350 °F / 175 °C 20–30 minutes 165 °F internal, deep golden brown
Boneless thighs 350 °F / 175 °C 12–18 minutes 165 °F internal, crisp coating
Pan-fried thighs Medium heat, ~350 °F oil 15–25 minutes total, turning halfway Browned both sides, 165 °F inside

Safety & little story-style tip

Imagine your oil like a busy road: if you dump in a whole crowd of chicken at once, traffic slows and everything gets soggy. Frying just a few pieces at a time keeps the “traffic” flowing so each thigh comes out crisp, juicy, and evenly cooked. Many home cooks online mention overcrowding as the most common mistake when people wonder why their thighs took 30–40 minutes and still weren’t quite right.

Bottom line: aim for 350 °F oil, 12–18 minutes for boneless, 20–30 minutes for bone-in, and let your thermometer (165 °F internal) be the final judge every time.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.