This has been the summer when I have said hell no to turning my oven on. And it’s all thanks to my obsession with the air fryer. And yes, that even includes taking my air fryer on a camping trip, because It’s My Birthday and I will do what I want! Including inhaling my favorite camping supper, Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken!
If you have not purchased a Fritaire Air Fryer yet, I simply don’t know what you are waiting for. Do you enjoy perfectly cooked and crispy chicken thighs? Because I truly do. And let’s face it, Costco has the hookup on these chicken thighs, only $1.49 a pound here in California. I know, I know, anyone shopping at Walmart for groceries outside of California finds that price exorbitant, but that is life when you grocery shop in the Southland. When it comes to purchasing meat products here in California, the chicken products are not as regulated as much as other animal products such as beef, lamb, pork, or heaven forbid, veal. So this has been the summer of the chicken thighs. And they turn out so juicy and crispy in my BPA-Free air fryer.
Honestly, I think chicken thighs turn out more consistently in the air fryer than trying not to burn them while juggling five pets and a bottle of crisp and cold rosé in the backyard. Or lugging my prized possession this summer, my BPA-free air fryer on a two-week camping vacation. But you do you, bro. If your idea of vaca is lugging along an Insisart Whiskey smoker, a flat top grill insert and an air fryer, the foodie in me will never judge!
Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken: All the Smoke Without Setting Dinner on Fire
I will be the first to admit, I a
m so obsessed with these chicken thighs this summer season that I even had to pack my air fryer for my recent camping trip. Yes, you read that properly. I took my air fryer camping or some people may refer to it as glamping, as we travel in style in our 1999 Fleetwood motorhome across the country. The great thing about traveling cross-country in a 34-foot motorhome is you can pack everything. Your favorite blow-up kayak for all those High Sierra alpine lakes, your Donald Trump inner tubes and most importantly, that air fryer.
I realize this is a crazy world we live in here in 2026, so don’t judge me for packing not just the dog into my Jeep Trailhawk everywhere I go but also one of my most prized appliances, my BPA-free air fryer. If I am adventuring in the Sierras for two weeks straight, I simply can’t do it without Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken.
So no, I can not run the Air fryer through my Jeep Cherokee. I googled that! When I purchased my awesome Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk three years ago, I was thrilled to see the 150-watt 115 V AC power outlet in the backseat. I can use it to power small appliances that every camper girl needs, such as my Tideway hair straightener or my beloved blender. However, this poor little foodie over here cannot use the Jeep Cherokee to run her air fryer or waffle maker while tent camping. Well, thank God we brought the motorhome on this two-week Eastern Sierra camping adventure or I simply do not know what I would be having for breakfast.
The built-in 115V AC outlet in my Jeep Cherokee is a lovely little feature if I want to charge a laptop, plug in something civilized or generally pretend I have my life together while adventuring in the wilderness. What it cannot do is power my air fryer. That outlet maxes out at just 150 watts, while the average air fryer is a power-hungry little beast demanding somewhere around 1,200 to 1,800 watts. Plugging my air fryer into the Jeep would be less “birthday dinner in the Eastern Sierra” and more “Happy Birthday! You just blew a fuse.”
Luckily, this birthday adventure has us roaming the Eastern Sierra in our beloved 25-year-old motorhome-away-from-home, where we installed our own solar system because apparently owning an elderly RV means eventually becoming an electrician whether you planned to or not. Our solar setup gives us enough power to fire up the air fryer while we’re camped far from civilization, which means Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken is absolutely on the birthday-trip menu. Nothing says rugged wilderness woman quite like parking in the middle of nowhere, admiring the Sierra Nevada, pouring a birthday cocktail and then casually producing perfectly juicy, smoky chipotle chicken from an air fryer powered by sunshine.
Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken: Dinner With a Little Adobo Attitude
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3 teaspoons adobo chiles in tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon tomato paste (Or a little fresh tomato
4 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 pound chicken thighs with bones and skins, cut into thirds and set aside
To build your marinade, in your blender add your garlic, adobe chilis, tomato sauce, oregano, paprika, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, brown sugar and olive oil to the blender and blend well. When this is blended, add to your chicken thighs and marinate for at least three hours.
When you are ready to fry up your Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken Thighs, place them in the air fryer at 425 for about 21-25 minutes, shaking once halfway through. When the Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken is cooked to your liking, you are ready to serve.
I love this Air Fryer Chipotle Chicken with my favorite Cilantro Salad Dressing and homegrown green leaf lettuce. Or you can do more, like a protein bowl with this chicken over roasted sweet potatoes, with slivered avocado and a dollop of goat cheese.
