Pomegranate Molasses Chicken Thighs
AKA Please don't make me turn on the oven chicken thighs
I am famously anti-gadget. My family did not even have a microwave until I was 15, and as such, my sense of how to do what comes from a very bare-bones understanding of what goes into a kitchen. Everything most people do in air fryers, toaster ovens, or instant pots, I can do, and often prefer to do, on the stove or in an oven. I am not someone you can convince something cooked in 30 minutes in an instant pot tastes the same as something simmered on the stove all day.
 However, if I have spent my whole day doing recipe development and testing version after version of a dish, there are two things I do not want to do. One, I will gag if I have to eat another bite of that recipe, and two, there is no way I am turning my oven back on. On days like that, I turn to this recipe for pomegranate molasses chicken thighs, which I make in the air fryer, and accompany with air fryer small potatoes and a salad with a pomegranate molasses vinaigrette. It’s filling, delicious, and is a great use for pomegranate molasses, especially if you bought it for something specific, and now have no idea what to do with it.
Pomegranate molasses is a Middle Eastern ingredient, which is made by boiling down pomegranate juice and sugar until it reaches a thick consistency. It appears to be a dark brownish-red color, and tastes surprisingly bright and tart with a burnt sugar afternote. The sweetness level varies based on brand, but the one I buy is not very sweet.
Despite being called molasses, Pomegranate molasses is best used in place of a very syrupy balsamic vinegar, which is how this recipe is constructed. It is also really good as a grenadine alternative in cocktails.
My other biggest pieces of advice for this recipe is to use a bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh, and to not be afraid of using tin foil in your air fryer. If you are making this with potatoes or any other air fryer vegetable of your choice (hint: toss it in the same trio of herbs you put on the chicken with half a stick of butter and air-fry in a tinfoil boat until cooked), making little tinfoil boats allows you to lift your food in and out of the air fryer easily. And the skin-on chicken thighs just taste better. I have tested this recipe with both, and it is delicious either way, but why deny yourself the delight of the crispy chicken skin when it is available to you.
Pomegranate Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
·     4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
·     4 tbs pomegranate molasses
·     4 tbs oil
·     1tbs each
o  Oregano
o  Thyme
o  Dill
o  Or use a premade Mediterranean spice mix
·     Salt
·     Pepper
·     Diced garlic or shallot
Directions
1.       Add molasses, oil, and spices to a gallon Ziplock bag
2.       Add in thawed chicken thighs
3.       Let sit in fridge for 30 min-overnight. While the chicken is marinating, make the potatoes or other side dishes
4.       Preheat air fryer to 400° F, line air fryer basket with tinfoil
5.       Cook skin-side up for 16 minutes, or until the inside of the chicken registers 165° when prodded and the juices run clear
6.       Pull out and serve!