diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java
index 9f7ec3ffe9..97761ee295 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ning/http/client/providers/netty/NettyAsyncHttpProvider.java
@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@
 import java.util.Map.Entry;
 import java.util.concurrent.Callable;
 import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.Future;
 import java.util.concurrent.RejectedExecutionException;
@@ -175,6 +176,10 @@ public boolean remove(Object o) {
     private final static SpnegoEngine spnegoEngine = new SpnegoEngine();
 
     public NettyAsyncHttpProvider(AsyncHttpClientConfig config) {
+        this(config, null);
+    }
+    
+    public NettyAsyncHttpProvider(AsyncHttpClientConfig config, ExecutorService nioBossExecutorService) {
 
         if (config.getAsyncHttpProviderConfig() != null
                 && NettyAsyncHttpProviderConfig.class.isAssignableFrom(config.getAsyncHttpProviderConfig().getClass())) {
@@ -186,8 +191,12 @@ public NettyAsyncHttpProvider(AsyncHttpClientConfig config) {
         if (asyncHttpProviderConfig != null && asyncHttpProviderConfig.getProperty(NettyAsyncHttpProviderConfig.USE_BLOCKING_IO) != null) {
             socketChannelFactory = new OioClientSocketChannelFactory(config.executorService());
         } else {
+            ExecutorService bossExecutor = nioBossExecutorService;
+            if (bossExecutor == null) {
+                bossExecutor = Executors.newCachedThreadPool();
+            }
             socketChannelFactory = new NioClientSocketChannelFactory(
-                    Executors.newCachedThreadPool(),
+                    bossExecutor,
                     config.executorService());
         }
         plainBootstrap = new ClientBootstrap(socketChannelFactory);