These Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Chicken Thighs are quick, easy, and on your dinner table in less than 20 minutes. Juicy moist chicken made right in your Air Fryer.
This post may contain affiliate links, please read my full disclosure here.
Full Recipe/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
Quick and easy weeknight options are a must in our house, especially these days. We’ve moved outside the city (yay) which means a longer commute after work (nay). Most evenings, I come in the house exhausted, ready to order “la pizza.”
But with this Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Thigh Recipe, pizza gets pushed on the back burner and this gets made in a jiffy. It’s full of flavor and I don’t have to wait for my chicken to marinate, woo hoo! My chicken thighs still come out juicy and moist and full of flavor.
Chicken thighs are one of my favorite pieces of chicken to cook in an Air Fryer. They don’t dry out, they're full of flavor, and they’re pretty much hands off.
How do you cook chicken thighs in an Air Fryer?
For this recipe, I start by washing and drying my chicken thighs. Yes, I know the big debate..do as you wish when it comes to washing your chicken. But...make sure they are dry when adding the seasonings.
I then season my chicken thighs with my seasonings. For this recipe, I use lemon pepper seasoning, fresh lemon juice, black pepper, paprika, italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Most lemon pepper seasoning by itself just doesn’t move me, so I add to it.
I then place my chicken thighs in my Air Fryer...it's ok if they touch a little.
I follow the following cooktimes:
- Boneless chicken thighs: 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-17 minutes, flipping halfway through
- Bone in chicken thighs: 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-25, flipping halfway through. Then crank up to 390 degrees for 5 minutes if you want crispy skin.
Then serve and enjoy your delicious moist Lemon Pepper Chicken.
Do I need to spray these chicken thighs with oil?
Not this time! I find that some foods need oil while others don’t. Since there is no breading on this and chicken thighs have their own natural fat, you don’t need oil. I talk about this and more in my 10 Air Fryer Tips every Air Fryer Owner Should Know.
Will these chicken thighs get crispy?
Not if they are skinless, because there isn’t really much to crisp. If you want crispy chicken thighs, skin on would work best.
I hope you enjoy these lemon pepper chicken thighs as much as we do.
Looking for more Air Fryer Chicken Recipes? Try my
Air Fryer Chicken Wings (Fresh or Frozen)
Crispy Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Air Fryer Whole Rotisserie Chicken
Pin Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Chicken Thighs for Later
Watch this video tutorial and see how I make these air fryer chicken thighs from start to finish.
Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 ½ Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ Tablespoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Wash and dry chicken thighs. Rub remaining ingredients over chicken thighs.
- Place in Air fryer and cook on 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, turning halfway through until the chicken has reached a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
For Skin On Bone in Chicken Thighs
- For bone in thighs with skin, increase cook time for 22-25 minutes at 360 degrees. Then cook on 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes more.
barbara Somero says
Delicious! I just subscribed to your site, based on how delicious and quick these were. Thank you
Tanya says
Thanks so much Barbara! Glad you liked them.
Natalie says
I did not care for this recipe. By the time the other seasonings were added, it didn't taste like lemon pepper chicken anymore. For me, it didn't taste like anything in particular. Thank you for posting it though.
Tanya says
Thanks for your feedback. I found the lemon pepper flavor to be strong and perfectly balanced with the other seasonings. You can use solely lemon pepper if you wish.
Kelli says
I made this tonight, and my family loved it. So easy and tasty!
Ben says
You should never wash your chicken "Do not wash raw chicken. During washing, chicken juices can spread in the kitchen and contaminate other foods, utensils, and countertops"--https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/chicken.html
Tanya says
Thanks Ben. Thanks for the link. I'm familiar with the CDC recs but some people are just trained to rinse/wash their chicken. If you're going to wash, I recommend sanitizing all areas your poultry or the juices come in contact with.
maureen rumpf says
great recipe !!! Easy and sooooo tasty.
thanks. so much.
Connie says
Excellent! I’m a beginner with the air fryer and this was so easy and full of flavor!
Laura Stapleton says
My 13-year-old daughter declared this "better than KFC" tonight. Followed the directions exactly except my skinless, boneless thighs were done cooking after about 12 minutes. So easy! Thanks for the new recipe to add to our rotation!
Tanya says
Thank you Laura 🙂 So glad you all enjoyed the recipe.
Paulette says
You don’t specify air fry or bake setting?
Tanya says
Hi Paulette, my air fryer only has one setting of air fry. You can set the air fry setting on your machine if it gives two options.
Jack says
@Paulette, The post says Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Chicken
Naomi says
Okay. Followed the recipe and placed in my air fryer. My air fryer was dead! I used it less than a week ago--bummer. Had everything ready and read all of the notes beforehand. No choice but to use my skillet. I did and it was great. I didn't add oil, medium heat and used my thermometer. It was delicious! Thank you.
Keith says
Made this today and it was spot on. Turned out great and really easy to do. I think this has become my go to for doing chicken thighs. Thanks for recipe.
Shoushana says
Used skin on bone in chicken thighs and accidentally left out the lemon juice. Came out delicious. All the goodness of oven baked without turning on the oven.
Nancy says
These are currently in my air fryer and realized I’d forgot the lemon juice. Glad to know yours turned out good.
Jacob says
What camera was used for this ? And it looks good !!!
Tanya says
Thanks! This photo was taken with a Cannon 80d.
Annette says
It was delicious. So easy to make. I used lime juice, instead of lemon juice, because that’s what I had. Next time I will add salt, because I did have to add some when I served it. I also made it with bone in and skin on thighs. There were only four in the pack and I was worried that the full seasoning mix would be too strong, but it wasn’t. It was just perfect. And I served it with air fryer roasted broccoli and a salad.
Michelle Blandford says
My chicken turned out fantastic! Followed recipe to a T. Added to some pasta con broccoli and it was better than at a restaurant.
Pam says
I don’t understand when u are supposed to add the lemon juice...
Tanya says
Hi Pam, you rub the lemon juice on the chicken thighs along with the other ingredients.