Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
These air fryer lemon pepper chicken skewers are juicy, zesty, and packed with bold flavor. Marinated in garlic, lemon zest, and spices, then air-fried to crispy perfection, each bite is basted in a luscious lemon pepper butter for an irresistible finish. Whether you’re meal prepping, hosting a gathering, or just craving something flavorful, these skewers are a must-try!
Why You’re Going to Love This Recipe
- Quick & Easy – Made in the air fryer for fast, hassle-free cooking.
- Bold & Zesty – A perfect balance of fresh lemon, garlic, and buttery richness.
- Juicy & Tender – Chicken thighs stay incredibly moist and flavorful.
- Versatile – Serve over rice, in wraps, or with your favorite sides.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Garlic
- Lemon zest
- Olive oil
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Salt
Lemon Pepper Butter
- Unsalted butter
- Black pepper
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Salt
- Paprika
- Sugar
Instructions
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
In a bowl, mix the chicken with garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and paprika until well combined.
Step 2: Skewer & Cook
Tightly pack the marinated chicken onto skewers. Air fry at a high temperature, flipping halfway, until golden and fully cooked.
Step 3: Make the Lemon Pepper Butter
Combine partially melted butter with lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, salt, paprika, and sugar. Stir until smooth.
Step 4: Baste & Serve
Once the skewers are done, generously brush with lemon pepper butter and serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions
- Over a bed of fluffy rice with roasted vegetables.
- Wrapped in warm pita with tzatziki and fresh herbs.
- Alongside a crisp salad for a light and refreshing meal.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigeration
Store leftover skewers in an airtight container for up to three days.
Freezing
Freeze cooked skewers in a sealed bag for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
- Air Fryer: Heat for a few minutes until warm.
- Oven: Bake at a low temperature until heated through.
- Stovetop: Warm in a skillet with a little butter or oil.
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 3-4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp garlic minced or grated
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper fresh ground
- 1/4 tsp paprika
Lemon Pepper Butter
- 1 stick unsalted butter partially melted
- 1 tsp black pepper fresh ground
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl add in the chicken thighs, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, lemon zest, paprika and olive oil. Mix everything until thoroughly combined.
- Skewer your marinated chicken thighs packing the meat onto each skewer tightly.
- Once all your meat is skewered, air fry for 12 mins @400F.
- Flip and air fry for 8-10 mins @400F or until the internal temperature reaches 165F
Lemon pepper butter
- Add in a bowl the partially melted unsalted butter, salt, black pepper, lemon zest, paprika, sugar, lemon juice
- Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Once the skewers are cooked, baste with the lemon pepper butter and serve immediately.
- Enjoy!
Thank you for this! Just opened our air fryer and this will be our first recipe!
Yay! Thank you! Let me know how it goes.
Omgggg, this was/is by far, the Best chicken recipe EVER!!! Thank you Kingcooks for sharing!
You’re so welcome! Thanks of giving the recipe a try. Glad you enjoyed it!
Ok Kingcooks! You got me. I’m looking forward to trying this one. What did we do before air fryers & tiktok?
I know right! Lol Thanks for your feedback, Sylvia! Let me know how they turn out 😀
How long do you marinate the chicken for?
I would say minimum 30 minutes max 24 hours.
I’m going to try this recipe with salmon. Thank you Chef!
Oh that sounds delicious! Let me know how that goes.Thanks for commenting!
Chicken is marinating as we speak! While I wait to cook em, I’ll be perusing the rest of your yummy looking recipes! Thank you!
Yay! Thanks for giving the recipe a try quickly become one of my favorites. I appreciate your feedback!
absolutely delicious. thank you for the recipe.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you, tiktok, for deciding what’s for dinner tonight. I think it’s good, but great, but I didn’t coat with the lemon butter after removing from the air fryer. I took the suggestion of a viewer and added honey. I would use a little less pepper and skip the honey next time. This was a nice change in our dinner routine.
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Glad you enjoyed it. Happy to help you decide dinner!
Looks great, have to try it
Absolutely! Let me know how it goes!
Can I just pan fry these instead?
Most definitely! Make sure the internal temp reaches 165 and you’re all good.
We LOVED it except WAY too salty. I wonder if there is a typo and the tbsp should be tsp for the salt and pepper. Will adjust and definitely make these again!!
Thanks for your feedback! unfortunately all thighs aren’t created equally so mine were a little bigger than the norm. Highly recommended to make adjustments to your taste to find that sweet spot.
Can you make these in the oven? I want use it on my family Easter buffet so I need quite a bit.
You definitely can! Just cook until the internal temp is 165F and you’re all set!
Made this w oven roasted cauliflower. The chicken was delicious and will definitely make it again but cut back on the pepper. Is tablespoon correct or should it be teaspoon? Thanks for the recipe!
I appreciate your feedback!
Hi! These look great, do you have a clue what the nutrition facts on these might be?
No unfortunately I do not
I entered all the recipes as a whole and if you count it as each skewer is one serving here are the specs.
315 cals
Total fat 25.4
Sat fat 10.3
Cholesterol 140
Sodium 994
Carb 2.1
Fiber n/a
Sugar 0
Protien 21.2
Any nutritional information?
Do you have the nutritional information? Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this .. on my way to the story
Awesome! Come back and let me know how it goes! I’d love the feedback.
This chicken was awesome! I will definitively be making again..
Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
This is a great Keto friendly dish once the sweetener is replaced. Delish my man! Tysm.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for your feedback! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I don’t have an air fryer… I know it’s a sin not to have one! Ha ha. Can I bake these in the oven? As long as the internal temp is 165?
It’s all good! You can definitely use the oven. Air fryers are really just compact convention ovens so they operate like a countertop oven.
Spot on amazing!! Had to use boneless skinless chicken legs, but amazing!!!
This was my first try at using my air fryer skewer set and I will definitely do that part again – the chicken came out moist and delicious but it cooked to 170 degrees internal temperature when I checked it at the 12-minute mark! I may have cut them too small, or maybe because my skewers are raised on a little rack that allows more air circulation they cooked faster. I liked the overall taste but it was WAY too salty. Next time I’ll cut the salt and probably the pepper by at least half, and probably make half the amount of lemon butter as well. I read multiple comments about the saltiness, but they also referenced tablespoons instead of teaspoons, so I thought the recipe had been corrected. Even with teaspoons it was incredibly salty.