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.
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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
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 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.
Susanne Steele says
Quick, easy and so so good!!!!!
jlynn says
We had these for dinner tonight! So very delicious!!! Thank you Tanya!!
Tanya says
Thank you 🙂 So glad you like the recipe.
Karen Scharer says
First recipe used for the new air fryer. The chicken turned out great!
Blossom says
These were absolutely delicious! My first time using my Instant Pot Air Fryer lid and I'm so impressed with the taste and as others have said, moistness. Thanks for a great recipe!
Tanya says
Thank you! So glad you liked them 🙂
Steve says
Moist ?
Tanya says
Hi Steve, yes they do 🙂
Steve says
Hi... want to try this tonight. Do the chicken thighs stay most?
Karen says
I'm going to try these this week. Silly question: since I have to dry the chicken, won't the lemon juice make it wet again? or do I mix all the spices with the lemon juice?
Tanya says
Hi Karen, it does. I like to dry the chicken to get rid of the excess water and just keep the acid from the lemon. It'll still crisp up nicely though.
JeromeP43 says
Great meal! I used Weber Lemon Pepper seasoning on my bone in, skin on thighs. I will make this again for sure.
Jeanette says
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I’m a novice cook so appreciated the tips to pay dry chicken and that the pieces can touch in airfryer. I’ve made this twice already and it’s fool proof!
Tanya says
Thank you for the feedback ? Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Alexander Maynard says
Can you use lemon extract instead?
Tanya says
I wouldn't. It'll probably taste artificial. Lemon juice in the bottle should work.
Janice says
This was my first ever use of my new air fryer. Oh my goodness! Absolutely delicious! I am so excited to try your other recipes. Thanks so much! Not just for the recipe but also for the excellent instructions & tips & for your enthusiasm.
Tanya says
You're so welcome Janice! Glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Brianna F Lastre says
Delicious! Would've liked even more of the seasoning in the same ratio. I didn't have Italian seasoning so i just added a mix of parsley and oregano.
LadyDoc says
My husband is my taste tester. He Loved your air fryer chicken thighs and says this is the Best “fried”chicken he’s ever had. The chicken was moist, succulent, tasty, and quick and easy. The skin was crispy. I used skin-on bone-in thighs. I doubled the quantity of spices, moistened the pieces with the lemon juice then the spice rub.
Michelle says
If using thighs with skin on, would you cook skin side down and then flip half way to crisp up the skin...or does it matter?
Tanya says
I cook skin side up and I don't flip and it gets crispy.
Enoelia says
I made chicken thighs for supper today in my new Air Fryer & have to tell you, they not only looked appetizing, they were really really good. Thank you for the recipe!!
Brenda says
These were so good! Used bone-in thighs but removed the skin and they were excellent! Thanks for a great recipe!
Kay says
I’d definitely increase the temp or cook time. Bone in thighs weren’t cooked all the way through at the end.
Tanya says
Hi Kay, you'll need to adjust the cook time for your air fryer brand and/or altitude, size of thighs, etc.. I've used both the Phillips Avance XL and Bella Pro 5.3qt for these thighs and the cook times with bone-in thighs are the same for both those machines. For the next go around, I'd cook them a little longer and use a quick read thermometer to ensure they have reached at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Kim says
Mine were!
I have the Bella
Karen says
My daughter and I made them tonight we used bonless and skinless chicken 4 oz chicken breast and followed your instructions and they turned out so good and tender. Got the air fryer for Christmas. Do you have a pork chop recipe. I've tried two different ones with no luck. Thanks.