Hot Lemon Pepper Chicken Skewers
Hot lemon pepper is an Atlanta staple chicken wing flavor. We are using this delicious tangy, spicy and zesty homemade butter sauce on these air fryer chicken tenders that are so juicy they just fall apart.
Servings: 6 skewers
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs. chicken tenders or thighs cut in 2-3” pieces
- 1 tablespoon Lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 2 tsp cracked pepper
- 1 lemon zest only
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1-2 tablespoon hot sauce Crystal, Frank's, Louisana, etc.
- 2-3 tablespoon olive oil
Hot Lemon Pepper Butter Mixture
- 1 - 8oz. stick salted butter slightly melted
- 2 tsp cracked pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 lemon, zest and juice start with juice form half the lemon, add more if needed for the right tangy balance
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce Crystal, Frank's, Louisana
- 2 tsp honey
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Prep and Marinate Chicken
- Place chicken chunks in a bowl. Add all of the seasonings, hot sauce and oil. Mix well until chicken pieces are evenly coated. Allow them to rest while preparing butter mixture.
- In a small bowl, add the butter and microwave until it’s slightly melted. Add remaining ingredients and mix together to form a paste. Remove a portion of the butter mixture and place into a separate bowl for basting the finished cooked chicken (to prevent cross contamination).
- Skewer chicken pieces onto wooden skewers packing them tightly together. This helps it stay extremely juicy.
Cook in Air Fryer
- Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick spray or use an air fryer liner. Cook in batches of 2-3 skewers at a time as to not overcrowd.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and baste with butter mixture. Return to the air fryer for 4 minutes. Flip the chicken, baste with butter and return to air fryer for another 6 minutes.
- Once chicken is finished cooking and internal temp reaches 165, remove and baste the chicken on both sides one final time. It's great served over rice with roasted vegetables. Use any leftover lemon pepper butter to top rice and veggies.
Notes
Don't have an air fryer? You can grill or roast in the oven, basting throughout the cooking process.