Air fryer lemon pepper chicken breasts with a 24-hour buttermilk brine, a lemon pepper coating made from scratch, and a wet batter that crisps up in the air fryer. No bottled seasoning. No frying. Just juicy chicken with a crunchy, peppery crust.
I originally developed this recipe years ago as a sponsored post. The partnership is long over but the recipe stayed because the brine and the two-step coating just work. It is the chicken I make when I want fried chicken crunch without the oil.
Why This Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Works
The buttermilk brine is the first step and the one that matters most. Twenty-four hours in buttermilk, lemon juice, and salt. The acid tenderizes the chicken. The salt seasons it all the way through. Skip the brine and you get a crispy outside with a bland inside. Do the full 24 hours and the chicken is juicy edge to edge.
The coating is a two-step process. Dry mixture first. Flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, salt. Roll the brined chicken in it and the dry mix sticks to the damp skin. Then into the wet batter. Flour, cornstarch, lemon juice, water. The wet batter grabs the dry coating and forms a shell around the chicken. Two layers, one crust.
Do not crowd the air fryer basket. The chicken breasts need space around each piece. If they touch, they steam. Cook in batches if you have to. Two batches of crispy chicken beat one batch of soggy.
Spray the chicken, not just the basket. The cooking spray on the coating itself is what browns it and makes it crunch. Spray at the start, spray again when you flip halfway through, and hit any flour spots.
How to Make Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts
Brine the chicken the night before. Buttermilk, lemon juice, and salt in a sealable bag with the skin-on breasts. Into the fridge for 24 hours. This is not optional if you want the full result.
Mix the dry coating in one bowl. Flour, cornstarch, lemon zest, coarse black pepper, garlic powder, salt. Mix the wet batter in a second bowl. Flour, cornstarch, lemon juice, water. You want it wet and loosely combined.
Pull the chicken from the brine, discard the bag, and pat the breasts dry with paper towels. Excess moisture makes the coating slide.
Roll each breast in the dry mixture until coated. Then dredge through the wet batter, shaking off the excess. The batter should cling to the dry coating in a thin, even layer.
Spray the air fryer basket and the chicken breasts with cooking spray. Place them in a single layer. Cook at 350°F for 20 minutes total. At 10 minutes, spray the breasts again, flip them, spray the other side, and rotate trays if your air fryer has them.
Top with fresh ground pepper and chopped parsley. Let them rest a few minutes so the coating sets.
What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts
Slice them over a salad, pair them with zucchini fries done in the air fryer, or keep it simple with roasted potatoes and a green vegetable. The chicken holds up for meal prep too. Make a batch and slice over lunches all week.
More Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
For more air fryer dinners, browse my air fryer recipes and my chicken recipes. My air fryer vinegar chicken breasts are another crispy recipe with a tangy twist. My blackened chicken uses a cast iron skillet for a different kind of crust.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Crispy Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
Buttermilk Brine
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 skin-on chicken breasts
Dry Mixture
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoon Argo® Corn Starch
- 4 tablespoon lemon zest - roughly 4 lemons
- 3 ½ teaspoon black pepper - coarse, grinded
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Batter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon Argo® Corn Starch
- 7 tablespoon lemon juice - from zested lemons
- 4 tablespoon water
- cooking spray
Garnish
- coarse pepper - grinded
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pour the buttermilk, lemon juice, and the salt into a large sealable bag along with the skin-on chicken breasts.
- Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry mixture ingredients (all-purpose flour, Argo® Corn Starch, lemon zest, black pepper, garlic powder, and salt).
- In a separate bowl, mix together the batter ingredients (flour, corn starch, lemon juice, and water). You are looking for a wet and loosely combined batter mixture.
- Once the chicken breasts are brined, remove them from the sealable bag and discard the remaining buttermilk mixture.
- Pat the chicken breasts with paper towels to remove any excess moisture.
- Roll the chicken breasts in the dry corn starch mixture.
- Then dredge the chicken breasts into the wet mixture, making sure to shake off any excess batter.
- Spray the air fryer basket or trays with cooking spray.
- Spray the chicken breasts with the cooking spray and them into the air fryer basket or trays. It may be necessary to cook the breasts in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
- Set the air fryer to 350°F and for 20 minutes.
- Allow the chicken to cook for 10 minutes, spray the breasts with more cooking spray (paying attention to spots with flour). Turn the breasts and coat the other side and rotate the trays if applicable.
- Top the chicken breasts with freshly ground pepper and fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- Brine the chicken for the full 24 hours. The buttermilk and lemon juice need that time to tenderize the meat and season it all the way through. Less than 12 hours and the brine has not done its job.
- Pat the chicken dry after the brine. Wet chicken makes the dry coating slide off before it reaches the batter.
- Spray the chicken breasts themselves, not just the basket. Hit any flour spots when you flip at the 10-minute mark. The cooking spray is what browns the coating and gives it crunch.
- Cook in batches if your air fryer basket is small. Overcrowding steams the chicken instead of crisping it.
- Let the chicken rest a few minutes before slicing. The crust sets as it cools and stays crunchier.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
mmm! Would have never thought to use my air fryer to make lemon chicken
mmm! Would have never thought to use my air fryer to make lemon chicken
Can I use this recipe and bake chicken instead of deepfry?
Yes you can bake this in the oven. The only difference would be that baking it in the oven will take longer than in the air fryer.
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Is there any particular reason that bone-in and skin-on thighs can't be used? How about boneless and skinless breasts and/or thighs?
That will still work! You will just need to adjust the cooking time based on your air fryer.