Air Fryer Crispy Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts
Air fryer lemon pepper chicken breasts brined 24 hours in buttermilk and lemon juice, coated in a two-step flour and cornstarch mixture, and air fried until crispy.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 469kcal
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
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 3981mg | Potassium: 526mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 307IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 177mg | Iron: 3mg
