Air Fryer Lemon Chicken Bites (no breading, keto, paleo, whole30)
Air Fryer Lemon Chicken Bites with marinated chicken thighs air fried to golden crispy! No breading and starch and totally lemony delicious!
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Chicken Thighs skin-on
- 1.5 tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- ¼ cup lemon juice about 1 to 1 ½ whole lemons
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 sprays avocado oil for the air fryer basket
Serving:
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- Sprinkle Furikake optional
- Extra lemon wedges on the side about quarter to half of one whole lemon
Instructions
To prep:
- Debone the chicken thighs and dice them to slightly larger than bite sizes. Please see how to debone chicken thighs in the blog post with photos, if you aren’t sure how to do that. Or check out this web story. Transfer them to a container that’s just big enough to hold all the pieces.
- Add the seasoning from salt to olive oil. Gently mix them and make sure all the pieces are in touch with lemon juice. Marinate overnight in the fridge and up to 24 hours.
To air fry:
- Lightly spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil. Place-in the chicken skin-side up. Try not to let the pieces touch each other too much (a little snuggle is fine just don’t overlap them) so each piece gets crisp up.
- Air fry at 380F (193C) for 18-20 minutes. The skin should be golden crispy and the chicken should be cooked through but not overly cooked. If you want to be exact, the internal temperature should reach 165F (74C) on a digital meat thermometer.
To serve:
- Transfer the chicken bites to a medium size serving plate. Sprinkle with chives and furikake, if using, and serve with lemon wedges on the side. Serve hot and immediately.
Notes
Can I use skinless/boneless chicken thighs? You can but it won’t be as good! I mean who doesn’t love crispy chicken skin so I think it’s totally worth a little time to remove the bones. Chicken with skin-on will taste more tender.
Can I use black pepper? Yes you can but white pepper will make this dish taste more Asian! This dish is inspired by my Taiwanese chicken nuggets and Japanese lemon chicken so I recommend using white pepper.
Marinate the chicken overnight (and up to 24 hours) in the fridge before air fry so the chicken will be extra flavorful. This is perfect for make-ahead!
If using oven, preheat the oven to 425F (218C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly spray with oil. Place the chicken skin side up and bake for 15 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and the meat is cooked through. Then, set the oven to high broil and broil for 3 minutes to give a nice golden color. The internal temperature should reach 165F (74C) on a digital meat thermometer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 569kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 1047mg | Potassium: 481mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 242IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 2mg
