I love lemons. Not only do I love lemons, but I am a fanatic about air fryer lemon pepper chicken thighs. The recipe for air fried chicken breasts started out as a simple copycat of Wingstop lemon pepper chicken wings. But due to a nationwide shortage of chicken wings, Wingstop began marketing a Ghost kitchen concept called Thighstop.
Table of contents
What Is A Ghost Kitchen
A ghost kitchen is a conceptualized restaurant menu that is primarily served as take out style or delivery only. A Ghost Kitchen can be a stand-alone commissary building or belong inside an established restaurant with its branding separate from the Ghost Kitchen.
One of the most successful ghost kitchen concepts has been Mr. Beast Burger. Mr. Beast burger is a delivery only sandwich and burger concept that is available through Grubhub and has a limited menu. However, you can always get the namesake Beast Style Burger. Smashed crispy beef patties with house seasoning, American cheese, pickles, diced white onion, mayo, ketchup, and brown mustard on a soft roll. It is a mess of a burger, but delicious!
Wingstop’s Ghost Kitchen is heavily marketed as Thighstop and is only available ordered and served though Door Dash. I, personally, loved the Thighstop copycat chicken thighs. They are large and have plenty of juicy chicken meat, so in many ways they are a better value than chicken wings.
The air fryer chicken thighs may be one of the easiest recipes I have ever imitated. So hats of to Thighstop.
Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
For the air fryer lemon pepper chicken thighs you’ll need bone in and skin on chicken thighs, prepared lemon pepper seasoning, butter, flour, salt and pepper. That’s it. Just a few simple ingredients are needed to make this amazing copycat recipe of Wingstop’s new fried lemon pepper chicken thighs.
Chicken
White meat or dark meat is the question that is asked at every Thanksgiving dinner table. So, it is no surprise that white meat chicken is the favorite when it comes to fried chicken. But don’t overlook the chicken thigh and its cousin, the drumstick. Not only is dark meat less expensive, it has the added bonus of being juicier and tastier. That amazing flavor comes at the cost though, of more saturated fat per serving.
When you work with chicken of any kind, remember to handle it properly. After handling the raw chicken thighs, make sure to move all the contaminated surfaces to the dish room, and wash your hands with hot soapy water.
Lemon Pepper
The recipe for air fryer chicken wings with lemon pepper butter sauce is made so much easier by buying a commercially prepared spice. I keep a bottle of Lawry’s lemon pepper spice on the shelf for a few recipes, but mostly for lemon pepper chicken wings. Lemon pepper seasoning is one of my go-to spices for kicking up vegetables, and I occasionally add it to my breading for fried pork chops when I am wanting something special.
How do make lemon pepper seasoning from scratch? If you want to make lemon pepper, it is a simple recipe. In a small bowl combine freshly cracked black pepper (1 tbsp), Kosher salt (1 tbsp), dried lemon peel, (1 tbsp), sugar (1 tsp) granulated garlic powder (1 tsp) and granulated onion (1 tsp). I like more texture in this spice blend, but you can substitute powdered garlic and powder onion if you prefer.
How Do You Make Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs
First pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel. Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper.
Next, mix all-purpose flour (1 cup) with salt (½ tsp) and black pepper ½ tsp)
Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour and shake off so that they have a light dusting of flour.
Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Cook the chicken in the air fryer for 10 minutes and then flip over and cook another 10 minutes. Check the temperature with an instant read thermometer. Scan the chicken at the deepest part near the bone. 165 degrees is the target temperature.
While the chicken thighs are cooking, melt butter (1 stick) in a saucepan and add prepared lemon pepper seasoning (1 tbsp). Mix to blend and set aside.
When the chicken thighs have finished cooking, brush the thighs all over with the lemon pepper butter. Sprinkle a little more lemon pepper seasoning on top to finish.
Menu Notes
I like to add a few slices of fresh lemon on top of the fried chicken for garnish, as well as a little chopped parsley for a color pop.
This dish makes a fast and easy meal for the family. Pair the thighs with mashed potatoes and green beans for a twist on a country classic. Serve a little extra butter sauce on the side for dipping. I had these for lunch with some Miracle Whip Coleslaw. Wow!
Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Thigh Recipe {Thighstop Inspired}
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 8 pieces Chicken Thigh bone in
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 tbsp Lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 cup All purpose flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 medium Lemon
Instructions
- First pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel. Season the chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper.
- Next, mix all-purpose flour (1 cup) with salt (½ tsp) and black pepper ½ tsp)
- Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour and shake off so that they have a light dusting of flour.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees. Cook the chicken in the air fryer for 10 minutes and then flip over and cook another 10 minutes. Check the temperature with an instant read thermometer. Scan the chicken at the deepest part near the bone. 165 degrees is the target temperature.
- While the chicken thighs are cooking, melt butter (1 stick) in a saucepan and add prepared lemon pepper seasoning (1 tbsp). Mix to blend and set aside.
- When the chicken thighs have finished cooking, brush the thighs all over with the lemon pepper butter. Sprinkle a little more lemon pepper seasoning on top to finish.
Notes
Nutrition
This Throwdown Kitchen version of Wingstop (Thighstop) lemon Pepper Chicken Thighs was so amazing. The skin was extra crispy, just as it needs to be. I could taste the bit of salt and pepper in the flour and on the chicken. Little details like that can make all the difference. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the crispy skin sold just as a side dish in the future.
The tender thigh meat was still juicy and cooked perfectly, which can be hard to do on bone-in chicken thighs. The simple sauce of butter drenched chicken with lemon pepper is still the star of the show on these air fryer chicken thighs, and it was so easy to make.
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