Trying to cut back on some of the breaded foods after the holidays is hard. You shouldn’t have to sacrifice flavor for a healthier option. Since I doubled the recipe I did half in the air fryer and half in the oven. We loved the air fryer option it came our more crispy. The oven method was ok, but not crispy and more soggy like.
Air Fryer Lemon Chicken Bites
(Adapted from I Heart Umami)
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
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.
Oven Method:
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.
