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Home » Air Fryer Recipes

Published: Apr 4, 2025 · Modified: May 23, 2025 by chhavi

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks

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Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks - Crispy drumsticks seasoned with homemade lemon pepper seasoning tossed in a tangy buttery sauce.

Chicken drumsticks with lemon, pepper and parsely on a white parchment sheet

My son loves this for dinner! Whenever I ask him what he wants to eat for dinner, his answer is chicken drumsticks. Well, that and pancakes LOL.

This is an easy recipe using only a handful of ingredients. It has two parts: cooking the chicken in the oven or air fryer—you choose! And tossing it in a simple buttery sauce.

If you make more than 1 pound of chicken drumsticks, I suggest baking it. But I like to air fry anything under that. It's not only faster, but it doesn't heat up the kitchen.

As the name suggests, we will use lemon and pepper. You can also use store-bought lemon pepper seasoning, which is nothing but dehydrated lemon zest and black pepper.

Why this recipe works

1. High Protein, under 20-minute recipe.
2. Pairs well with roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and rice.
3. Fancy it up for a gathering or serve a quick, healthy dinner on a weeknight.

Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this delicious recipe

ingredients needed to make lemon pepper chicken drumstics- spices, parsely, lemon and chicken drumsticks in a bowl

See the recipe card for quantities.

Chicken Drumsticks

I have used organic, free range, air-chilled chicken drumsticks with skin.I personally do not like skin, and my husband and son won't eat chicken without it. So it's quite personal and you can choose.

I usually leave it on but I remove it while eating.Keeping the skin while cooking, keeps the chicken tender.

This recipe will work on other cuts of chicken too but the cooking time will change according the the size. I have also used the same marinade to make lamb chops in the past and they taste great too.

Lemon Pepper

Lemon pepper is a condiment you get in most US grocery stores.You can use it or if you are like me and already have an overstocked situation, just use lemon and pepper.

The seasoning is nothing but dehydrated lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. But if buying the bottled seasoning makes your life easier, I would totally recommend it! Look for a brand that has the least amount of unpronounceable names in the ingredients.

Garlic Powder Vs Fresh Garlic

I have used both in this recipe. I always reach for garlic powder when I am short on time and patience. I find garlic powder stronger and sticks to the meat better, so I use it in the marinade.

The minced fresh garlic gives the sauce a bit more body.

Hot tips for crispy skin

Make sure to pat the chicken dry and use baking powder in the marinade.

How to Make Lemon Pepper Drumsticks

There are 3 steps in this recipe. The prep, cooking- in air fryer or oven and the sauce.

Technically, the sauce could be skipped if you are trying to lose weight and save calories. But I highly recommend making it.

Step 1: Prep and Marination.

In a bowl, take your drumsticks.

Add lemon, baking powder, salt, thyme, garlic powder, paprika, lemon juice, and baking powder.Baking powder is a nifty trick for making chicken crispier, not only in this recipe but also while making chicken wings.

While I love cooking chicken in wet marinades, like this chicken tikka, I have found a new love for dry marinades, especially when I want a crispy finish.

marinated chicken drumsticks in a bowl
Baked chicken drumsticks on a sheet

Step 2: Air fry or Bake

Always preheat your oven like you pre heat a skillet.A cold oven, will dry out your chicken and the end result will look shriveled and not so appetising.

So just switch your oven or air fryer , set it to the temperature you want, let it run for 5-10 minutes. Bigger ovens will take longer to come up to the temperature than smaller ovens and air fryer.

If baking, use a wired tray, which will make the chicken crisp instead of soft. These are especially great when cooking for more people.

If making in the air fryer, stay away from those parchment liners. They will make the chicken soggy and completely destroy the reason for using air fryer which is air flow.

Step 3: Sauce

The sauce is a simple microwave sauce. It's basically seasoned melted butter but its so so so good!

The only thing you need to worry about is tasting it. It needs a little adjustment because you want it just right.Not too tangy and not too salty.

lemon butter sauce for the lemon pepper chicken drumsticks

Toss the drumsticks in the sauce and serve with your favorite vegetable or a salad like this apple cranberry slaw. I like it with steamed broccoli when I am feeling healthy and crispy sweet potatoes wedges or my shortcut instant pot mashed potatoes when I am feeling indulgent.A new side dish that we have been loving and making very often is air fryer charred broccolini.Do give it a try!

Storage

If you are not eating the drumsticks in a couple of hours, leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.Really depends on your refrigerator, though my limit is usually 1 week.

Related

I love spicy food. Infact, there is a delicious indian pepper chicken gravy dish that we love making on repeat.It has similar notes but it's got a gravy that's lipsmacking and goes wonderfully with steamed rice.

Here are some more chicken recipes that you might like.

  • Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
  • Hot Honey Chicken Wings
  • Air fryer Tandoori Chicken
  • Jalapeno popper chicken dip

Tried it? I’d love to know! Tag me or drop a comment below — your feedback totally makes my day.

Mention #yellowthyme or tag @yellowthyme on Instagram or follow me on Pinterest.


Lemon Pepper Chicken Drumsticks

Baked or air fried lemon pepper Chicken drumsticks with an easy lemon butter sauce.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 3
Calories: 412kcal
Author: Chhavi

Ingredients 

  • 2 Lbs Chicken drumsticks
  • 1 Lemon Zest and juice ; divided
  • 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper Crushed or use Lemon Pepper Seasoning
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Paprika
  • 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 Teaspoon Avocado Oil Spray
  • 1 Teaspoon Thyme
  • Salt as per taste

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoon Butter Salted or unsalted
  • ½ Lemon Juice
  • ½ Tablespoon Lemon zest
  • 1 Teaspoon Garlic powder or crushed garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon Parsley or chopped parsley
  • Salt as per taste

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken

  • Zest the lemon with a grater.Use about ½ tablespoon of it. Reserve rest for the sauce.
  • Mix toghether the lemon zest,thyme paprika, salt, pepper and garlic powder.Give it a taste and adjust the salt.
  • To the dry mix, add the baking powder.(This will crisp up the chicken)
  • Wipe the moisture off the chicken useing a kitchen towel.This will help in baking the chicken to a crisp perfection.
  • Toss the chicken in the dry mix.Set aside till you preheat the oven or air fryer.

Air fryer instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400 F for 3-5 minuetes.
  • Spray the bottom with oil so that the chicken doesnt stick to the bottom.
  • Place the chicken, spray or drizle oil over.
  • Air fry for 18-20 minutes till the chicken is cooked.Use tongs to turn the chicken midway for even cooking.
  • Check the chicken by cutting the thickest part of the drumstick.If you do not see any translucent bits, its cooked!

Baking Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400 F for 10 minutes.
  • Place the chicken on a baking sheet.If you have it, then the wire baking sheet.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, turning the chicken midway to ensure even cooking.

Sauce

  • In a micowave safe bowl, add butter, rest of the ½ tablsepoon lemon zest, juice of half a lemon,garlic powder and parsley.
  • Microwave for 1 minute till the sauce is bubbly.Let it cool, taste and adjust salt.
  • Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve!

Notes

Note on Lemon Pepper Seasoning- Use store-bought lemon Pepper Seasoning instead of lemon zest and black pepper. Most store-bought seasonings are just a combination of dehydrated lemon peel and black pepper. Some have garlic powder and coriander seeds in it, too. 
If you already have it, use the seasoning otherwise, use lemon zest and pepper as I have.
Baking Powder - Baking powder helps remove the moisture from the chicken skin, making it crispier. You can also use this trick while making homemade chicken wings.
A complete dinner: Serve this with quickly sauteed buttery green beans, broccolini or asparagus. Lately, we have been eating everything with crispy air-fried broccoli.It's the best healthy thing to happen to us!
 

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 206mg | Sodium: 414mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 813IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 112mg | Iron: 2mg

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Hi, I'm Chhavi! Thank you for visiting Yellowthyme!Here you will find a collection of easy & delicious recipes made with fresh, simple ingredients.

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