These Lemon Butter Chicken Skewers are juicy, flavoursome and so simple to make!
Lemon and butter is such an under-appreciated combination and pairs so beautifully with chicken. If you’ve not had lemon butter chicken before then give these skewers a go – you won’t have a single regret! Follow me…
Lemon Chicken Marinade
To inject some flavour into the chicken, we’re going to whip up a really simple marinade. A main ingredient here will of course be the lemon (using both the juice and zest) alongside some oil, mayonnaise, garlic and some store-cupboard spices/seasoning. The mayo works as a binder and also helps tenderise the chicken a little more.
You only need to marinate the chicken for around 30 minutes. Because the marinade is quite acidic, it can turn the chicken tough and chewy if it’s marinated for much longer. 30 minutes will work wonders though – promise!
For this recipe, I recommend using boneless skinless chicken thighs. It’s much more difficult to overcook than chicken breast. Also, because thigh is much fattier, you can get the chicken a little crispy on the outside, whilst keeping the inside soft and tender.
Process shots: add marinade ingredients to bowl (photo 1), whisk to combine (photo 2), add chicken (photo 3), stir then marinate (photo 4).
Recipe Tip
If the chicken is straight out of the fridge, you can cover and leave it at room temp to marinate. This will take the chill off the chicken and help it cook through more evenly.
Lemon Butter Chicken Skewers
Once the chicken has bathed in the marinade, you can thread it and can start cooking it in the air fryer. Whilst they’re cooking, we can get cracking on with the butter.
Lemon Butter
The skewers are going to be great by themselves, but what isn’t improved by being doused in butter? Alongside some lemon juice, seasoning and parsley, this butter really takes the skewers to the next level!
Basting the chicken
I like to mostly cook the chicken and then baste it a couple of times towards the end. Once they’re cooked, you can then baste them whilst they’re hot with the leftover butter. You’ll want it close to room temp so it’s easy to brush.
Process shots: add butter ingredients to bowl (photo 1), mix (photo 2), cook skewers (photo 3), baste in butter (photo 4).
Lemon Butter Chicken Skewers FAQ
The lemon flavour is definitely apparent, but it’s more on the subtle side. This is the safe option so you can squeeze over more at the end if you’d like.
Breast is less fatty than thigh, so it will be less juicy and flavoursome. You could use breast, just keep an eye on the timings so it doesn’t overcook.
I use bamboo skewers and never soak them beforehand. They should only take around 15 minutes to cook, so they won’t burn. You can of course use metal skewers.
It should be lightly charred and piping hot right through the centre. I recommend using a thermometer and checking it reaches 165F/74C.
I wouldn’t make the chicken ahead of time but you can certainly whip up the butter and tightly store it in the fridge until needed.
Serving Lemon Butter Chicken Skewers
Before you do the final basting of butter, if your air fryer was clean beforehand, I recommend brushing over all the leftover flavour in the base so nothing goes to waste!
Here I’ve served with orzo and asparagus. For the orzo, I just cooked it until al dente, then drained and tossed it with butter, parmesan and some starchy pasta water. Almost like an orzo alfredo! It doesn’t have to be crazy flavoursome as it will soak in some of the lemony butter. The parmesan did go really nicely though.
For more air fryer skewer recipes check out my Garlic Parmesan Chicken Skewers, Salmon Skewers and Chicken Souvlaki!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this lemon butter chicken shall we!?
How to make Lemon Butter Chicken Skewers (Full Recipe & Video)
Air Fryer Lemon Butter Chicken Skewers
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Equipment
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Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
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Medium Sized Mixing Bowl & Whisk (for marinade)
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4x 20cm / 8" Skewers (see notes)
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Air Fryer
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Small Mixing Bowl & Brush (for butter)
Ingredients
Chicken
- zest of a Lemon (typically ~1 tsp)
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Mayonnaise (see notes)
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 large cloves of Garlic, finely grated
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 3/4 tsp EACH: Paprika, Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 640g / 1.4lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs, sliced into bite-sized pieces
Butter
- 75g / 5 tbsp Butter, softened
- 1 tbsp very finely diced Fresh Parsley
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice (see notes)
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Paprika, Black Pepper
- 1/8 tsp Salt, or to taste
Instructions
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In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients then stir in the chicken until evenly coated. Cover and leave to marinate for 30 minutes (I keep it at room temp if the chicken is just out of the fridge).
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Thread the chicken onto 4 skewers, ensuring you leave a gap at both ends. Make sure the pieces are nice and compact so they stay nice and juicy. Place in the air fryer and brush over any leftover marinade left in the bowl (thoroughly wash the brush after). Cook for 13 minutes at 200C/400F. Meanwhile, combine all of the butter ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
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After 13 minutes, flip the skewers (I find this easiest with tongs) and brush over around 1/4 of the butter (just eyeball it). Cook for another minute, then flip them again and brush over another 1/4 of the butter. Cook again for a final minute, or until lightly charred and cooked right through the centre (internal temp should reach at least 165F/74C).
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Remove the skewers and if your air fryer was clean before starting, brush over any melted butter in the base, then liberally brush over the remaining lemon butter (don't waste any flavour!). If you want them more lemony then just squeeze over a little more lemon juice.
Video
Notes
b) Lemon Juice – As per the recipe, these are more on the subtle side of lemon, just to be safe. Feel free to squeeze over more lemon juice at the end!
c) Mayonnaise – This helps bind the marinade and also tenderises the chicken a little. It doesn’t make the chicken taste ‘mayonnaisey’ at all. If you don’t have mayo just use plain yoghurt or just sub with oil.
d) Marinating Time – The marinade is very acidic, so you don’t want to marinate the chicken for too long otherwise it’ll turn rubbery, especially because the chicken is diced into small pieces. I find 30 minutes is fine, which I do at room temp. You’ll want to marinate in the fridge if you’re going over 30 minutes, but I’d recommend stopping at 60 minutes.
e) Serving – I served with orzo and asparagus. For the orzo, I just cooked until al dente, then drained and tossed it with butter, parmesan and some starchy pasta water. Almost like an orzo alfredo! It doesn’t have to be crazy flavoursome as it will soak in some of the lemony butter. The parmesan did go really nicely though.
f) Calories – Per skewer.
Nutrition
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