American · Dinner

Honey Lemon Pepper Chicken Legs

Anthea Malialis butterflied legs and two-bowl honey-lemon-pepper butter glaze.

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Honey Lemon Pepper Chicken Legs, plated, photographed from above.
Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Makes
4 servings
Skill
Comfortable
Heat
Mild, adjustable
Halal Contains dairy
Maui says

Anthea's signature: SPLIT the glaze into two bowls before it touches anything. Bowl #1 brushes the raw chicken in the fryer; bowl #2 stays untouched until the chicken comes out - that's the one you use to finish on the plate. You get a bigger, brighter lemon-pepper hit (because the second coat hasn't cooked off) AND no food-safety worry from a brush that touched raw poultry. Skip the baking powder in the rub at your peril - that's the alkaline trick that pulls moisture from the skin so it actually crisps in the air fryer.

Ingredients

Everything below makes 4 servings.

  • 6chicken legs (drumstick and thigh)butterflied, washed, patted very dry
  • ½lemon (for raw chicken)juiced over raw chicken before rub
  • 1 tspsea salt (for rub)
  • 1 tspgarlic granules (for rub)
  • 1 tbsplemon pepper powder (for rub)
  • 1 tsppaprika
  • 1 tbspbaking powder (for rub - crispy skin)alkaline - pulls moisture from skin so it crisps in the air fryer
  • 1 tbspmixed herbs (Italian or all-purpose)
  • 1 tbspolive oil (for rub)
  • ½ cupunsalted butter (for glaze)
  • ¼ cuphoney (for glaze)
  • 1 tbspfresh lemon juice (for glaze)
  • 1 tbsplemon pepper powder (for glaze)
  • 1 tspgarlic granules (for glaze)
  • 1 tspchicken seasoning (for glaze)
  • 2 tbspfresh parsley (garnish)chopped

In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.

Nutrition

Per serving, as written.

  • 780calories
  • 52gprotein
  • 22gcarbs
  • 52gfat

Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.

Instructions

Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.

Before you start
  1. Butterfly each chicken leg along the thigh bone with kitchen shears - cut down one side of the bone to open the thigh flat. Wash, pat very dry.
  2. Preheat air fryer to 350°F.
  3. Juice ½ lemon over the chicken. Combine the rub: 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp garlic granule, 1 tbsp lemon pepper powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 tbsp mixed herb, 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss with the chicken until evenly coated.
  4. Chop the parsley for garnish.
1

First cook (12 min)

Place butterflied chicken legs in air fryer tray, skin-up in a single layer. Cook at 350°F for 12 minutes.

12 min · hands off
2

Make and SPLIT the glaze

While the chicken cooks, combine the glaze in a small bowl: unsalted butter, honey, fresh lemon juice, lemon pepper powder, garlic granules, chicken seasoning. Melt in microwave 30-40 sec OR in a saucepan over low 5-6 min until thickened and glossy. POUR INTO TWO SEPARATE BOWLS - one for brushing raw chicken in the air fryer, one (reserved, untouched) for the finish and plate. This is the food-safety move that lets you double-glaze.

6 min · hands on
3

Glaze and finish (13 min)

Pull the tray. Using bowl #1 (the raw-chicken bowl), brush the chicken evenly with glaze. Return to air fryer for the remaining 13 min, turning halfway and brushing again with bowl #1. Do NOT touch bowl #2 with the basting brush.

13 min · hands off
4

Rest and final glaze

Remove chicken from air fryer. Rest 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Brush generously with the RESERVED bowl #2 of glaze - this is the bright, food-safe lemon-pepper hit. Scatter chopped parsley over the top. Serve hot.

6 min · hands on

Make it yours

Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.

Instead of butterflied chicken legs Bone-in chicken thighs

Cook 20 min at 350°F instead of 25 - thighs hit 165°F faster. Saves about 5 minutes.

Instead of butterflied chicken legs Chicken wings

Cook 17 min at 350°F; flip and glaze at the 8-min mark. Saves about 8 minutes.

Instead of served as the main With rice and green veg

Start jasmine rice as chicken goes in; steam broccoli for last 5 min. Adds about 20 minutes.

Dairy free Olive oil for unsalted butter

Also add 1 tbsp extra honey to the glaze.

What keeps

Keeps 3 days. Reheat at 400°F for 8 min to re-crisp skin (do NOT microwave - skin goes flabby).

Make extra glaze (keep separate, never the one that touched raw chicken) and brush on while reheating.

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