Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Cornish hens just may be one of my new favorite week night meals.
Chile, my recipe for air fried Cornish hens is juicy, tender, and very easy to make! This is truly a top tier dinner idea.
My recipe for Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Cornish hens is sure to make people think you slaved over the stove all day – when actually you made these in less than an hour!
I love all things lemon pepper, and I feel that this adds a nice flavor to the cornish hens. I air fried the cornish hens then covered them in a lemon butter sauce.
These air fryer Cornish hens came out of the air fryer juicy and well seasoned
Ingredients
2 Cornish hens
1/2 tsp adobo all purpose seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Parsley (optional garnish)
Lemon slices (optional garnish)
Instructions
1. Preheat air fryer to 360 degrees
2. Remove any giblets from the Cornish hens, clean them (I clean them with vinegar and cold water but this step is optional ), and Pat dry
3. Rub both sides of the Cornish hens with olive oil
4. Combine 1/2 tsp adobo all purpose seasoning ,1/2 teaspoon garlic powder,1/2 teaspoon onion powder ,2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning , and 1 teaspoon paprika
5. Season the Cornish hens with the spice mixture and rub it all over the hens, inside and out.
6. Spray air fryer with non stick spray (I used olive oil non stick spray)
7. Air fry for 20 minutes breast down
8. Flip the Cornish hens and cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees
9. Combine melted unsalted butter and lemon juice
10. Spoon mixture over Cornish hens, garnish with parsley and lemon slices (optional), serve and enjoy !
