If you're tired of the same old chicken wing recipes, you need to try this crispy lemon pepper wings recipe. The wings are coated in lemon pepper seasoning and baked until golden brown, then tossed in lemon pepper butter sauce.
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If you love wings without too much heat, you are going to love this recipe. Perfect for game day when served with sweet potato nachos and cream cheese stuffed mini peppers.
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📖Why My Recipe Works
- Fresh Lemon- This recipe has two layers of lemon, in the seasoning and fresh lemon juice in the butter sauce.
- Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning- Storebought lemon pepper tends to have dried lemon peel, which burns when cooked. But my seasoning uses fresh lemon zest, which holds up the heat.
- Special Coating- The mix of cornstarch with baking soda ensures that the wings are crispy at every bite without the mess of having to deep fry. This is the same trick I used for my shawarma chicken wings and my garlic butter wings.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Chicken- You can use this recipe for chicken drumsticks if you like, but you would need to increase the cooking time.
- Lemon- This recipe uses one fresh whole lemon, both the zest and juice.
- Unsalted Butter- Reduce the salt if you use salted butter.
- Pepper- I used black pepper, but white pepper will add a little heat. Feel free to use more pepper if you like. Finely ground black pepper works better than a coarse grind.
- Dipping Sauce- I didn't include a specific dipping sauce for this recipe, but ranch dressng is a classic pairing.
⏲️How to Make Lemon Pepper Wings in the Air Fryer
When making wings in the air fryer, you can skip the starch coating. Instead, toss the wings in a little bit of olive oil to ensure they don't stick to the air fryer basket.
You're going to cook the wings for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for 10 minutes more. The key is to make sure that they are in a single layer. So, you may have to work in batches depending on how large your air fryer is.
Expert Tip
Brine your chicken wings for at least one hour and then drain. Layout the wings on a baking sheet and dry out (uncovered) overnight in the fridge.
More Easy Appetizer Recipes
🌡️Storing Leftovers
Store leftover chicken wings in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container, or freeze them for up to two months in a zip-top bag. To reheat, place wings on a baking sheet and heat in a 350°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
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📖 Recipe Card
Crispy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings (oven or air fryer!)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon baking powder oven method only
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch oven method only
- 1½ Tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning see recipe below or use storebought
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt omit if you use salted butter
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
Oven Baked Wings
- Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Prepare a large sheet pan by covering with foil. Spray a baking rack with cooking spray and set inside the rack.
- Using a paper towel blot chicken wings dry. Combine baking powder, cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a ziploc bag or large bowl. Toss chicken wings in spice mixture to coat evenly.2 pounds chicken wings, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1½ Tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- Place the wings on the rack and bake 30-35 minutes turning halfway through. The chicken should reach 165 degrees and be crispy on the outside.
Air Fyer Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Prep wings by tossing in 1 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon pepper seasoning (skip the cornstarch and baking powder).2 pounds chicken wings, 1½ Tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
- Place in the air fryer in a single layer, cook for 10 minutes, flip, then cook 10 more minutes until crispy and the internal temperature is 165 degrees.
Lemon Pepper Sauce
- While the wings are cooking heat melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Stir in the lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Toss the cooked wings in the lemon butter sauce and serve.¼ cup unsalted butter, 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Notes
- While not required, I recommend soaking the chicken in brine for at least one hour and then drying the wings overnight on a baking sheet, uncovered, in the refrigerator.
- Swap out for black pepper for white pepper for extra spice.
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