If you're tired of the same old chicken wing recipes, you need to try my crispy lemon pepper wings recipe. They can be oven-baked or made in the air fryer. But the claim to fame is TWO levels of seasoning. Starting with a coating in lemon pepper seasoning and baked until golden brown, then they are 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. Like with all my recipes, I am bringing a punchy flavor and easy-to-follow techniques.
Perfect for game day when served with sweet potato nachos and cream cheese stuffed mini peppers.
📖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- Store-bought 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 aluminum free baking powder ensures that the wings are crispy at every bite without the mess of having to deep fry.
🧾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.
- Baking Powder- If you are grilling the wings, skip the baking powder. Otherwise, a small amount of baking powder will help crisp the skin. Just make sure it is aluminum free so it doesn't taste metallic. There is no substitute, so if you don't have any on hand, you can skip it.
- Dipping Sauce- I didn't include a specific dipping sauce for this recipe, but ranch dressing is a classic pairing.
⏲️Tips for Making Lemon Pepper Wings
- 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.
- If using an 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.
- Ensure they are evenly coasted with the lemon pepper seasoning.
- Line a rimmed baking tray with aluminum foil or parchment paper, this will make cleaning up a breeze. Place a wire rack on the pan. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
- Space out the chicken wings evenly. You may need to use two baking sheets. This will keep the air flow moving so the wings crisp.
- For air fryer you may have to work in batches.
🌡️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
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings (oven or air fryer!)
The best lemon pepper chicken wings recipe! These wings are coated in a homemade lemon pepper seasoning, cooked until golden brown and crispy, and then tossed a butter and lemon pepper sauce.
Servings: 5
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 teaspoon 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 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 315kcal | Carbs: 4g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 25g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.3g
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Sally B says
Used the air fryer. Really liked this for a non hot sauce option