Crispy and juicy lemon pepper wings made in the air fryer! These zesty chicken wings make for the perfect appetizer or dinner.
Try my Classic Baked Wings for a simple, flavorful option, or kick things up a notch with my Hot Honey Wings for a sweet and spicy twist!
LEMON PEPPER WINGS
Elevate your wing night with these zest lemon pepper wings! Seasoned wings cooked in the air fryer until crispy, then tossed in a lemon pepper sauce, giving you the best chicken wing flavor. Whether you’re making lemon pepper wings for game day, a family dinner, or a fun party snack, this easy recipe will help you create perfectly crispy, golden wings that everyone will love.
WHAT YOU NEED-
Chicken Wings:
- Wings– You can use either fresh or frozen wings, including both drumettes and wingettes. If you’re using frozen wings, ensure they’re fully thawed before preparation.
- Oil– Tossing the wings in oil helps the seasoning and cornstarch stick, giving you a crispier result.
- Flavor– I like to season the wings in a simple base to give the wing extra flavor, even when adding a sauce to the wings. I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika. You can swap the seasoning for your preferred spices.
- Cornstarch– Adding cornstarch to the wings before baking is the key to crispy wings! You can leave it out, but I recommend trying it.
Lemon Pepper Sauce:
- Butter– Use either unsalted or salted butter as the base of the sauce.
- Honey– Honey brings a touch of sweetness that complements the tangy lemon and enhances the peppery flavor. You can choose classic honey or opt for hot honey for a spicy kick.
- Lemon– Essential for the classic lemon pepper flavor, both fresh lemon juice and zest are needed to bring out the citrusy freshness in the sauce.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning– Adding the popular lemon pepper seasoning helps give this sauce additional zesty and pepper flavors.
- Pepper– Freshly ground black pepper adds a bold, spicy kick that balances the sweetness from the honey and the acidity from the lemon.
HOW TO MAKE LEMON PEPPER WINGS (AIR FRYER METHOD)
Making wings in the air fryer takes them to a whole new level! The air fryer adds such a crisp to these wings, making the texture so similar to fried wings, so delicious.
- Rinse and pat dry the wings.
- To a large bowl, add the chicken wings, oil, seasonings and cornstarch. Toss until all the wings are seasoned.
- Transfer the chicken to the air fryer basket, laying flat, making sure no wings are overlapping each other. (Depending on your air fryer size, you might have to cook in 2 batches.)
- Air fryer until crispy golden, flipping halfway through cook time to ensure all around crisp.
- Meanwhile, prepare the lemon pepper sauce.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter on medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the rest of the sauce ingredients and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.
- Once the chicken wings are crispy and cooked through, pour the sauce over the wings and air fry for an additional 1-2 minutes. (Be sure to leave some sauce to brush over the wings before serving.)
- Transfer the wings to a serving platter and brush with the remaining sauce. Top with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Serve immediately with desired sides.
| Serve these lemon pepper wings with my copycat Wingstop Ranch! Pair these crispy chicken wings with some crispy potato wedges, air fryer French fries, or a veggie platter to complete these wings! |
OTHER COOKING METHODS-
Don’t have an air fryer but still want lemon pepper wings? No worries! There are several different ways you can make these wings:
OVEN BAKED CHICKEN WINGS
Check out my oven baked chicken wings recipe for detailed instructions on baking chicken wings!
- Preheat the oven and line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Rinse and fully pat dry the chicken wings. Add to a large bowl and toss with oil.
- Add in the seasonings and cornstarch and toss again until fully combined.
- Add the seasoned chicken wings to the baking sheet, laying all out flat, no wings overlapping each other.
- Bake until golden and crispy. Drizzle some of the lemon pepper sauce over the wings and bake for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, brush the wings with the lemon pepper sauce.
- Transfer to a serving platter and top with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Serve with desired sides.
GRILLED LEMON PEPPER WINGS
Grilled lemon pepper wings are a MUST in the summertime! When grilling the wings, you can leave out the cornstarch.
- Preheat the grill until it’s hot.
- Once heated, place the marinated chicken wings on the grill grates and cook for 15-17 minutes, turning them halfway through to ensure even cooking.
- Afterward, brush the wings with the lemon pepper sauce and continue grilling for a few more minutes to let the sauce set. Remove from the grill and drizzle with any remaining sauce before serving.
CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN
Keep it traditional and make fried crispy chicken wings!
- Heat oil in a large pot to 350°F.
- Carefully lower the chicken wings into the hot oil and fry for 8-10 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
- Once done, remove the wings from the oil and toss them in the lemon pepper sauce. Serve immediately.
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE:
Yes, you can get whole wings and just cut them, to separate the wing from the drum!
Use this lemon pepper sauce on chicken drumsticks for a tangy drumstick recipe.
Yes, if you are using frozen chicken, be sure to thaw them before.
If you like spice, add some hot sauce, like chalula, sriracha, or Franks hot sauce to the lemon pepper sauce.
No worries! Just ½ tsp ground black pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp onion powder, and more lemon juice and zest! Adjust to taste.
Adding cornstarch is totally optional, but I do recommend adding it if you love crispy and crunchy wings.
Once the wings are cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days!
Reheat the wings in the air fryer or oven until warmed.
OTHER CHICKEN RECIPES
Check out some other delicious chicken recipes:
Lemon Pepper Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lbs bone in chicken wings
- 2 Tbsp olive oil or canola oil
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
Lemon Pepper Sauce-
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 Tbsp honey or hot honey
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice whole lemon
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
- In a large bowl, add the wings, oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and cornstarch. Toss well to coat all the wings evenly in the seasoning mixture.
- Lay the wings flat in the air fryer basket, making sure they don’t overlap. If your air fryer is small, you may need to cook the wings in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- Air fry at 400°F for 20-22 minutes, flipping the wings halfway through the cooking time to ensure they cook evenly and become crispy on all sides.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon pepper seasoning, and black pepper. Stir the ingredients together and bring to a simmer.
- Let the sauce simmer for 2-3 minutes to combine the flavors, then remove it from the heat.
- Once the wings are golden brown and crispy, drizzle the wings with the prepared lemon pepper sauce. Leaving some sauce, to brush the wings with before serving.
- Air fry the wings for an additional 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to set and caramelize slightly.
- Remove the wings from the air fryer and transfer them to a serving platter. Brush with the remaining sauce for extra flavor.
- Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice on top for an added burst of citrus.
- Serve immediately with your favorite sides such as fries, salad, or roasted vegetables.
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