Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and bursting with flavor, these Lemon Pepper Wings are easy to make in the oven! Restaurant quality without the need for a messy deep fryer.
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Why You’ll Love This Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings Recipe
- A Guaranteed Crowd-Pleaser. Like my Oven Baked Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Chicken Wings, these chicken wings are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and coated in a flavorful lemon pepper wings sauce. The moment they hit your table, everyone will be flocking to them.
- Easy and Fast. Just like my easy baked Lemon Pepper Salmon (another great recipe if you love that flavor combo!) these easy wings come together with just 10 minutes of prep, will be on your table in 30, and bake up surprisingly crisp and juicy, no deep fry required.
- Insanely Delicious. Homemade chicken wings are a delight! Whether I’m making my Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings or this recipe, I’m always impressed with how they turn out. With two layers of lemon pepper flavor, caramelization, and crispy goodness, these wings are a treat for the taste buds!
How to Make Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
The Ingredients
- Chicken Wings. Juicy, tender, and easy to coat in crowd-pleasing flavors. They make an ideal appetizer, main dish, or game day party snack.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning. Widely available in most grocery stores, lemon pepper seasoning is made of salt, pepper, dried lemon zest, and a few other additions like garlic, onion powder, and sometimes sugar. A few brands may add celery salt too.
- Butter. Part of what makes restaurant wings so darn delicious is that they are often tossed in a melted butter wet sauce after cooking. We’ll be doing the same in a more moderate, though still super satisfying, amount for a lemon pepper butter sauce.
- Honey. Prior to baking, I tossed the wings in a bit of honey. It caramelizes in the oven and makes the wings extra sticky and delicious.
- Fresh Lemon Juice + Black Pepper. Because this recipe should live up to its name!
The Directions
- Dry the Wings. Trim the tips and separate the drumette from the flat part.
- Season the Wings. Toss the wings with the oil, honey, and seasoning. Bake at 450 degrees F for 12 to 18 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the Sauce. Stir the wings and remaining wet sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with green onions and ENJOY!
What to Serve With Lemon Pepper Wings
- Salad. These wings pair wonderfully alongside a big green salad like this easy Arugula Salad or a more hearty salad like Grilled Corn Salad or Chickpea Salad.
- Fries. Chicken wings are a perfect match for Air Fryer French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, or Parsnip Fries.
- Veggies. Enjoy some Roasted Root Vegetables, Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts, or Grilled Corn with these wings.
- Comfort Food Sides. Lemon pepper wings pair well with cozy, comforting sides like Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Fried Cabbage, or Twice Baked Potato Casserole.
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate leftover wings in an airtight storage container for up to 1 day.
- To Reheat. Let the wings come to room temperature, then arrange them, skin-side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Warm in a 350 degrees F oven until heated through, about 5 to 7 minutes. To perk their flavor back up, squeeze additional fresh lemon juice over the top just before serving.
- To Freeze. Freeze wings in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Baking Sheet. Perfect for making these keto lemon pepper wings.
- Citrus Juicer. I’ll never juice a lemon or lime without this tool.
- Mixing Bowls. These bowls are microwave-safe, so they’re ideal for melting the butter.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Don’t Let Them Burn! Potentially the most important piece of advice. These wings can easily burn under the broiler, so keep a close eye on them.
- Love Lemon Flavor? To up the lemon factor, top the wings with an extra squeeze of fresh lemon juice or add an extra lemon’s worth of zest to the wing sauce.
- Try a Dipping Sauce. I love to dip these wings in a mixture of Greek yogurt, honey, and Dijon mustard, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste.
Lemon Pepper Wings
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 ½ teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning divided
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice plus additional lemon wedges for serving
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Chopped green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Place one rack in the center of the oven and one in the upper third. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly coat the rack with nonstick spray. Set a large mixing bowl on the counter.
- With a paper towel, pat the wings dry. Trim off the wing tips and separate the drumette from the flat part of the wing: Start by cutting off the wing tip by wiggling your knife edge at the joint “soft spot.” It should separate fairly easily, but if not, put the blade in place, then carefully but firmly hit the top of your knife to apply extra pressure. Discard the trimmed tip. Cut the wing again, this time at the second wing joint, slicing down through the skin to separate the small drumstick (drumette) from the flat portion of the wing. Again, feel for the “soft spot” and wiggle your knife as needed. Place the divided wings in the mixing bowl as you go.
- Top the wings with the canola oil, honey, and 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning. Stir to coat, then arrange the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, until the wings are cooked through. The skin will start to shrink away from the ends of the bones, and the wing juices will run clear when pierced with a fork.
- Move the pan to the upper third of the oven and turn the oven to broil. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until the wings darken and crisp a bit more. Do not walk away to make sure the wings do not burn.
- While the wings bake, in a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the wings to a large bowl, then top with the melted butter, lemon juice, black pepper, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper. Stir to coat. Transfer the wings to a serving plate and sprinkle with chopped green onions. Enjoy hot.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Store leftover wings in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
- TO REHEAT: To reheat, let the wings come to room temperature, then arrange them, skin-side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Warm in a 350°F oven until heated through, about 5 to 7 minutes. To perk their flavor back up, squeeze additional fresh lemon juice over the top just before serving.
Nutrition
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Sign Me UpFrequently Asked Questions
I have not yet experimented with air fryer lemon pepper wings, but think this would work well. My best suggestion is to prep the wings as directed, then place them in a single layer in an air fryer basket. Cook at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes per side. Make sure you spray the basket with nonstick spray before adding the wings. Remove the wings, and add the honey mixture. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Finish with the lemon pepper sauce.
No, these wings are not spicy as written. Add additional black pepper and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper. You can also sprinkle on more black pepper to taste before serving.
I haven’t tried making grilled lemon pepper wings yet but think it could be a worthwhile experiment! It would still be tidy and reasonably healthy, and the grill will give you a nice crispy skin too.
I have a small question, why use lemon with grilled chicken, does it increase the taste or inhibit the lipid in the chicken wings to make the dish more healthy?
I’m not familiar with the affect of lemon on the health of chicken, but it is absolutely delicious!
We love lemon pepper chicken at our house. Will definitely have to give these a try. I may buy already prepped drummettes just to save some time. I would take my husband eating these right off the baking sheet as a compliment too.
Courtney, I hope you love these if you decide to try them!
Thanks this dish looks amazing. Want to try it sooon thank you for sharing you’re creativity
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it!
Could olive oil be substituted for the canola oil? I don’t generally keep it on hand, but am wondering if the flavor would change or the crispness. They sound great!
Hi Kathryn, olive oil generally has a stronger flavor, but you could give it a try here if that’s what you have on hand. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Could you substitute chicken tenderloins for the wings and prepare as directed?
Hi Trish, I haven’t tried that myself, but you could experiment. You’ll want to check the meat with a thermometer for doneness as it may vary from the cook time given here, and tenderloins can easily dry out if overcooked.
These wings sound delicious and easy to make. Since we don’t deep fry our foods, this sounds like the perfect way to make wings without having to sacrifice the taste. My daughters and hubby love lemon pepper flavor as well so it’s a win-win! I’m
excited to try these for Father’s Day! Thanks, Erin!
I hope they’re a hit, Sue!
These are so easy!! Thanks for sharing!
Thank YOU Karly!!
Hi Erin — really looking forward to trying this but we always cook our wings in our Actifryer as you don’t add any oil and they cook up perfectly. You said you have never tried it — do you think it would work, the wings get tossed up a lot! Would appreciate your input.
I love your Lemon Pepper Salmon so I can hardly wait to try this!
Hi Sandra! I’ve never tried making the wings this way, so it would be an experiment. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Outstanding! They were the hit of our Super Bowl menu! Loaded with flavor!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Marc! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
This is the second time I’ve made these wings and they’ve been enjoyed both times!!!!!! I did add garlic powder the second time, just for the fun of it. I’ll be making these wings again, next time out on the grill!
Thank you!!!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed them, Janet! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Can I make these with a bag of frozen chicken wings?
Hi Cindy! I haven’t tried it myself, but as long as you let them thaw first, I think it should work fine. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This looks great! One question…will the recipe work without the honey? We are going to do Whole30 and honey is off limits.
Hi Nicki! The It honey helps to caramelize them in the oven and makes the wings extra sticky and delicious. You could probably leave it out, but the end result will be slightly different. Let me know how it goes, if you decide to make them!
These look really yummy. But you listed them as a Whole30 recipe, niether honey or butter is whole30 aproved.
Hi Danielle! Fixed that. Thanks!
These are so delicious and easy to make! The whole family loved them. I used avocado oil and it worked perfectly!
Hi Katrina! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
canola oil on wings?
Yes, but you can use any oil you prefer> Enjoy!
My family love lemon pepper wings. I just got the recipe today. We normally eat out on Frida or Saturday. I will definitely try them this weekend. I just bought the wings yesterday. They look so good , I am going to try them this weekend.
Thank you for sharing.
Hope you enjoyed them, Iris!