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Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and bursting with bright flavor, these Lemon Pepper Wings are easy to make in the oven! Restaurant quality without the need for a messy deep fryer.

Crispy lemon pepper wings on platter

A guaranteed crowd-pleaser—and easy to boot.

cookbook author erin clarke of well plated

Homemade chicken wings are a delight! Whether I’m making my Korean Air Fryer Chicken Wings or this lemon pepper wing recipe, I’m always impressed by how they turn out, and with so little effort.

Like my Oven Baked Chicken Wings and Air Fryer Chicken Wings, these chicken wings are crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. With two layers of lemon pepper flavor and just the right amount of caramelization, they’re a treat for the taste buds. The moment they hit your table, everyone will be flocking to them.

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 and they’ll be ready to devour in 30. Serve them as a party app or make them into a meal!

Key Ingredients

You’ll find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below, but here are some notes to keep in mind.

  • 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! 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.

How to Make Lemon Pepper Wings

Prep the Wings. Pat the wings dry so the seasoning sticks and the skin gets crispy-crisp. 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. (These wings can easily burn under the broiler, so keep a close eye on them!)

Add the Sauce. Stir the wings and remaining wet sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Serve with green onions and ENJOY!

Air Fryer Option

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 coated with nonstick spray. Cook at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes per side. Remove the wings, and add the honey mixture. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Finish with the lemon pepper sauce.

What to Serve With Lemon Pepper Wings

The lemon pepper flavor makes these chicken wings super versatile!

Platter of lemon pepper wings

More Irresistible Wing Recipes

Lemon Pepper Wings

4.85 From 19 reviews . Help us out! Review HERE.Help out & review HERE

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes

Servings: 12 wings
Zippy baked lemon pepper wings are a game day appetizer that doubles as a weekday dinner! Easy, crispy and juicy, and ready in 30 minutes.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds chicken wings
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil or your preferred high-temperature cooking 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

Serving: 1wingCalories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 8gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 36mgPotassium: 76mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 0.5mg

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

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  1. 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?5 stars

  2. 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.

  3. 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! 5 stars

    1. 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!

    1. 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.

  4. 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! 

  5. 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!

    1. 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!

  6. 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!!!5 stars

    1. 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!

  7. This looks great! One question…will the recipe work without the honey? We are going to do Whole30 and honey is off limits.

    1. 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!

  8. These are so delicious and easy to make! The whole family loved them. I used avocado oil and it worked perfectly!5 stars

  9. 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.

  10. So glad I found this recipe. It’s fabulous! Lots of punchy lemon pepper flavor and the wings were juicy and not dry. I usually stick to making buffalo wings and this was my first attempt at lemon pepper wings. No regrets and I’ll be making these again and again. Delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.5 stars

  11. I just made these lemon pepper wings, and I can’t believe how good they turned out! The wings had the perfect balance of flavors, bright and citrusy from the lemon, with just the right amount of peppery heat. I love that they were so flavorful on their own that they didn’t even need dipping sauce!5 stars

  12. I love lemon pepper wings but found myself wanting to find a recipe that wasn’t too complicated to make at home for myself, my daughter and some of her friends. This was it! The wings were gone almost instantly. I will double the recipe the next time I make these. Thank you so much!5 stars

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