I ordered lemon pepper chicken wings from a restaurant once and they were so awful that I was determined to recreate them at home. And that I did, my friends.
Crispy chicken wings are one of my favorite appetizer ideas. From garlic parmesan chicken wings to guava BBQ chicken wings, this easy-to-make dish is perfect for a crowd, game day, or even just a quick weeknight dinner.
These baked lemon pepper chicken wings combine tangy lemon flavor with zesty black pepper giving them a bright and flavorful kick that’s sure to please your taste buds.
Whether you bake them, air fry them or grill them, these crispy lemon pepper chicken wings will become your all-time savory fave!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 3 Ingredients & Easy-To-Make. All you need is chicken wings, lemon pepper seasoning, and a bit of oil to coat the wings before baking them in the oven.
- 3 Cooking Methods. You can make these chicken wings in the oven, in the air fryer, or on the grill, I share how to make these wings with each cooking method below.
- Crowd Friendly. Whether you’re making them for a crowd or yourself, you can scale this recipe easily by doubling or tripling the recipe.
Let me show you how to make them.
When you’re done making this recipe, make my Crispy Baked Mojo Chicken Wings!
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need is 3 ingredients!
- Chicken wings. You can use both drumettes and/or flats. Tips removed.
- Olive oil. You can also use melted unsalted butter.
- Lemon pepper seasoning. The perfect zesty and citrusy kick for these chicken wings!
- Optional. Chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish, lemon wedges, and cilantro garlic sauce for serving!
By the way, I get my chicken wings from Butcher Box!
ButcherBox is a service that curates boxes of grass-fed, no-hormone-added, humanely raised beef, chicken, pork, salmon, and sustainable seafood delivered right to your door. I’ve been receiving my boxes for years now and I have no complaints. They always have specials – like free bacon or free ground beef so you gotta check them out! Click here for more info! [affiliate link]
Step-By-Step Instructions
First things first, we want to prep the chicken wings before cooking.
Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. We don’t want any moisture on these wings. Similarly, you can also place them in the fridge to dry out for 30 minutes prior to baking them.
Prep the chicken wings. In a large bowl, add the chicken wings with oil (or butter), and lemon pepper seasoning. Toss the wings until they are evenly coated. Set aside.
Baking Chicken Wings In the Oven
Arrange the chicken wings. Place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Lay the chicken wings evenly on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart so they cook evenly.
Bake the lemon pepper chicken wings. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until chicken wings are cooked through.
Note: Not all ovens are created equal so keep an eye on them at the 35-minute mark. If they are not yet cooked/crispy, continue to cook for 5-10 more minutes until the internal temp is 165ºF.
Making Chicken Wings In The Air Fryer
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with cooking spray.
- Lay the chicken wings evenly in the basket about 1/2 inch apart so they cook evenly. You can stand the drummettes up along the side of the basket to make room for the flats, or make the chicken wings in batches.
- Fry for 12 minutes at 360ºF. Flip and cook for another 12 minutes and then flip them again, increase the temp to 400ºF, and cook for another 6 minutes until fully cooked and crispy.
- Once the wings are cooked, transfer them to a platter and allow them to cool. Serve with your favorite wing sauce or squeeze with lemon wedges, if desired.
3.4 Quart Air Fryer
This is the simple and affordable air fryer that I use to make chicken wings, fries, salmon, and more. I’ve had it for years and cleanup is easy. Highly recommend!
Making Chicken Wings On the Grill
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
- Lightly oil the grill grates to keep the chicken wings from sticking.
- Place the wings on the grill in a single layer.
- Cook the chicken wings over direct heat for 20 minutes, turning every 5-10 minutes until and the skin is golden and crispy.
- Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken wings is 165ºF. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly.
What’s the secret to crispy wings?
- Drying out the wings. Before cooking the chicken wings, it’s important to pat them dry with paper towels or place them in the fridge, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This removes any excess moisture, which can cause the wings to steam instead of crisp up in the oven or air fryer.
- Cooking at high heat. Whether you’re making these wings in the air fryer or baking them in the oven, cooking the wings at a high temperature helps to create a crisp exterior while keeping the meat tender and juicy.
- Using a wire rack. To make oven-baked chicken wings, place the wings on a parchment-lined baking sheet with a wire rack so that air circulates around the wings as they’re baking, resulting in a crispier texture.
- Let the wings rest. Letting the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, stay crispy, and prevent them from drying out.
Half Sheet with Wire Rack
Whether I’m making crispy bacon or crispy chicken wings, this half sheet with the wire rack is seriously my secret weapon. Line with parchment paper and clean-up will be a breeze!
How many chicken wings per person for an appetizer?
Ten whole wings can be cut into 20 pieces (10 drumettes and 10 flats).
The recipe below is for 2 1/2 pounds of chicken wings which makes about 4 servings (20-25 wings total).
As a general rule of thumb, for a main appetizer, you can estimate about 6-8 wings per person. For a smaller appetizer (or for a quick weeknight dinner), you can estimate about 4-6 wings per person.
Storage Tips
- Make sure the chicken wings have cooled before storing them. This will help prevent condensation from forming inside the storage container and keep the wings from getting soggy.
- Transfer the wings to an airtight container or a resealable bag to prevent air from getting in and keep the wings fresh for longer.
- Be sure to store the wings within 2 hours of cooking them. You can store them in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months for optimal flavor and texture.
Serving Tips
- Cilantro Garlic Sauce. A creamy and tangy dipping sauce pairs well with the zesty flavors of lemon pepper chicken wings.
- Lemon wedges and herbs. I love squeezing lemon over the wings and garnishing with finely chopped herbs like parsley or cilantro.
- Cocktails! Chicken wings are a popular bar food, and they pair well with a cold beer or a refreshing cocktail like a Classic Cuban Mojito, Cuba Libre, Guava Margarita, Frozen Mango Moscow Mule Recipe, or Italian Limoncello Margarita.
Can’t wait for you to impress your friends and family with these mouthwatering crispy lemon pepper chicken wings at home!
How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken wings tips removed; drumettes and flats separated (approx. 20-25 wings)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or melted unsalted butter)
- 3 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
- Chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish optional
- Lemon wedges optional
- Cilantro Garlic Sauce optional
Instructions
Prep The Chicken Wings
- Thaw the chicken wings completely and place them on a large platter.
- Pat them down with paper towels until they are dry. Optional: You can also place the wings in the fridge for 30 minutes to dry them out.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken wings with oil (or butter), and lemon pepper seasoning. Toss the wings until they are evenly coated. Set aside.
In The Oven
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place a wire rack inside a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray.
- Lay the chicken wings evenly on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart so they cook evenly.
- Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until chicken wings are cooked through. Note: Not all ovens are created equal so keep an eye on them at the 35-minute mark. If they are not yet cooked/crispy, continue to cook for 5-10 more minutes until the internal temp is 165ºF.
In The Air Fryer
- Spray the basket of the air fryer with cooking spray.
- Lay the chicken wings evenly in the basket about 1/2 inch apart so they cook evenly. You can stand the drummettes up along the side of the basket to make room for the flats, or make the chicken wings in batches.
- Fry for 12 minutes at 360ºF. Flip and cook for another 12 minutes and then flip them again, increase the temp to 400ºF, and cook for another 6 minutes until fully cooked and crispy.
- Once the wings are cooked, transfer them to a platter and allow them to cool. Serve with your favorite wing sauce or squeeze with lemon wedges, if desired.
On The Grill
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Lightly oil the grill grates to keep the chicken wings from sticking. Place the wings on the grill in a single layer.
- Cook the chicken wings over direct heat for 20 minutes, turning every 5-10 minutes until and the skin is golden and crispy.
- Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken wings is 165ºF. Remove from the grill and allow to cool slightly.
Cathy Hill Morris says
Your wings recipe sounds amazing! Looking forward to trying them on this Sunday. However, I don’t have a wire-rack for my cookie sheet. Ugh… :-/ Any suggestions?
Please and thank you!
Jamie Silva says
You can still bake them without the wire rack just make sure to grease the parchment really well so they don’t stick. Good luck!
Meritha says
Perfect! I left my wings whole…the tips are crunchy and tasty :-) I used chicken shears to separate wings into three pieces….super easy. Thank you!
Meritha says
Forgot to say that I cut the wings after they came from the oven :
Jamie Silva says
So happy you enjoyed them, Meritha!
Kimberly says
pinned these for later, my husband would go crazy over these!!!
Jamie Silva says
Awesome! Can’t wait to hear all about it! :)
Denise Nakamura says
Made these for the first time tonight and my husband and I LOVED them. Do you have a recipe for making Garlic Parmesan chicken wings?
Jamie Silva says
Yes! I linked a few wing recipes for you within the blog posts. So happy you both loved these! :)
Yuliya Zborovskaya says
oh garlic parm sounds sooo good..im about to do half half!!
ECG says
Hmmm… the link to the “lemon pepper seasoning” is not working. Could you please send me the name of the product? I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Jamie Silva says
Hi! Looks like amazon changed it without notice. I have updated the link. :)
Portia says
Awesome recipe
Lisa says
Can you use frozen wings or do they need to thaw first?
Jamie Silva says
I’d thaw them first.
Monique says
I used Perdue frozen wings and they came out great
Lisa Provost says
These were super tasty! But mine never did crispy, didn’t seem to be getting close (even after 45 minutes, and long past when they we’re at temp). Any tips for that crisp?
Lemon pepper flavor was spot-on, so we definitely enjoyed them – but I know we’d love them even more with that extra notch. Thanks for any suggestions you may have!
karina says
do you suggest we use that brand of lemon pepper seasoning or any other works?
I have a big one from costco lol
Jamie Silva says
Hi Karina, there is a link in the recipe and within the blog post to the lemon pepper seasoning that I use. You are, however, free to use another brand, if you prefer.
Kimberly says
I must say, these are the best wings I have ever eaten. We make them at least once a month. Sometimes more. Love them!!!
Courtney Webb says
Do you cook them covered or uncovered ?
Jamie Silva says
Uncovered
Christine says
Awesome recipe!! Wings came out great!
Linda Gittens says
I made this for my husbands dinner and he loved it. It was my first time and as I’m writing you I’m making one more. Thank you so much for this
Recipe. Your definitely a hit with me!!!!
Jamie Silva says
Thank you so much! Enjoy!
Dorinda Lomax says
Jamie, I want to thank you so much for always having the right recipe at the right time on hand. I recently made these wings for a function at my church an everyone loved them!! Thank you much!!!
Jamie Silva says
So glad everyone loved them, Dorinda!
Erica says
3 ingredients?! What could be better?! Love wings and trying all different varieties, lemon pepper sounds delicious! Thanks for a delicious and easy recipe!
Jamie Silva says
Thanks so much, Erica!
Karly says
These look like pure perfection. The perfect crispy skin and big bold flavor! Perfect for Super Bowl festivities!
Jamie Silva says
Thanks so much, Karly! :)
Joyce says
woohoo! WINGS! My all time favourite, I am so glad you have many different types of wing flavours on your blog! I can finally stop going out for wings!! :D Thank you for this!
Jamie Silva says
Exciting! Let me know how they turn out. ;)
romain | glebekitchen says
It’s like emergency chicken wings for when the craving can’t be stopped. 3 ingredients. Into the oven. Eat. Especially if you already have some of the garlic cilantro sauce on hand.
Jamie Silva says
Lol! I like that 911 wings. Thanks Romain!
mikaela | wyldflour says
Yessss! Wings are the best and we are too far from any good wings place to have them often! Lemon pepper chicken wings are our very favorite thing to order from Wing Stop and ever since we moved we have missed it. I can’t WAIT to surprise David with this recipe so he can get his chicken wing fix!
Jamie Silva says
Yay! Glad to hear! Hope he LOVES them! :)