Lemon Pepper Wings - the crispiest baked chicken wings EVER tossed in a zesty, addictive Lemon Pepper Sauce

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The BEST Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

These Homemade Lemon Pepper Wings combine the crispiest baked chicken wings ever with a zesty Lemon Pepper sauce. The result is crackly, crispy chicken wings with a taste like no other!

Super Easy Baked Wings

These Lemon Pepper Wings are super easy to make. Baked, not fried, means no frying mess to clean up.

And they’re the perfect game day or party food. Prepare them in advance and pop them into the oven when you need them. No mess and you won’t smell like frying oil.

Lemon Pepper Wet Wings

“Wet” wings are wings that aren’t just fried or baked, then sprinkled with Lemon Pepper seasoning. Wet Lemon Pepper Wings mean they’re tossed in a lemon pepper sauce giving every bite a potent, zesty kick.

The ultimate crispy oven baked chicken wings

For crackly, crispy chicken wings I use my Super Crispy Baked Chicken Wings recipe. Check out my post where I tested four different methods to get the crunchiest, crispiest wings that are tender and juicy on the inside.

The secret to making oven baked chicken wings extra crispy?

Baking powder. Coating the wings with baking powder helps draw moisture to the surface of the skin which is evaporated in the high heat of the oven. It also creates little bubbles on the skin, which harden and create the crispy texture.

How to make super crispy oven baked chicken wings in three easy steps:

Dry the wings thoroughly with paper towels.
Toss the wings with baking powder and salt.
Bake at 250F for 30 minutes, then at 425F for about 40 – 50 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Check out my post on Super Crispy Baked Chicken Wings for more on the four different methods I tested to get the crispiest wings. I’ll be using Method “A” here.

These easy Baked Chicken Wings are amazingly crispy and crunchy. With a surprise ingredient that you probably have on hand and a simple technique, you can have Super Crispy Baked Chicken Wings with minimal effort. #wings #chickenwings #bakedwings #bakedchickenwings #recipe #easyrecipe #appetizers #appetizerrecipes #appetizerseasy #appetizersforparty #gamedayrecipes #gamedayfood

This method, from Cook’s Illustrated, produces a super crispy wing with minimal effort, the fewest steps, and the least amount of cleanup. If you line your baking pan with aluminum foil, the only thing that needs to be washed is the baking rack.

Dry the wings thoroughly with paper towels. You want to remove as much excess moisture from the skin as possible so they crisp up in the oven. If you have time, space, and have planned in advance, you can let them further dry out in the fridge for up to 24 hours (after tossing them with baking powder and arranging them on a rack).
Toss the wings with baking powder. This draws moisture to the surface so it can evaporate in the high heat of the oven, creating a crispy surface. It also creates tiny bubbles on the surface, increasing the surface area and the crackly, crunch.
Bake at a lower heat first to render out the fat, then finish the wings on high heat. The wings are first baked low and slow at 250F for 30 minutes on the lower shelf of the oven to melt out the fat. Then the heat is cranked up to 425F for 40 – 50 minutes so the skin gets super crispy. They’re baked on a baking rack that has been set on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet so the hot air can circulate all around them, crisping all sides

How to make Lemon Pepper Sauce for Chicken Wings

For BIG Lemon Pepper Wet flavor, this sauce is made of:

Butter – for the wet, saucy part
Lemon Pepper Seasoning – for the zesty kick
Lemon juice – for BIG lemon flavor
And a touch of honey –it balances the acidity and adds a touch of stickiness that I love in wings

Toss the baked wings in the sauce or brush it on.

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Make your own Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning or pick up a bottle at the supermarket.

Check out my post on Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning. It’s easy and cheap (especially if you were just going to throw away the peels!).

While my basic Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning has just dried lemon zest, pepper, and (sometimes) salt, I like to add a little onion and garlic powder in for these wings (and a little celery salt if you have some on hand).

Lemon Pepper Dry Rub Wings

To make Lemon Pepper Dry Rub Wings, rub half the lemon pepper seasoning into the wings with the baking powder before baking, and sprinkle the other half of the seasoning on the wings when they’re done. Omit the butter, lemon juice, and honey.

How to make in advance

This Lemon Pepper Wing recipe is perfect for making in advance.

Clean and dry the wings, toss them with baking powder and salt, and place them on a baking rack.
Keep them in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, uncovered. This will help them dry out even further, becoming even more crispy.
When you’re ready to bake, pop them into the oven and proceed with the recipe.
The Lemon Pepper sauce for wings can also be made in advance and reheated before tossing with or brushing on wings.

What to serve with Lemon Pepper Wings

Lemon Pepper Wings make the perfect game day or party appetizer. Serve with extra Lemon Pepper Butter Sauce, Blue Cheese dressing, or Ranch dressing on the side.

Serve with mashed potatoes and your favorite veggie for a main course meal.

Recipe

Lemon Pepper Wings

Kelly

Lemon Pepper Wings - the crispiest baked chicken wings EVER tossed in a zesty,addictive Lemon Pepper Sauce

5 from 17 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 20

Total Time 1 30

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 395 kcal

Ingredients

For the Wings:

2 lb chicken wings, cut into wingettes and drumettes 900g
1 tablespoon aluminum free baking POWDER 21g
½ teaspoon salt
Nonstick cooking spray

For the Lemon Pepper Butter Sauce:

4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning *see note*
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
Salt to taste *see note*

For serving:

Lemon wedges

Instructions

For the wings:

Preheat oven to 250F. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions.
Dry the wings thoroughly with paper towels.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a rack on the foil. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Toss the wings with baking powder and salt.
Place the wings on the baking tray in a single layer.
Place wings on the lower-middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.
Move wings up to the upper-middle rack and increase the oven temperature to 425 F. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, until golden brown and crispy on both sides, using tongs to flip the wings halfway through.
Remove from the oven.
Toss with Lemon Pepper Sauce and serve.

For the Lemon Pepper Butter Sauce

Combine the ingredients and mix thoroughly

Notes

Check out my post on Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning. I add garlic and onion powder to the recipe when making wings. I also use it in powdered form.

Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning:

1 tablespoon ground Dried Lemon Zest
2 tablespoons black pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt to taste (I use none and salt separately)

Salt added to the recipe will depend on the Lemon Pepper Seasoning used. If you use a store bought seasoning, you will probably not need to add salt. If you are making your own Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning without salt, add salt to taste. I use about ½ teaspoon since there’s already ½ teaspoon on the wings.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 23gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 707mgPotassium: 225mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 539IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 247mgIron: 2mg

Keyword chicken wings, lemon pepper, lemon pepper wings

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Enjoy, friends!

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