These Lemon Pepper Wings are baked, not fried, but made super crispy with a secret ingredient! They’re brushed with a lemon pepper butter sauce to make them extra delicious and the perfect snack!
Anyone else out there a giant chicken wing fan? I know I can’t be the only one – if I was then all those bars with wing nights wouldn’t be packed to the gills, full of hungry wing heads. I’ve made some pretty bold and brassy wings in my day but I thought I’d share one of my favorites with you all today, a drool worthy classic.
A love a lemon pepper wing, perfectly crisp, well seasoned and with that super bright zing of citrus. This recipe is so full of finger licking flavor and best yet it’s baked instead of fried so you’ll be able to watch those calories!
A Healthier Way To Snack
I always bake my chicken wings, and they are so much better than the fried ones. They turn out super crispy and not to mention a lot less calories. Especially when you combine them with super fresh and bright lemon – it’s a snack made in heaven!
The Secret Ingredient To Extra Crispy Wings – Baking Powder
Yes! Baking powder, not to be confused with baking soda, is the secret to extra crispy chicken wings. As you know, baking powder is usually used in baking goods as a leavening agent. But what does it do for chicken wings, you ask? Well, when mixed with salt and then coated on the chicken wings, it actually dries out the wing skin, leaving it super crispy and crunchy while baking.
If you want to get technical, the reason this happens is because the baking powder raises the pH level in the chicken, which in turn allows the peptide bonds in the skin to break down, thus allowing the skin to get crispy and brown. Who knew?
Ingredients
- Chicken – Wing or drumstick, or better yet both, rinsed and patted dry.
- Baking powder – This leavening agent will allow our chicken wings to get nice and crispy.
- Butter – Unsalted please so as to control the sodium content of our dish.
- Seasoning – Salt and lemon pepper seasoning.
How To Make Lemon Pepper Wings
- Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Preheat oven to 425 F degrees.
- Prep the chicken: Place all wings in a large sized bowl. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the wings and toss well, making sure each wing is coated in the baking powder.
- Bake the wings: Arrange the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until they’re golden crisp.
- Finish the wings: Combine the melted butter with the lemon pepper and brush over the wings or drizzle the butter over them and toss. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley and serve.
Chicken Wings Take Patience
Chicken wings take about 40 minutes to bake until they’re nice and crispy at 425 F degrees – I know it’s hard to wait. However, each oven is different, so start looking in on them after 30 minutes.
Other Cooking Options
If you’re looking to fry your wings rather than bake them, then I have some instructions to get you there, so keep scrolling.
Air fryer
- Pressure cook the wings: Pour the water into the pressure cooker and add the air frying basket. Toss the wings with salt and baking powder then dump them into the basket, seal with the pressure cooking lid, and cook on high pressure for 3 minutes.
- Air fry the wings: Drizzle the oil over the wings and close the air frying lid. Cook on 425F for 20-25 minutes until they are crisp. Gently stir them every 7-10 minutes. Toss them with the lemon pepper butter and serve.
Stove top frying
- Heat a light vegetable oil like canola or peanut in a deep sauce pan to about 375 F degrees.
- Fry the wings till crisp, about 9 – 12 minutes. Be sure there’s no pink left and that the juices run clear.
- Follow the other directions detailed above to finish the wings.
Some Tips
- My wings already came pre-cut into wingettes and drumettes, but if they are not, remove the wing tip then cut them vertically through the joint. Discard the wing tip.
- If your wings aren’t golden and crispy after 45 minutes, turn the broiler on and broil them for about 3 more minutes, watching them carefully as they could burn quickly.
- Can’t find lemon pepper seasoning? Zest some fresh lemon and mix it in with your seasoning – improvise!
Storing Leftovers
The wings themselves will last in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze just store the wings in an airtight container for up to 4 months, to reheat just thaw in the fridge over night before popping in the oven till heated through.
Craving More Chicken Wings? Try These:
- Crispy Baked Parmesan Chicken Wings
- Vietnamese Style Chicken Wings
- Sticky Chinese Chicken Wings
- Baked Salt and Pepper Wings
- Red Chimichurri Chicken Wings
- Buffalo Chicken Wing Soup
- Crispy Fried Chicken
- Sticky Honey Soy Chicken Wings
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Lemon Pepper Wings
Ingredients
- 4 lb chicken wings
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter unsalted, melted
- 2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the chicken: Place all wings in a large sized bowl. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the wings and toss well, making sure each wing is coated in the baking powder.
- Bake the wings: Arrange the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking pan. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until they're golden crisp.
- Finish the wings: Combine the melted butter with the lemon pepper and brush over the wings or drizzle the butter over them and toss.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley and serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
- The wings themselves will last in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze just store the wings in an airtight container for up to 4 months, to reheat just thaw in the fridge over night before popping in the oven till heated through.
I made this in the air fryer and it was the best chicken wings I have ever made!
Will an air frier dry them out more, and I should avoid or lessen the baking powder? Or would the outcome be the same?
It should be fine, for instructions on how to do these in an air fryer you can check out my recipe here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/air-fryer-chicken-wings/
This recipe is just tops! My guys were so impressed with how delicious these wings were. One son said “ Mum you really outdid yourself with these wings”! The baking powder is a game changer to make the wings super crispy. Thank you for your recipe Jo! 🥰👍👍
That’s fantastic! So much better than fried 🙂
This is SO GOOD! I have been using this recipe during quarantine as my go to comfort meal every week. The chicken comes out exactly like the picture and tastes SO SO good. To make clean up easier, I put the raw chicken wings in a large ziploc and toss with the baking powder/salt to make one less dish to clean. Thank you so much for your recipes – they are all so delish.
This really turned out great. The baking powder tip is the truth! Will be using it for all variations of oven baked wings. Thanks!
Can you cook these straight from frozen? Like the bag from Costco? Quarantine questions. Cause I have wings in my freezer and want to cook them for Easter 🙂
I would suggest thawing them out first so they cook evenly!
If we do not have baking powder, is there another substitute that will leave them Crispy?
You can also toss them with a bit of flour!
If I made this with chicken thighs, is there anything I would need to alter?
If they are bone-in, keep the instructions the same. If they are boneless, they will only need 20-25 minutes.
Winner winner chicken wing dinner! I made this tonight and it was very good! Flavor was great and no overpowering. I would like to ask if there is normally a lot of grease or juice on the bottom of the pan after cooking. I found that mine did and I had to flip them over and broil to get both sides crispy. These wings were juicy and yummy! Thanks Jo!
I made these wings tonight, It was delicious. I would make them again.
Utterly fantastic, made them in my air fryer and turned out great. Only problem is that the 49ers lost their 1st game, but the wings were excellent.
Hi Jo, thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to try it out! I thought you should know that the video demonstration shows chicken + flour instead of baking soda.
Thank you, Christine! We’ll get that fixed 🙂
sorry I’m confused. Does the salt go in with the baking powder before cooking them? or does the salt go in with the melted butter and lemon pepper seasoning at the end?
It goes with the baking powder.
Planning to make these tonight for the 49ers game. Will be using my air fryer, you mention drizzling oil over but did not designate how much.
You just need a little bit like a tbsp or two. For specific directions check out my air fry chicken wings recipe here: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/air-fryer-chicken-wings/