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Lemon Pepper Wings

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overhead shot of Lemon Pepper Wings on a plate
Baked in the oven, these lemon pepper wings are the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, with a touch of peppery spice.
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Table of Contents
  1. Lemon Pepper Wings Ingredients
  2. Substitutions And Additions
  3. How To Make This Lemon Pepper Wings Recipe
  4. How To Serve These Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
  5. Storing These Lemon Pepper Baked Wings
  6. More Recipes You’ll Love
  7. JUMP TO RECIPE

These baked lemon pepper wings are exploding with flavor and are so simple to make. The wings are coated in a zingy lemon pepper butter sauce and baked in the oven until they’re crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

overhead shot of Lemon Pepper Wings on a plate

Lemon Pepper Wings Ingredients

Lemon Pepper Wings raw ingredients that are labeled
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You’ll need:

  • 2 pounds of chicken wing drumettes, thawed
  • 1½ tablespoons of cornstarch
  • ½ cup of unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (from half a lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest
  • 1½ teaspoons of lemon pepper spice blend
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder 

PRO TIP:

I find that the bags of frozen mixed chicken pieces tend to have much smaller pieces than what you find in the fresh meat section of your grocery store (thus giving the large difference in serving size), so I like to buy my chicken wings fresh because I can see the size of the pieces.

This matters when baking because you want all your chicken wing pieces to bake at the same rate. If your pieces are smaller, then you will need to decrease the amount of bake time accordingly.

Substitutions And Additions

WINGS: If you can find a package of mixed pieces (flat wings and drumettes), you can certainly use that for this recipe. You just want a total of 2 pounds. This will yield approximately 10 to 18 pieces.

Be careful that if your grocery store sells a bag that is just labeled as “chicken wings,” they have split the two parts in half for you already. My grocery store packages them as one solid piece that I have to separate if I buy them labeled that way.

FROZEN VS. FRESH CHICKEN: If you buy a large bag of frozen mixed pieces, you can either thaw them completely and follow the recipe or bake them from frozen. You will want to make sure to follow the package directions for bake time and temperature if cooking from frozen. 

How To Make This Lemon Pepper Wings Recipe

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

You can easily double or triple this delicious lemon pepper chicken wings recipe. You will need to increase the amount of lemon pepper sauce accordingly, and you will need to use a second prepared rimmed baking sheet so that you do not crowd your chicken wings when baking.

STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and an oven-safe wire rack. You can spray your wire rack with cooking spray to prevent sticking.

STEP TWO: In a large bowl, add the thawed chicken wing drumettes and cornstarch. Toss wings to completely coat the chicken pieces with the cornstarch.

chicken wings tossed in cornstarch in a a bowl

STEP THREE: Arrange the coated chicken wings in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between each piece so the hot air can circulate. This helps get even heating and crispy skin.

wings arranged leaving space in between them on a cooling rack

STEP FOUR: Bake the chicken for 20 minutes without any lemon pepper sauce.

STEP FIVE: While your chicken is baking, you can make your homemade lemon pepper sauce in a small saucepan, over low heat, by adding the unsalted butter, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon pepper spice blend, salt, and garlic powder. Simmer on low heat just until the butter mixture has melted and the spices have infused into the butter and oil. Turn off the heat to the saucepan.

PRO TIP:

Taste your lemon pepper seasoning blend to know if it is good with the amount of salt it will add to this recipe. Depending on the brand you use, you may find that different brands are saltier than others. You may want to add more or less salt or lemon pepper seasoning to your butter and oil. You will just need to adjust according to taste.

butter, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, lemon pepper spice, salt, and garlic powder folded in a pot

STEP SIX: After the chicken wings have baked for the first 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and baste each chicken wing drumette with the lemon butter sauce. Return the chicken wings to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Lemon Pepper Wings basted on a cooling rack and baked for 10 minutes

STEP SEVEN: Once the chicken wings have baked for 10 minutes, you will remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip the chicken wing drumettes over, and baste the other side of the chicken. Return the chicken wings to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes or until the wings reach an internal temperature of 165°F, and the juices run clear.

Lemon Pepper Wings basted on a cooling rack and baked for another 10 minutes

STEP EIGHT: Once your chicken wings are baked, you can broil them on each side for 1 to 2 minutes to get the skin golden and crispy. After they have been broiled to a beautiful golden brown, you will want to give them one last coat of lemon pepper sauce before serving them.

Lemon Pepper Wings broil on a cooling rack

How To Serve These Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

These crispy lemon pepper chicken wings are best served hot and fresh from the oven. You can garnish them with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a couple of grinds of fresh black pepper.

Serve them with a side of ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for dipping sauce. They make great party food or even an easy dinner, along with a tasty bowtie pasta salad.

For more tasty chicken recipes, our grilled chicken breast and baked bruschetta chicken are both amazing.

Storing These Lemon Pepper Baked Wings

IN THE FRIDGE: These crispy wings are best served fresh, but you can store them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t recommend freezing these homemade lemon pepper wings. The chicken wings are best made fresh, especially if you are using already frozen chicken wings to start with.

close up shot of two Lemon Pepper Wings on a plate

These easy lemon pepper wings are crispy, tangy, and a little bit spicy all at once. If you love lemon pepper, these juicy chicken wings are just the thing you need to add to your menu for dinner or an easy appetizer.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can I use frozen chicken wings?

For this crispy chicken wings recipe, you can use frozen or fresh chicken wings. Frozen wings don’t need to be thawed before baking, but you will need to adjust the bake time slightly based on the package directions.

Can I make homemade lemon pepper if I prefer?

If you have a preferred recipe to make your own lemon pepper, you can certainly substitute that for store-bought for these lemon pepper baked chicken wings.

Can I freeze the leftover baked lemon pepper chicken wings?

This recipe for lemon pepper wings is best made fresh and enjoyed right away rather than trying to freeze the leftovers.

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overhead shot of Lemon Pepper Wings on a plate

Lemon Pepper Wings

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Baked in the oven, these lemon pepper wings are the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, with a touch of peppery spice.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 18

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds chicken wing drumettes, thawed
  • tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from half a lemon
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • teaspoons lemon pepper spice blend
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and an oven-safe wire rack. You can spray your wire rack with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
  • In a large bowl, add the thawed chicken wing drumettes and cornstarch. Toss to completely coat the chicken pieces with the cornstarch.
  • Arrange the chicken wing pieces on the prepared baking sheet, making sure to leave space between each piece so the hot air can circulate around. This helps get even heating and crispy skin.
  • Bake the chicken for 20 minutes without any lemon pepper sauce.
  • While your chicken is baking, you can make your lemon pepper sauce in a small saucepan, over low heat, by adding the unsalted butter, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon pepper spice blend, salt, and garlic powder. Simmer on low heat just until the butter has melted and the spices have infused into the butter and oil. Turn off the heat to the saucepan.
  • After the chicken wings have baked for the first 20 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and baste each chicken wing drumette with the lemon pepper sauce. Return the chicken wings to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Once the chicken wings have baked for 10 minutes, then you will remove the baking sheet from the oven, carefully flip the chicken wing drumettes over, and baste the other side of the chicken. Return the chicken wings back to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes or until the wings reach 165°F, and the juices run clear.
  • Once your chicken wings are baked through, you can broil them for 1 to 2 minutes on each side to get the skin golden and crispy. After they have been broiled to a beautiful golden brown, you will want to give them one last coat of lemon pepper sauce before serving them.

Notes

  • I find that the bags of frozen mixed pieces tend to have much smaller pieces than what you find in the fresh meat section of your grocery store (thus giving the large difference in serving size), so I like to buy my chicken wings fresh because I can see the size of the pieces. This matters when baking because you want all your chicken wing pieces to bake at the same rate. If your pieces are smaller, then you will need to decrease the amount of bake time accordingly.
  • You can easily double or triple this delicious lemon pepper chicken wings recipe. You will need to increase the amount of lemon pepper sauce accordingly, and you will need to use a second prepared rimmed baking sheet so that you do not crowd your chicken wings when baking.
  • Taste your lemon pepper seasoning blend to know if it is good with the amount of salt it will add to this recipe. Depending on the brand you use, you may find that different brands are saltier than others. You may want to add more or less salt or lemon pepper seasoning to your butter and oil. You will just need to adjust according to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 123kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.3mg
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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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