These Honey Lemon Pepper Wings are sweet, savory and spicy with a refreshing zing of lemon. Using ingredients like garlic and onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice, honey and hot sauce, you cannot get a more flavorful chicken wing. Start off any kind of gathering with these wings as a starter and the rest will be history.
Looking for other appetizers and starters that will impress a crowd? Try my Dairy-Free Buffalo Chicken Dip. It tastes just like a classic buffalo chicken dip, and nobody will even be able to tell it's dairy free. Or you can go for something lighter like my Pineapple Mango Habanero Salsa served with some tortilla chips. It's light, refreshing and has a nice bite of heat.
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❤️Why You'll Love Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
- It's made in the air fryer, so you don't even have to turn your oven on!
- They have so much flavor!
- For a homemade wing recipe, they are quick to make. Slice up the wings, pat them dry, rub with spices, air fry them, heat up the sauce, and toss to combine. And bam! They're ready to serve.
📝Ingredient Notes
Lemon pepper seasoning: I use Lawry's Lemon Pepper Seasoning, but any lemon pepper seasoning you have will do.
Lemon juice: Be sure to use fresh lemon juice for best flavor.
Hot sauce: I use Louisanna Hot Sauce. I use this brand because it has more heat than it does flavor. For example, I normally use Franks Red Hot Sauce, but, personally, I think Franks has more flavor to it than heat. Which is why I don't use it for these wings.
Chicken wings: You can purchase the wings pre-chopped into flats and drumettes. You can even buy frozen wings, although I prefer fresh because I think the flavor is better. If you use frozen wings, thaw them and pat them dry before seasoning and cooking.
🔪Instructions
- Place the chicken wings on a cutting board.
2. Slice the wings into three pieces: the drumette, wingette (the flat) and the tip. Discard the tip. Slice through the joints and made sure you are working with a sharp knife. I've found it to be helpful when you pick up the meaty end of the drumette so that it's at a 90 degree angle with the cutting board (with the joint sitting upright on the board). Take your knife and slice through the joint, separating the drumette and the flat. Repeat this to separate the flat and the tip.
3. With some paper towels, pat the chicken dry and place the wings into a medium/large mixing bowl.
4. Add the spices in and mix until the chicken is well coated.
5. Spray the basket or tray of an air fryer with oil and then place the wings in a single layer. Do not overcrowd.
6. Heat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 12 minutes. Then flip the chicken and cook for another 12 minutes.
7. Once the wings are cooked, make your sauce. In a skillet, melt the butter and then add in the rest of the sauce ingredients. Mix until well combined.
8. Place the wings in a large mixing bowl and pour the sauce over them. Toss the wings and sauce together until all the wings are evenly coated.
🍗Substitutions/ Variations
Chicken wings: If you don't want to use bone-in chicken, you can use boneless chicken wings. Cooking time and temperature will vary.
Hot sauce: You can use your favorite hot sauce here, but if you want to be able to taste the heat, use one that is more spicy, like Louisianna hot sauce.
Honey: I was recently introduced to Mike's Hot Honey. It's honey that's infused with chilies. You can use this in place of the regular honey for a delicious and spicy kick. If you use hot honey, add the cayenne pepper to taste or omit it from the recipe.
🥣Equipment
Air fryer: I use a Ninja Foodie XL.
Chef knife or poultry knife.
Medium to large mixing bowls
✅Pro Tips
- Use fresh chicken instead of frozen. Fresh chicken is typically more flavorful and juicy.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels so that the spices adhere better.
- Use food prep gloves while handling raw meat.
🧊Storing
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat the wings in the air fryer at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes or until completely warmed.
Freezing: Place the wings in a freezer ziplock bag or a freezer-safe airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months. Cook frozen in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 minutes until hot and crispy.
🥽Safety
- Use a separate cutting board for raw meat.
- Never place fresh produce or already cooked foods on any surfaces or utensils that have been touched with raw meat.
- Wash cutting board, utensils and surfaces that have come into contact with raw chicken with warm soapy water, then sanitize. Do this after preparing the chicken and before handling the next item.
- Chicken is safe to eat when it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not eat undercooked chicken.
- Raw chicken is ready to be cooked and does not need to be washed. However, if you do choose to wash your chicken, follow the CDCs guidelines to do it safely.
- Refrigerate leftover chicken within 2 hours. Refrigerate within 1 hour if chicken is exposed to hot temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
⁉️Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Just defrost them and pat them dry with a paper towel.
Yes. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. Timing can vary based on the size of your wings but they should reach a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
⭐️Before you go! If you enjoyed this recipe for Honey Lemon Pepper Wings, leave a review and comment down below to share it with me! I love to hear from you. Also, if you aren't following me on Instagram, search @thedairyfreemenu for some more cooking inspiration!
📖 Recipe
Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
Equipment
- Chef knife or poultry knife
- Medium to large size mixing bowls
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings sliced into wingettes and drumettes
Dry rub
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Honey lemon pepper sauce
- ½ stick country crock butter see notes
- 2½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce see notes
- pinch cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
How to cut chicken wings
- Put the wings on a cutting board and slice the wings into three pieces: the drumette, wingette (the flat) and the tip. Discard the tip. Slice through the joints and made sure you are working with a sharp knife. I've found it to be helpful when you pick up the meaty end of the drumette so that it's at a 90 degree angle with the cutting board (with the joint sitting upright on the board). Take your knife and slice through the joint, separating the drumette and the flat. Repeat this to separate the flat and the tip.
Season and air-fry
- With some paper towels, pat the chicken dry and place the wings into a medium/large mixing bowl.
- Add the spices in and mix until the chicken is well coated.
- Spray the basket or tray of an air fryer with oil and then place the wings in a single layer. Do not overcrowd.
- Heat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit and cook for 12 minutes. Then flip the chicken and cook for another 12 minutes.
Make the sauce
- Once the wings are cooked, make your sauce. In a skillet, melt the butter and then add in the rest of the sauce ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Place the wings in a large mixing bowl and pour the sauce over them. Toss the wings and sauce together until all the wings are evenly coated.
Notes
- 2 pounds of chicken wings yields roughly 10-12 pieces of wing sections. This can vary by size, though.
- Chicken is safe to consume when it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrition
Note: The nutrition label is only an estimate. Amounts may vary.
Meredith Edwards says
These were absolutely delicious! Just the right amount of sweetness with a surprise little kick! Highly recommend!
Kayla says
Thank you, Meredith!
Jesse says
These wings are a little tangy, sweet and full of flavor! Definitely recommend.