Crispy Baked Lemon Pepper Wings - Dishes With Dad (2024)

These oven baked lemon pepper chicken wings are coated with a lemon pepper dry rub and then baked until they're super crispy. Finally, they're finished with a flavorful lemon butter sauce. They're the perfect game day appetizer or a tasty meal on their own!

Why this Recipe Works

There are generally two styles of lemon pepper chicken wings; wet or dry. Wet lemon pepper wings are finished with a lemon pepper wing sauce made of butter, lemon juice, and lemon pepper seasoning. Dry lemon pepper wings have a dry lemon pepper seasoning rub and no sauce.

But why have one when you can have both? The secret to this recipe for lemon pepper chicken wings is using both a dry rub and a lemon pepper wing sauce to get maximum flavor!

And if you want another layer of flavor, try hot lemon pepper wings by adding 1 tablespoon of Frank's Red Hot sauce to the lemon pepper wing sauce to make it a lemon pepper buffalo wing sauce.

How to Cut Chicken Wings

Fresh chicken wings often come whole, with the drum, flat, and wing tip all attached. It's best to separate them to make the chicken wings easier to eat.

Before cooking the wings, separate the drum and flat by spreading them apart and cutting between them at the joint with a chef's knife or kitchen shears. Then, cut the wing tip off from the flat.

Season with Lemon Pepper Dry Rub

One of the keys to getting crispy baked chicken wings is to make sure you dry them very thoroughly with paper towels to remove as much moisture from the skin as possible.

Next, combine the lemon pepper seasoning and aluminum-free baking powder in a large resealable plastic bag or a large mixing bowl. Then add the wings and toss until well coated.

This lemon pepper dry rub will help flavor the wings as they cook and the baking powder will make the skin super crispy.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack inside. Spray the rack with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Put your wings on the rack, leaving about an inch of space between each one.
2. Bake the wings at 450ºF for 20 minutes, then flip them. They will still be pretty pale at this time but don't worry if they don't look too good yet! Let them bake for another 20 minutes, then flip again. Finally bake for about 5 more minutes.
3. Remove the wings and let cool for around 5 minutes. While they cool, melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish. Add to a large bowl with the remaining lemon pepper seasoning and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, then stir to combine.
4. Add the wings to the bowl with the sauce and toss until thoroughly coated

Tips for Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

• Dry the wings thoroughly with paper towels to remove the moisture from the skin. If you have time you can allow them to air dry overnight in the fridge.
• The baking powder is key, it will raise the pH level of the skin helping it get super crispy
• Another key to crispy skin is to use a wire rack for baked chicken wings. Without a rack the wings will sit in the fat that renders out during cooking, and you will have soggy chicken skin.
• Use a lemon pepper dry rub and a lemon pepper wing sauce for the most flavor.
• Despite the small size, chicken wings take a while to cook. You'll need about 45 minutes to get them really crispy.

FAQs for the Best Lemon Pepper Wings

More Chicken Wing Recipes

• Easy Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
• Crispy Smoked Chicken Wings
• Chili Lime Chicken Wings

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