Baked lemon pepper chicken wings are crispy, delicious, and use a fraction of the amount of oil as traditional fried wings. Made with real food ingredients like fresh lemon juice and flavorful fresh parsley, these wings are so full of flavor that you won’t even care that they aren’t deep fried. Plus, these wings are so easy to make that they are perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Crispy Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Is there anything better than crispy chicken wings?! The answer is actually…yes. What about crispy chicken wings that have been baked not deep fried in a ton of oil and then tossed in a delicious lemon pepper seasoning?
If you have written off chicken wings as being an unhealthy food while on your quest to eat a healthier balanced diet I’m here to tell you about the magic of crispy baked chicken wings. With just a little oil and a hot oven you can get perfectly crispy wings every single time.
Watch How to Make This Recipe
These lemon pepper chicken wings are one of my personal favorite flavors of wings. The combination of fresh cracked pepper, garlic, and fresh lemon juice works so well together. Not only is this recipe delicious, it is also so easy to make as well as Paleo-friendly, naturally gluten free, and Whole30 compliant.
What Tools Will I Need to Make Perfect Wings?
How to Make Perfectly Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
If you haven’t tried it already, you may be surprised to find that one of the easiest ways to get perfectly crispy wings is baking them in the oven.
This method is simple and requires minimal clean up (all you need is one sheet pan), and once you put them in the oven, all you have to do is flip the wings once halfway through cooking.
Chicken wings are the perfect weeknight dinner option when you need a recipe that is simple and does not require a lot of hands on cooking time.
Tips and Tricks to Get the Best Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Every Time
- Line your sheet pan with parchment paper. This helps to ensure that the chicken wings do not stick and makes cleaning up simple and easy.
- Use a little oil. One tablespoon of oil will go a long way to help get the wings cooking and crispy.
- Bake the wings at 425. If you want crispy wings you are going to have to bake them at a higher temperature. Baking the wings at 425 will ensure you get that crispy golden skin.
- Cook the wings long enough. Wings have a good amount of fat on them which means they will not dry out when cooked at a higher temperature for a little while. Let your wings bake for around 40 minutes and flip them halfway through.
- Make sure the wings are fully thawed out and pat them dry. This helps to ensure that there is no extra moisture on the wings so that they can get nice and crispy.
Easy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wing Ingredients
Chicken Wings: I personally like to use split chicken wings for this and all my wing recipes but if you like feel free to use whole wings instead.
Avocado Oil or Ghee: These are my two favorite cooking fats to use when making chicken wings.
Lemon Juice: Use fresh lemon juice for the very best results. Shelf-stable lemon juice will not give you the same flavorful results.
Garlic Powder: Adds a little extra oomph of flavor to these wings outside of just salt and pepper.
Cracked Black Pepper: A must have ingredient! If you can use fresh cracked black pepper it really does make a difference.
Parsley: This adds a little freshness to the wings and helps to bring everything together.
How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Step One: Pat your cleaned chicken wings dry and then add them to a mixing bowl.
Step Two: Drizzle the wings with avocado oil or melted ghee and then season with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. Give the chicken a toss in the oil and seasoning until all of the wings are well coated.
Step Three: Next, transfer the chicken wings to a sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Lining the sheet pan with parchment paper helps to ensure that the wings do not stick. Bake the wings at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until browned and crispy. Don’t forget to flip the wings halfway through so that they cook evenly.
Step Four: Once the chicken wings are done cooking, transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, garlic powder, parsley, and black pepper to the wings. Toss the chicken until it is well coated in all of the seasonings. Now, give one of the chicken wings a taste and add more salt or lemon juice to taste. Once the wings taste just perfect, serve and enjoy!
How to Make Lemon Pepper Wings in the Air Fryer
Do you have an air fryer and want to use it to make your wings? The good news is that you can absolutely make these lemon pepper chicken wings in the air fryer for even quicker option.
To make these wings in the air fryer, just toss them in the oil and seasonings until well coated. Then transfer the wings to the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
You can give the wings a shake or flip them halfway through to ensure that they cook evenly. After the wings are finished cooking, toss them in the lemon pepper seasoning and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Air Fryer Chicken Wings
- Depending on the size of your air fryer and the amount of chicken you are cooking, you may need to make this recipe in two batches.
- If you are trying to cut down on the amount of oil you are using, you can use a teaspoon or so of oil or ghee for this recipe instead of the full tablespoon. I would still use a little bit of oil to ensure ultimate crispy-ness but chicken wings have a lot of natural fat so using a little less oil will still work!
How to Reheat Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Can’t eat all your lemon pepper wings at once? No worries! These wings are so easy to reheat and eat again.
Air Fryer Method: If you have an air fryer, you can easily pop a few wings back into the air fryer to reheat. If your air fryer has a ‘reheat’ function you can use that or just air fry them again at 400 degrees for a few minutes until heated through.
Oven Method: Another great way to reheat these lemon pepper wings is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees then place the wings on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Pop them in the oven and heat for a few minutes until hot and crispy.
I have found that the absolute worst way to reheat wings is in the microwave. They just do not have the same crispy-ness that you will get from an oven, air fryer, or toaster oven.
More Crispy Baked Chicken Wing Recipes
Crispy Baked Ranch Chicken Wings
Whole30 Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings
Baked Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken Wings
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped parsley
- salt to taste
Method
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Toss the chicken wings with oil or ghee, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Place the wings on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes or until crispy, flipping half way through.
- While the wings are cooking make the lemon pepper seasoning. Add the lemon juice, ground black pepper, garlic powder, chopped parsley, and salt to a small mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
- Once the wings are done, transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon pepper seasoning to the chicken wings and toss until they are well coated. Taste test a wing and add any additional salt or lemon juice to taste. Serve and enjoy!
