Wet Lemon Pepper Wings

Sharing is caring!

These wet lemon pepper wings are tender and juicy, but perfectly crispy on the outside. I use a three-ingredient buttery lemon pepper sauce and other simple ingredients to make the best lemon pepper chicken wings in the oven.

Why Make These

• Easy Recipe: these lemon pepper wet wings only take about 5 minutes of prep before they are cooked in the oven. Plus, you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry and spice cabinet.
• Crispy and Baked: Many lemon pepper wing recipes call for deep frying your chicken wings. I’ll show you how to make lemon pepper wings with extra crispy skin in the oven without flour or cornstarch.
• Make takeout favorites at home: making copycat lemon pepper wings at home is the best way to eat on a budget.
• Healthier option: making homemade lemon pepper wings in the oven requires less oil than cooking them in the deep fryer.

Ingredients Needed

Here are all the ingredients that you need to make baked lemon pepper wings.

See the full recipe card at the bottom for ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions.

For the Wings:

• Chicken wings – I am using pre-cut party wings, but if you have whole chicken wings, you can learn how to cut chicken wings into the flat, drum, and wing tips with my tutorial.
• Baking powder: this allows the chicken wing skin to become crisp without causing the meat to dry out.
• Black pepper – For best results, use freshly-cracked black pepper.
• Smoked paprika
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder

For the Lemon Pepper Sauce:

• Lemon pepper seasoning: I use a salt-free lemon pepper seasoning to be able to adjust the salt to taste. I get mine from the store, but you can also use this homemade lemon pepper seasoning blend that uses lemon zest.
• Butter – I use unsalted melted butter
• Lemon juice – I’m using fresh lemon juice.

How to Make Wet Lemon Pepper Wings

1. Prep the wings and preheat the oven: Remove the wings from the fridge, and pat them dry with paper towels. I mix the spice rub in a small bowl and toss the wings in it until they are evenly coated.
2. Add the wings to a baking sheet. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or place a wire rack on it. Add the coated chicken wings on top in a single layer. 
3. Bake. Add the wings to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, then flip them. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. 
4. Make the sauce & toss the crispy wings in it. Add all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and stir to combine. When the wings come out of the oven, toss them with the sauce. Serve while hot. 

Tips and Variations

Here are a few tricks and variations to make the best baked wet lemon pepper chicken wings.

• Use room temperature wings: For best results, remove the wings from the fridge about 30 minutes before using them. Using room temperature wings will make them even juicier when you bake them.
• Thoroughly dry the wings: When drying the wings, make sure to do a very thorough job. Use a paper towel to dry every nook and cranny. The more dry the wings, the crispier they’ll get in the oven. 
• Don’t crowd the wings: Make sure that the wings are not crowded on the baking sheet. They should not be touching each other. If the wings are touching, they won’t be able to get crispy. If you have too many wings for your baking sheet, use a second baking sheet, or cook in batches.
• Add a sweet and/or spicy kick: you can make the sauce sweet or hot by adding some additional ingredients like buffalo sauce, honey, brown sugar and more. When adjusting the sauce, feel free to add one teaspoon at a time or use one of the recipes before for specific instructions.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Leftover lemon pepper wings can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat them in a 350F oven for 15-20 minutes. 

FAQs

More Wet Lemon Pepper Chicken Wing Recipes

• Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
• Lemon Pepper Air Fryer Wings