These are the best honey lemon pepper wings! With a perfectly sweet yet tangy flavour, these chicken wings are sticky yet crispy on the outside, and melt in your mouth tender on the inside. They make the perfect appetizer and you will love how easy these chicken wings are to make.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- The taste! The honey lemon pepper glaze on these chicken wings is just so good. It's sweet, sticky, tangy, with a little bit of spice - it's the perfect flavour combination.
- They are so easy to make and use just a few simple pantry staple ingredients including honey, lemons, pepper and garlic.
- I have included both oven and air fryer directions for making these delicious chicken wings so you can cook them whatever way you prefer.
- These honey lemon wings are a great main dish but also make a great appetizer and would be perfect to serve at a tailgate or Super Bowl party! They are the perfect party food.
- Not only do these wings taste amazing, but they are healthy, naturally gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and paleo too.
Ingredients and substitutions:
- Fresh chicken wings - you will need one pound of cut up chicken wings to make this recipe. If you have frozen chicken wings be sure to let them thaw first so that you get the most crispy wings when you cook them.
- Spices - You will use a few seasonings and spices to coat the chicken wings in a dry rub. I went with sea salt, ground black pepper and paprika, but you could also add other spices such as garlic powder or onion powder to kick up the flavour even more.
- Oil - I use avocado oil but you could also use olive oil too.
- Honey - the base of the delicious honey lemon pepper sauce that coats these delicious wings while keeping them refined sugar free. I recommend using raw, local honey if possible.
- Fresh lemon juice - freshly squeezed lemon juice adds just the perfect amount of citrus flavour to the glaze on these wings giving the sauce the perfect balance of flavours.
- Fresh garlic - to give the zesty honey sauce on these wings just a bit more aromatic flavour.
How to make in an oven :
Step one:
First you will preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step two:
Next you will dry the chicken wings with a paper towel and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the oil and the spices to the bowl with the wings and toss everything well until the chicken wings are coated.
Step three:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the seasoned chicken wings to the baking sheet. Bake the chicken wings in the oven for ~40-45 minutes, until the wings have crispy skin and are golden brown.
Step four:
To make the honey lemon pepper sauce, when the wings are almost done, place all the glaze ingredients into a small saucepan on the stove and heat for a few minutes over medium heat, until the glaze thickens.
Step five:
Once the chicken wings are done cooking, transfer them to a bowl and pour the sticky sauce over them. Toss the wings until they are evenly coated in the honey lemon pepper glaze. Then serve and enjoy!
To make these wings in an air fryer:
Prepare the wings as you would for the oven cooking method. Then transfer the chicken wings to the air fryer rack or air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Be sure the wings are in a single layer and not overlapping or they won't cook properly. Once the wings have finished cooking, coat them in the lemon pepper sauce and then serve!
Top Tips:
- For the best result be sure to dry the chicken wings before you coat them in the oil and spices to help them crisp up when they bake.
- Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken wings. For larger wings you might need to add 2-3 minutes more to the cook time.
Variations and add ins:
- If you are serving a crowd feel free to double or triple this recipe.
- If you want a bit more lemon flavour, add some lemon zest to the glaze or add some lemon pepper seasoning to the rub.
- To turn these into hot honey lemon pepper wings add a bit of hot sauce such as Frank's red hot sauce to the honey sauce.
- Instead of honey you can use maple syrup or date syrup for the sticky honey lemon pepper sauce.
- To make them spicier add some cayenne pepper to the spice rub.
How to store:
Store any leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How to reheat:
To reheat these wings: let the chicken wings come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and then bake for 10-20 minutes.
Frequently asked questions:
Lemon pepper wings can be made either way. If you cook chicken wings and then season them with lemon pepper seasoning, those would be dry lemon pepper wings. If you toss the cooked chicken wings in a lemon pepper sauce, that would make them wet lemon pepper wings.
Other delicious chicken recipes you will love:
- Air Fryer Frozen Chicken Wings
- Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken with Spinach
- Chicken Meatloaf
- Mexican Chicken Marinade
- Cranberry Maple Chicken
Since you made it this far we are basically best friends so be sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and Facebook where I share even more recipes and healthy living tips! And don’t forget to leave this recipe a star rating before you go!
Recipe
Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
For the chicken wings
- 1 lb chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the glaze
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Dry the chicken wings with a paper towel and transfer them to a bowl. Add the oil and spices to the bowl and toss everything well until the chicken wings are coated.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer the wings to the baking sheet. Bake the chicken wings for ~40 minutes, until nice and crispy.
How to make the glaze
- When there is about 5 minutes left of cooking time for the wings, you can make the glaze. Place all the glaze ingredients into a small saucepan and heat for a few minutes over medium heat, until the glaze thickens.
Final assembly
- Once the chicken wings are done baking, transfer them to a large bowl and pour the glaze over them. Toss the wings until they are evenly coated in the glaze. Then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional values are estimates and will vary depending on the specific ingredients you use.
- Store these chicken wings in the fridge in an air tight container for up to 3 days.
Dana
They were delicious.
Erin Carter
Yay I am so glad you loved it!