These lemon pepper honey wings take the classic appetizer to an entirely new level. Tender, meaty crispy chicken wings are seasoned with lemon pepper and spices, then they're slathered in a sweet citrus honey lemon sauce for the ultimate wing experience, making these a naturally gluten and dairy free recipe.
Although I love baking, I'm also a big fan of savory dishes, especially honey chicken dishes. These zesty wings are some of my favorites to make, and I love serving them at parties with my sweet chicken meatballs for a punch of flavor.
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Why You'll Love This Lemon Pepper Honey Wings Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This recipe uses simple ingredients you can find anywhere.
- Great for Parties: Wings are the classic party food that everyone loves. Perfect for game day or The Super Bowl.
- Classic Flavor: Lemon pepper and honey is a classic tangy and sweet combination that makes a flavor explosion in every bite.
- Easy: This recipe is so easy even beginners will have no problem!
- Better than take out: Skip the fast food and make these homemade honey lemon pepper wings instead. They are cheaper and you will have full control over the quality of ingredients used. Using healthier ingredients makes these a much lower calorie option.
Ingredients
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These easy, delicious wings are full of rich, complex flavor, but they achieve it with simple ingredients you can find anywhere.
For the Wings
- Springer Mountain Farms chicken wings - cut in half
- Baking powder the key to making these lemon pepper wings crispy.
- OliveNation sweet smoked paprika Sweet and smokey, enhancing the flavors of the other spices in a romantic duo.
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- Onion powder
- Thyme
- Fresh parsley
For the Honey Lemon Sauce
- Honey adds a naturally sweet flavor and thickens the sauce.
- Lemon juice Adds a nice citrus flavor to the wings.
- Garlic herb seasoning Savory robust garlic flavor.
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Cornstarch Used to thicken the sauce.
- Water
See the recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities.
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Kitchen shears
- Baking sheet
- Foil
- Mixing bowl
- Saucepan
- Wire baking rack
Variations and Substitutions
- Add red pepper flakes or cayenne for spicy wings.
- Use molasses in place of honey for super bold flavor.
- You can make this recipe for dinner using chicken drumsticks or thighs, just adjust the baking time.
If you love meaty, tender, and flavorful wings like these, then try my salt and pepper chicken wings recipe.
How to Lemon Pepper Honey Wings
This recipe has a lot of flavor, but it doesn't have a lot of steps. It's an easy recipe you can have on the table in just about 40 minutes from start to finish.
1: Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Then, wash the wings, pat them dry, and cut them in half at the joint.
2: Line a large baking pan with foil and place a baking rack on top of it.
3: Combine the wings, baking powder, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, thyme, and onion powder in a large bowl and mix to coat the wings thoroughly.
4: Place the wings on the baking rack in a single layer, leaving space between each wing so they get crispy on all sides.
5: Bake until crispy and at an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
6: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the honey, lemon juice, garlic herb seasoning, pepper, and salt.
7: Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to create a slurry and add the slurry to the honey mixture. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
8: Add 2 wings at a time to the saucepan to coat.
9: Transfer the wings to a rack. Repeat until all the wings are coated, then let them rest for 5 minutes to set the glaze. Use a pastry brush to add any additional glaze. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Hint
While you can toss the sauce and wings in a bowl, the easiest way to coat them is to add two or three to the saucepan. This will save time and dishes!
Storage
Store these wings in the refrigerator once they have cooled. For longer storage, freeze them.
To reheat the wings, bake them on a baking sheet lined with foil for 10 to 15 minutes at 350.
Refrigerator: Store for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
Freezer: Store for up to 3 months in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag with as much air removed as possible. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Honey Wings
These lemon pepper honey wings make a great addition to your next party along with your other favorite finger foods. You can make them a fun meal with a nice salad, as well.
Tips
- To ensure even distribution of your spices, mix them in a bowl before tossing them with the wings.
- For more flavor, brush the wings with any remaining sauce with a pastry brush right before serving.
- Pat your wings dry thoroughly before tossing them with the seasoning. This ensures the crispiest wings possible.
- Combine any leftover sauce with plain Greek yogurt to make a rich dipping sauce.
FAQ
Drying the wings ensures that the skin gets crispy. Any moisture on the wings will steam the skin rather than browning it.
Baking powder helps dry out the skin even more, creating super crispy skin that's perfect with the sauce.
Pat the wings dry before seasoning them and always add baking powder to the seasoning mix. In addition, baking the wings on a wire rack over a baking sheet helps increase air flow, maximizing their crispiness on all surfaces.
Color is not an indication of doneness when it comes to chicken. Somes parts of a chicken may have a pink tinge even when the meat is thoroughly cooked. As long as the internal temperature is 165 degrees, the chicken is done.
More Chicken Recipes
If you love zesty chicken recipes like this one, I think you'll enjoy these tasty recipes.
- Garlic Chili Chicken Tenders
- Teriyaki chicken Donburi with Quinoa
- Air Fryer Sweet Chili Honey Garlic Chicken Skewers
Related
📖 Recipe
Lemon Pepper Honey Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Springer Mountain Farms chicken wings cut in half
- 1 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon OliveNation sweet smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
For the Honey Sauce
- ½ cup honey plus 2 tbsp
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp garlic herb seasoning
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 420 degrees. Then, line a baking pan with foil and place a baking rack on top.
- Wash the chicken wings and pat them dry.
- Cut the wings at the joint with a sharp knife or kitchen shears.
- In a large bowl, combine the wings, baking powder, paprika, salt, pepper, lemon pepper, thyme, and onion powder and stir to coat the wings evenly.
- Place the wings on the baking rack, leaving space between each wing to ensure they get crispy on all sides. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until their internal temperature is 165 degrees. Make the sauce while the wings cook.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the honey, lemon juice, garlic herb seasoning, pepper, and salt. Stir. Mix the cornstarch and water to create a slurry, and add it to the honey mixture.
- Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
- Dip 2 wings at a time into the honey sauce in the saucepan and transfer them to the wire rack. Repeat until all the wings are coated.
- Let the wings rest for 5 minutes so the glaze can set.
- Garnish the wings with fresh parsley and serve. You can also brush any remaining sauce on the wings just before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerate for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Microwave individual portions at 1-minute intervals until heated through.
- Rinse the wings in a colander with a gentle stream of water to avoid as much splashing as possible.
- Wash the counters and sink immediately after rinsing the wings.
- Be sure your wings are as dry as possible to ensure nice, crispy wings.
Kirsti Loughery says
These were so good. Little time to cook the chicken but worth it
NKendrick says
So happy to hear that you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!