Lemon Pepper Wings

I don’t play games when it comes to my Lemon Pepper wings. It’s a serious matter. I believe in creating flavor in every aspect of the process. I bread and fry these babies until golden brown then I toss in a sticky lemon honey sauce. Folks will either beg you for the recipe or beg you to make these lemon pepper wings time and time again. Either way, you will stay winning and have Popeye’s in a chokehold! Ain’t no thang but a chicken wang.

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Lemon Pepper Wing Ingredient Notes

• Seasoned Salt and Pepper: I use seasoned salt instead of regular for a bit more nuance and depth.
• Lemon Pepper: You can actually make your own homemade version by mixing together equal parts black pepper and lemon zest.
• Flour and Cornstarch: If you don’t have this lying around, just use more flour.
• Eggs and Hot Sauce: You can swap eggs for buttermilk.
• Party Wings: Use any piece of the chicken you like from the breast to drumsticks. Do you boos!
• Oil: Select a neutral oil like vegetable or canola. No olive oil though! Too strong of a flavor.
• Butter: Grab unsalted for the sauce because we are going to hook it up!
• Honey: You can replace the honey with maple syrup or agave nectar.
• Lemon Juice: Fresh squeezed is best.

How to Make Lemon Pepper Wings

Prep the Dry and Wet Ingredients for Dredging

1. Start by mixing up the dry ingredients. Add all the spices along with the cornstarch and flour to a bag and shake it up.
2. Then whisk up those eggs and hot sauce in a medium bowl.

Let’s Dredge and Fry!

1. Let’s get that chicken breaded up! Working with one chicken wing at a time, use tongs and add to the egg mixture thoroughly coating allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl.
2. Next add that wing into the flour and get it coated super well. Transfer to a wire rack or plate and let set.
3. Continue until all of the wings are done then let them chill out for about 15-20 minutes while you start heating the oil up to 350 degrees F.
4. When you get that oil good and ready, use tongs to gently and carefully add a few chicken wings to the oil. Make sure you don’t add too many and overcrowd. Don’t nobody want soggy fried chicken.
5. Cook the chicken, turning the wing pieces every few minutes and adjusting the heat as needed, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is firm to the touch. This should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Get that Lemon Pepper Wing Sauce Going

• As chicken fries, prepare the glaze.  Whisk together butter, pepper, lemon pepper, honey and lemon juice until smooth.
• Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined serving platter and continue frying the rest.
• As chicken wings are removed and placed on paper towels, dip them in lemon pepper glaze, sprinkle top with just a little lemon pepper and serve while they are hot!

Recipe Tips

• Oil Temp: Make sure that oil is at 350°F before you start frying. If the temperature is too low, those wings will be soggy boos. If it’s too high, the breading will burn before the chicken is even cooked through.
• Don’t Overcrowd: Fry in batches so you don’t lower the oil temperature and make the wings soggy.
• Internal Temp: Make sure your wings reach an internal temperature of 165°F for safety purposes. Just insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the wing to test them.
• Drain Properly: Don’t add those wings right into the sauce before draining all that oil. You can either drain directly on paper towels or on a wire rack placed over a paper towel lined baking sheet.
• Sauce Tip: The sauce will definitely make the lemon pepper wet wings a bit less crispy so either lightly sauce and serve right away or serve the sauce on the side as a dip.

Recipe Help

Favorite Wing Recipes

• Mango Jerk Wings
• Honey Jerk Wings
• Honey BBQ Wings
• Crispy Buffalo Wings