Skip ordering carryout on game day and make Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings from the comfort of your kitchen. With four simple ingredients, less than 30 minutes of your time, and this failproof air fryer recipe, you have everything you need for consistently crisp and juicy party wings with irresistible lemon pepper flavor.
Classic hot and buttery buffalo sauce may be all the rage when it comes to chicken wing flavors, but if spicy foods aren’t your thing or you want to try something different, how about swapping the buffalo for a buttery sauce with citrus-peppery flavor? These Air-fried lemon pepper wings are among a lineup of air fryer chicken wing recipes, including air fryer BBQ wings and air fryer jerk chicken wings, that you MUST add to your super bowl Sunday menu!
If you’re new to cooking food in an air fryer, let’s back up and brief the basics. The food is placed on a ventilated base allowing hot circumventing air to quickly and evenly “fry” the food, eliminating the need for frying in heavy oils.
As for these lemon pepper chicken wings, the air fryer cooks them to juicy perfection on the inside with nice, crispy skin on the surface. They’re great for game day gatherings and an excellent low-carb, high-protein option to enjoy as the main meal. Sharing optional.
In this post, I’ll walk you through the ins and outs of making crispy lemon pepper chicken wings with the assistance of the amazing air fryer. If you don’t have an air fryer, no worries. Your oven is also perfectly capable of making crispy wings that taste almost too good not to be deep-fried.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- These are healthy wings! Air-fried chicken wings are so much better for you than their deep-fried counterpart.
- Perfect for Superbowl parties, afterschool snacks, or whenever that craving for crispy chicken wings calls.
- Only 4 ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken wings – You can use fresh or frozen chicken wings, but if frozen, plan so you have enough time to thaw them completely in the fridge beforehand.
- Butter – Melted butter coats the surface of each wing with a rich layer of flavor, gives the lemon pepper something to stick to and helps the skins get nice and crispy.
- Lemon-pepper seasoning blend – Look for popular brands like Lawry’s, McCormick, or Simply Organic.
- Cooking oil spray – Spritzing the wings with quality, high-heat cooking oil like olive oil or avocado oil makes them extra crispy. This is a helpful hack for achieving a nice, crisp surface on most air-fried foods.
How To Make Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings In An Air Fryer
Step 1: Preheat air fryer. First, set the air fryer to 400°F and leave it to preheat for 5 minutes while you prepare the wings.
Step 2: Prepare chicken wings. In a large bowl, toss the wings with melted butter and at least half of the lemon pepper seasoning. If you like a heavily seasoned wing, you can be more generous with the seasoning here -totally up to you! We prefer A LOT of seasoning. Don't leave any seasoning in the bowl! Be sure to rub all of the lemon pepper butter mixture onto the skin of the wings.
Step 3: Cook wings in air fryer. Using tongs, carefully place the wings in the air fryer basket in a single layer, leaving space between each for air to circulate. Spray lightly with cooking oil spray, and cook at 380°F for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes during the process.
Step 4: Season and serve. Immediately transfer the hot wings to a bowl and season with more lemon pepper to taste. Serve with carrot & celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t crowd the wings – If you can’t fit the whole batch in the air fryer basket without overcrowding, please cook the wings in batches. If you cook too many at once, it causes steam and soggy wings.
- If you have a Cosori air fryer (like me!) – You can select the “chicken” setting and set the time to 20 minutes. Mine were perfect at the 20-minute mark. If you like your chicken wings “fried hard,” cook for up to 5 additional minutes.
- Oven-baked lemon pepper chicken wings – No air fryer? No problem! To make crispy wings in the oven, toss them in olive oil and plenty of lemon pepper seasoning. Then, bake in the oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. Turn each wing and bake for 15 more minutes or until crispy. Toss with more seasoning to taste and enjoy.
- To check for doneness – I use a meat thermometer to test wings and ensure they register between 165 and 175° degrees.
Variations & Serving
You aren’t limited to lemon pepper seasoning. This chicken wing recipe can be a canvas for any dry rub. After tossing with olive oil or melted butter, try seasoning the wings with one of these options before air frying.
- Cajun or blackened seasoning
- Taco or fajita seasoning
- Dry buffalo seasoning
- Dry ranch seasoning
- Old Bay
- Dry BBQ rub
- Greek seasoning
To improve the presentation and add an extra boost of lemony-fresh flavor, serve the wings on a platter garnished with lemon wheels, fresh lemon zest, and fresh chopped parsley or dill.
Storing & Reheating
Storing: Let cool, then place the leftover lemon pepper wings in a shallow, airtight container with a tight lid and keep refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Reheating: To reheat, return the wings to the air fryer and fry them again at 380°F until the meat is heated through and the skin’s original crispiness is restored (about 3-4 minutes).
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. The day before you plan to make the wings, place them in an airtight bag with lemon pepper marinade and let them marinate in the fridge overnight. Then, bring the wings to room temperature and blot them completely dry with a paper towel before tossing in butter and seasoning.
The culprit of soggy air-fried food is typically an overcrowded air fryer basket, so the wings must be arranged in a single, spacious layer leaving room between each piece for the hot air to circulate freely.
Another reason may be that the wings were too wet. For the best results, you must pat the wings completely dry before coating them in butter and seasoning. To ensure the wings are as dry as possible, you can place them in the fridge uncovered for 2 hours to extract any remaining moisture.
More Hot & Crispy Air Fried Food
- Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
- Air Fryer Zucchini Fries
- Air Fryer Salmon Patties
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Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning (more or less, to taste), divided
- 1.5 lbs fresh chicken wings wings and drumettes
- 1.5 tablespoon butter melted
- Cooking spray I recommend avocado oil or olive oil cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees F. for 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, generously toss wings with melted butter and season with half of the lemon pepper seasoning until coated (the amount is up to you...we like a lot of seasoning). Don't leave any seasoning in the bowl! Be sure to rub all of the lemon pepper butter mixture onto the skin of the wings.
- Place the wings in the air fryer basket, leaving space in between the wings to circulate air, and spray with a little cooking oil spray.
- Cook at 380 degrees F. for 20 minutes, turning the wings every 5 minutes during the cooking process. If you have a Cosori air fryer you can select the “chicken” setting and set the time to 20 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to test wings and make sure they register at least 165 degrees for doneness. Mine were perfect at the 20-minute mark. If you want them a bit more done, you can add up to 5 more minutes to desired crispiness.
- Transfer the hot wings to a bowl and toss with additional seasoning, to taste. Serve with celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
-
- Don’t crowd the wings – If you can’t fit the whole batch in the air fryer basket without overcrowding, please cook the wings in batches. If you cook too many at once, it causes steam and soggy wings.
-
- If you have a Cosori air fryer (like me!) – You can select the “chicken” setting and set the time to 20 minutes. Mine were perfect at the 20-minute mark. If you like your chicken wings “fried hard,” cook for up to 5 additional minutes.
-
- Oven-baked lemon pepper chicken wings – No air fryer? No problem! To make crispy wings in the oven, toss them in olive oil and plenty of lemon pepper seasoning. Then, bake in the oven at 425°F for 30 minutes. Turn each wing and bake for 15 more minutes or until crispy. Toss with more seasoning to taste and enjoy.
-
- To check for doneness – I use a meat thermometer to test wings and ensure they register between 165 and 175° degrees.
-
- To improve the presentation- and add an extra boost of lemony-fresh flavor, serve the wings on a platter garnished with lemon wheels, fresh lemon zest, and fresh chopped parsley or dill.
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SkinnyMommy
How interesting! I had not heard of that thing. These wings sure look great!
Amee Livingston
Thank you Bree! It's pretty cool and I love how little oil is needed to cook the food.
Meredith
I've made these twice, once as an appetizer for a little get together I had, and another for a family dinner. Both times they were great, they made for an irresistible appetizer, but they were also substantial enough to serve as a main dish. I paired them with a cool and creamy ranch dip, and it was a match made in heaven.