Our honey lemon pepper wings have the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. The wings are coated in a zesty honey lemon pepper sauce that adds a burst of flavor with every bite. If you like things spicy, use hot honey or add some hot sauce to the mix for a little kick of heat.
The best part? No frying needed – just bake, toss in the delicious sauce, and enjoy!
Baked Lemon Pepper Wings
These tasty wings are coated in an easy-to-make lemon pepper rub before baking, but the sauce is the true star of the show here. The wings have a delectable combination of sweet honey, zesty lemon, and aromatic spices, and they are a perfect twist on the classic chicken wing. Dip in your favorite sauce, and it doesn’t get much better than this!
Serve these baked wings with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
These easy honey lemon pepper wings are the ultimate crowd-pleaser, but if you’re on the hunt for more delicious recipes to complete your party or game day spread, why not try these Jalapeno Poppers, Asian Pork Meatballs, or Chicken Empanadas? Go big or go home.
And if you are looking for more wings to add to the party, try our Traeger chicken wings, sticky teriyaki turkey wings, or honey Dijon turkey wings.
Why This Wing Recipe Works
- Easy recipe with minimal hands-on time
- Very few ingredients
- Since these wings are baked instead of fried, they are healthier
- Perfect for gatherings big or small
- An absolute game-day favorite
Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Honey Wings
Here are the ingredients you will need for these lemon pepper wings. For all the details, scroll down to the printable recipe card.
- Chicken Wings.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning. We used a store-bought seasoning blend. You can make your own dry rub with black pepper, salt, lemon zest, sugar, and garlic powder if you prefer.
- Garlic and Onion Powder.
- Baking Powder or Corn Starch. Adding this to the lemon pepper rub will help the chicken wings get crispy and golden when baked in the oven.
- Butter. Adds rich, silky flavor to the wing sauce.
- Honey.
- Lemon Juice. You can use fresh lemon or the bottled stuff but you will get a more vibrant lemon flavor if you use fresh.
- Garlic Cloves. Minced garlic complements the spices and the brightness of the lemon flavor.
- (optional) Tabasco or Franks Red Hot.
- Soy Sauce.
- (optional) Red Chili Flakes and Cayenne Pepper.
These lemon pepper wings are all about that zingy lemon flavor mixed with a nice kick of pepper. It’s a combo that’s hard to resist, whether you’re cooking for a crowd or just spicing up dinner at home.
If you want to make your own lemon pepper seasoning, blend 2 tablespoons of dried lemon zest, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 1/2 tablespoon salt, and 2 teaspoons garlic powder. Keep the seasoning in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Recipe Highlights
Here is a brief overview of the baked chicken wing recipe, but make sure you scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
Mix the lemon pepper seasoning blend in a bowl.
Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels.
Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel then toss them with olive oil in a large bowl.
Toss the seasoning mix with the chicken wings until the wings are completely coated.
Place the wings on the baking sheet in a single layer and slide them into the oven.
Make the honey glaze sauce while the chicken wings bake and baste them half way through the cooking time.
Transfer the lemon pepper wings to a large bowl and coat them with more sauce.
Tips for Success
The honey lemon pepper flavor is a delicious mix of sweet and savory and the chicken wings have a generous coating of the glaze. Here are some tips for perfect chicken wings:
- Before you begin, try to remove as much moisture from the chicken wings as possible. Excess moisture will prevent the wings from getting a crispy skin.
- Baking the wings on top of a rack is optional but creates a crispier skin. Use the baking rack if you want the wings to have a crispier skin, but I will warn you that the baking rack is a bit fussy to clean. If you want a fast and easy cleanup, place the wings directly on parchment paper or an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
- You can use any hot sauce instead of Tabasco or Frank’s. We preferred the flavor from the Tabasco ourselves, but we only used one teaspoon, so it didn’t overpower the lemon pepper and honey.
✅ Substitutions and Variations
Make hot honey lemon pepper wings by adding a dash Tabasco or Frank’s to the honey sauce. You could also replace the honey with store-bought Hot Honey and omit the hot sauce.
You can cook these honey lemon pepper wings in an air fryer at 360°F for 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure they are in a single layer in the air fryer basket and turn the wings half way through the cooking time.
⏲ Storage and Reheating
Store any leftover honey lemon pepper wings in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can reheat them in the oven at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes.
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Honey Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Lemon Pepper Rub
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 tablespoon baking powder or cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Hot Honey Lemon Pepper Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 to 4 teaspoons Tabasco or Frank’s Red Hot
- ¾ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Optional step: place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet so air can circulate around the wings.*
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel then toss them with the oil in a large bowl.
- In a small dish combine the lemon pepper seasoning, baking powder or cornstarch, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.
- Toss the seasoning mix with the chicken wings until the wings are completely coated.
- Place the wings on the baking sheet and slide them in the oven.
- While the wings cook, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan. If you don’t want the spicy heat, omit the hot sauce, chili peppers, and cayenne. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts.
- After the chicken wings cook for 20 minutes, baste them with some of the sauce. Baste them again 15 minutes later. They will need to cook for a total of 40 to 55 minutes, depending on the size of the wings.
- Remove the wings when the internal temperature reaches 175°F or until you can pull the meat away from the bones with a fork.
- Transfer the wings to a large bowl and toss them with more of the sauce.
Notes
- Before you begin, try to remove as much moisture from the chicken wings as possible. Excess moisture will prevent the wings from getting a crispy skin.
- Baking the wings on top of a rack is optional. They will bake just fine if you place them directly on the baking sheet. Use the baking rack if you want the wings to have a crispier skin but I will warn you that the baking rack is a little messier to clean. If you want a fast and easy cleanup, place the wings directly on parchment paper or an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
- You can use any hot sauce instead of Tabasco or Frank’s. We preferred the flavor from the Tabasco ourselves, but we only used 1 teaspoon, so it didn’t overpower the lemon pepper and honey.
Chelsea Gomes
Tuesday 21st of March 2023
Looks good about to try this this weekend :) thanks for the recipe
Dahn Boquist
Wednesday 22nd of March 2023
Thanks for the comment, enjoy!