These honey lemon pepper wings are made with a sweet and savory glaze, baked in the oven or in an air fryer, extra easy to make, and taste absolutely incredible.
These wings are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. These can be served as a delicious appetizer for parties, or game days, as a side dish, or by themselves!
I love that you can easily customize this recipe and make this your own like adding a hot sauce of chili flakes to make it spicy or adding more honey to make it sweeter.
If you are looking for more chicken recipes, check out my marry me chicken, air fryer chicken tenders, creamy chicken limone, honey butter chicken, and cast iron chicken.
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Why this recipe works
- Simple- this recipe is made with simple ingredients that you may have in your pantry.
- Sauce- this sauce is made with a sweet and savory sauce that has a little kick to it.
- Baked- these chicken wings are so much healthier than fried chicken wings! They are made in the oven and can be made in the air fryer.
- Time- this recipe comes together in under an hour from start to finish. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a main dish!
- Texture- these chicken wings are tender and juicy on the inside and crispy and flavorful on the outside.
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Chicken wings- we suggest using fresh chicken wings, but if you have frozen chicken wings, simply defrost them completely.
Olive oil- we used extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. You can use canola oil or vegetable oil as well.
Paprika- use your favorite kind of paprika for this recipe. we like to use regular paprika.
Kosher salt- we like using kosher salt in baking and cooking because it's easy to measure and the size of the grains is perfect.
Black pepper- we like to use fresh ground pepper for cooking. When the pepper is freshly ground, its flavor is so much more powerful.
Honey lemon pepper wing sauce
Honey- use your favorite brand of honey for this recipe.
Lemon juice- use fresh lemon juice for this recipe. Fresh lemon will give you the best result. We don't recommend using store-bought lemon juice. This will make the flavor pop!
Garlic- you will need about 2 garlic cloves for this recipe. we use fresh garlic and grate it by hand. We do not recommend using store-bought pre-grated garlic, because it usually has less flavor.
Vegetable oil – we used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Lemon zest- you will need ½ teaspoon of lemon zest. We recommend zesting the lemon first and then juicing it.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 200c (400f) and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pat dry the chicken wings with paper towels until they are super dry.
Into a big mixing bowl, add the chicken wings, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Toss the chicken wings in the spices until they are completely covered.
Place the chicken wings on the prepared parchment paper-lined baking sheet with small spaces between every chicken wing. Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.
Make the honey lemon pepper sauce
In a small saucepan or a pan, add the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, vegetable oil, and minced garlic.
Turn the heat on medium and mix until combined. Let the glaze simmer for about 5 minutes until the glaze thickens.
Remove the chicken wings from the oven and place them in a big mixing bowl. Add the glaze on top and mix until the wings are coated with the glaze. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!
Air fryer method
Preheat the air fryer to 200c (400f) and lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil spray.
Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and toss the spices and the chicken wings in a big mixing bowl until they are evenly coated.
Arrange the chicken wings on the air fryer basket in one even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, flip the chicken wings using a thong so you won't burn yourself. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the chicken wings are cooked through.
Make the glaze: In a small saucepan, add the lemon juice, honey, garlic, lemon zest, and oil. Cook on medium heat until it comes to a simmer. When the glaze comes to a simmer, decrease the heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes until it thickens.
Remove the chicken wings from the air fryer and toss them in a bowl with the glaze. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Pat dry these wings to make them super crispy.
- Use thongs to remove and move the chicken wings from the oven while tossing the chicken wings with the sauce. The hot honey sauce is really hot and can burn you, so be careful.
- If you can't find chicken wings or don't have them available but really want to make this recipe, use another part of chicken like drumsticks (chicken legs), chicken thighs, chicken tenders, etc.
- Do not disturb the chicken! Let the chicken cook for at least 10 minutes without flipping it so it will have time to properly form a crust.
Faq's
You don't have to cut the chicken wings in half, but we do it because it makes them more convenient to eat. Feel free to leave the chicken wings as is if you don't want the trouble of cutting them.
Eventhght you can fry these chicken wings, we prefer to bake them. The advantages are that baking is less messy than frying, it's more healthy, it is still tender and moist, and tastes amazing.
No. The bacteria from the chicken will burn in the cooking process, and washing the wings will spread germs all around your kitchen.
To make these wings crispy, you need to pat the wings dry with a paper towel and then add the spices and seasoning.
Storing
If you have leftover wings, let them cool completely to room temperature and place them in an airtight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing
These wings freeze great! Simply freeze these in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Serving tips
Serve these chicken wings immediately! They taste the best fresh and hot. We like to sprinkle these with fresh chopped parsley or sesame seeds.
These wings are flavorful and delish by themselves, but if you like, you can dip them in ranch or your favorite dipping sauce.
Serve these chicken wings next to home fries with sweet chili sauce, spinach pasta salad, and greek pasta salad.
Substitutions
Maple syrup- You can swap the honey with maple syrup and the results will be similar! Replace the honey with the exact measurement for the maple syrup.
Variations
Spicy- To make these spicy, add ½ teaspoon of chili flakes to the glaze or 1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce like sriracha or tabasco.
More savory recipes
Buttermilk cornbread- This buttermilk cornbread recipe is made from scratch with a cast iron skillet that gives this cornbread crispy edges and a moist crumb.
No-knead fluffy focaccia bread- This no knead focaccia bread is soft and fluffy from the inside and crispy on the outside. I was shocked by how easy and amazing this focaccia bread is!
Creamy pesto pasta bake- This creamy pesto pasta bake is extra creamy and cheesy, made in one baking pan, and doesn't require kitchen skills!
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📖 Recipe
Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken wings
- 1 teaspoon Olive oil or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
Honey lemon pepper glaze:
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon Honey
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ teaspoon Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 200c (400f) and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2: Pat dry the chicken wings with paper towels until they are super dry.
- Into a big mixing bowl, add the chicken wings, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Toss the chicken wings in the spices until they are completely covered.
- Place the chicken wings on the prepared parchment paper-lined baking sheet with small spaces between every chicken wing. Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.
Make the honey lemon pepper glaze:
- In a small saucepan or a pan, add the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, vegetable oil, and minced garlic.
- Turn the heat on medium and mix until combined. Let the glaze simmer for about 5 minutes until the glaze thickens.
- Remove the chicken wings from the oven and place them in a big mixing bowl. Add the glaze on top and mix until the wings are coated with the glaze. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!
Air fryer method
- Preheat the air fryer to 200c (400f) and lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil spray.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel and toss the spices and the chicken wings in a big mixing bowl until they are evenly coated.
- Arrange the chicken wings on the air fryer basket in one even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, flip the chicken wings using a thong so you won't burn yourself. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the chicken wings are cooked through.
- Make the glaze: In a small saucepan, add the lemon juice, honey, garlic, lemon zest, and oil. Cook on medium heat until it comes to a simmer. When the glaze comes to a simmer, decrease the heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes until it thickens.
- Remove the chicken wings from the air fryer and toss them in a bowl with the glaze. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pat dry these wings to make them super crispy.
- Use thongs to remove and move the chicken wings from the oven while tossing the chicken wings with the sauce. The hot honey sauce is really hot and can burn you, so be careful.
Linda
These chicken wings are incredible! And easy to make!