I've been sharing wing recipes for a decade now, over 20 different variations, and this one is up there at the top because it gives sweet heat, buttery lemon, and that perfectly seasoned crust that actually sticks. We’re not doing flimsy flavor over here. If you’ve made any of my wings before, you already know the texture is going to be right and the sauce is going to cling.
You will also love my Crispy Fried Chicken Wings and Southern Fried Chicken recipes.
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Ingredients for Hot Lemon Pepper Wings
- Chicken Wings: Split party wings make life easier, chile. Whole wings have their moment, but party wings are already separated into flats and drums so you’re not fighting with the joint trying to cut through bone. They also cook more evenly and faster, which means crispier skin, juicier meat, and less time babysitting.
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning, Smoked Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Salt
- Fresh Lemons: Fresh lemon hits different. Bottled works in a pinch but fresh gives that bright citrus pop that makes these wings taste like they came from a spot that knows what they’re doing.
- Hot Sauce: Always use your favorite sauce. Crystal and Louisiana are my go-tos because they have heat and tang without overpowering the honey. Frank’s works too, it’s a little bolder with more vinegar, which gives the sauce a nice bite. If you want more heat, add a splash of something like Cholula or even a few drops of your favorite habanero sauce.
- Butter
How to Make Hot Lemon Pepper Wings
Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Prep the wings: Pat the wings dry really well with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crispy wings, so don’t skip this. Add the wings to a bowl and season with salt, smoked paprika, and lemon pepper seasoning. Toss until every wing is coated.
- Cook the wings: Air fry, bake, or fry, whatever you prefer. No matter the method, the wings are at their best when the internal temp hits around 185–190°F, that’s when the texture pulls away from the bone just right.
- Make the sauce: While the wings cook, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cut the heat and whisk in hot sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, lemon pepper seasoning, and a pinch of cayenne. Taste and adjust, more lemon for bright, more hot sauce for heat, more butter to mellow it out.
- Toss to coat: Add the hot wings to a big bowl and pour the sauce over top. Toss gently until every wing is glossy and coated.
- Serve immediately: Wings sit and steam once sauced, so dig in while they’re hot and the edges are still crispy. Add an extra sprinkle of lemon pepper on top if you want it extra bold.
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Hot Lemon Pepper Wings
Want to save this recipe for later?
I'll email it to you, so you can come back to it later! You will also grab your FREE ebook with my best 30-minute one-pot meals! Dinner stress stops here.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings I use party wings/drummettes.
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
Hot Lemon Pepper Glaze
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 ½ - 2 teaspoons lemon zest Use 2 teaspoons for bold lemon flavor.
- ½ cup hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
Oven and Baking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Pat the chicken dry and place it on a large bowl or plastic bag.
- Add the lemon pepper seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt to the chicken. Ensure the chicken is fully coated.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and add the wings.
- Bake the wings for 20 minutes and then open and flip the wings.
- Bake for an additional 15-25 minutes. Ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
- Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and hot sauce. You can also add in lemon pepper seasoning and cayenne for more flavor. Taste the sauce and adjust to suit your taste.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is incorporated.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle the wings in the hot lemon butter sauce. Ensure all of the chicken is coated.
- Optional (If you like the wings to soak in the sauce): Place the sauced chicken wings back onto the sheet pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes (same temperature).
Air Fryer Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and place it on a large bowl or plastic bag.
- Add the lemon pepper seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt to the chicken. Ensure the chicken is fully coated.
- Place the chicken in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 15 minutes on 400 degrees.
- Open the air fryer and flip the chicken. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. Ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
- Heat a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and hot sauce. You can also add in lemon pepper seasoning and cayenne for more flavor. Taste the sauce and adjust to suit your taste.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture is incorporated.
- Remove the chicken from the air fryer and drizzle it with the hot lemon butter sauce. Ensure all of the chicken is coated.
- Optional (If you like the wings to soak in the sauce): Place the sauced chicken wings back in the air fryer and air fry for an additional 3-4 minutes at 350 degrees.
Notes
- As a rule of thumb, when applying spices to wings. you should apply enough to fully coat the chicken or meat. You don’t want to see any empty spots. Add more spices if necessary.
- You can substitute regular paprika if you wish, but the smoked paprika definitely takes these to the next level.
- You can use actual wings (instead of drums and flats) if you wish, you may need to adjust the number of ingredients needed to fully coat your wings.
- Any oil can be substituted for butter, or you can omit oil if you wish. Butter adds additional flavor and makes the sauce silky smooth. Without butter or oil you may struggle to smooth out the sauce with the lemon zest.
- You can make breaded wings using 1-2 tablespoons of baking powder or ⅓ cup to ½ cup of all-purpose flour (enough to fully coat the chicken).
Nutrition
Nutrition Data
Macros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
How to Get Lemon Flavor
You will need to use a quality lemon pepper seasoning to actually add flavor to the meat. I also love the Lemon Garlic Seasoning from Trader Joe’s.
You will first bake or air fry the wings to get them crisp. From there you will drizzle them in a hot lemon pepper sauce made with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, hot sauce, and butter.
How to Zest a Lemon
I use this lemon zester from Amazon. You can also use a box/cheese grater. If using the zester hold it one hand and the lemon in the other. Graze the lemon over it, away from you and back and forth. You can read more about How to Zest a Lemon here.
Frequently Asked Questions and Recipe Tips
Yes, please do. Moisture is the enemy of crispy wings. Blotting them takes 10 seconds and gives you that beautiful crust that actually holds sauce instead of turning soggy.
Party wings are already separated into flats and drums, so they cook faster, more evenly, and give you more surface area for the sauce to cling to. Less work, better texture, it’s a win.
Absolutely. I’ve air fried more wings than I can count. Air frying keeps them juicy inside, crispy outside, and cuts the cook time down without sacrificing flavor. Just don’t overcrowd the basket.
Yes! Baked wings at high heat (425–450°F) get crispy, especially if you dry them and season well. I’ve done wings every way possible, the method works.
Wings are technically safe at 165°F, but texture-wise they shine around 185–190°F because the meat pulls clean from the bone and the skin crisps up. That’s why mine always eat right.
Layering flavor matters. The seasoning gives the wings their base flavor and crust. The butter + lemon + hot sauce mixture melts into that seasoned crust and sticks instead of sliding off.
You likely overheated the butter or added the lemon juice before the butter cooled slightly. Emulsifying takes a minute, whisk and give it time, it’ll come together smooth.
Don’t drown them. Toss lightly and coat evenly. Sauced wings sit and steam, which is fine if you love wet wings, but the longer they sit the softer they get.
You can use 1-2 tablespoons of baking powder or ⅓ cup to ½ cup of all-purpose flour (enough to fully coat the chicken).
Absolutely! Chicken tenders, chicken breasts, or chicken thighs will work. Click the links to check out my other recipes for cook time.
The best way to reheat wings is on the grill or in the air fryer or oven. I wouldn’t microwave them. You can use the same cook temperature and reheat the wings until warm.
Leftover wings can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and follow the instructions above to reheat.
What to Pair with Hot Lemon Pepper Wings
Air Fryer Fries
Air Fryer Green Beans
Roasted Ranch Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Grilled Asparagus in Foil
More Dry Rub Wings Recipes
How to Grill Chicken Wings
Crispy Ranch Chicken Wing
Air Fryer Turkey Wings
Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Cajun Chicken Wings
Naked Chicken Wings
Slow Cooker Crockpot Chicken Wings
More Flavored Chicken Wings Recipes
Honey Hot Wings
Honey Garlic Wings
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Garlic Parmesan Wings
Honey BBQ Wings
Keto Low Carb Chicken Wings (Maple BBQ)
Traeger Smoked Chicken Wings
More Lemon Pepper Recipes
Lemon Pepper Fish
Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Lemon Pepper Steak
shauna says
Saw these posted and went right to make them for lunch lol. Hot honey and lemon pepper are my two fav wing flavors so this one is the best of both IMO. I put them back in after coating, don’t skip it
staysnatched says
Adding honey sounds bomb!
Felicia says
These looked so good I had to try them. To be fair I’ve never had hot lemon pepper wings from Wing Stop, but I doubt they’d taste this good!
These wings are hot!! I adjusted the cayenne to have a little less heat, and I adjusted the lemon pepper seasoning as well because I knew how potent my lemon pepper seasoning from The Spice Suite was.
The recipe was easy to follow, and I put the wings back in the air fryer after saucing them to give them that extra kick. I would’ve posted a picture but they were all gone before I had the chance.
The layering of flavors was everything! The lemon juice and zest really gave these that lemony flavor, I like a bold amount of lemon flavor so I used the full amount of zest.
Make these wings, you won’t regret it!
staysnatched says
Thanks for sharing all of this!
Cassandra P says
My favorite wings are Cowboys Hot which is basically Buffalo hot with lemon pepper seasonings. After tasting this recipe, I decided why do I need to spend the money there when I can make this awesome recipe at home! These are some of the best wings I have made and it does not disappoint. They had a nice kick to them and I can’t stop raving about these!
staysnatched says
I'm so glad to hear that!
Cassie A. says
Loved this wing recipe. I found 2 lemon pepper seasonings at my local store since there’s no TJS near me. One had MSG the other was Mrs dash so I went with that. Wings turned out great!
staysnatched says
I'm glad they turned out great!
Kerry says
Hi. Would Worcestershire sauce be considered a hot sauce for this recipe? Or a sweet chilli or saracha be a better option. (In Australia)
staysnatched says
No, Worcestershire sauce isn't spicy. Sweet chili and Sriracha would work.
camryn says
Hottttttt!!!! had my nose running and that’s EXACTLY how i like it!!! very delicious thanks for the recipe 🙂
staysnatched says
haha you're welcome! That's what I like to hear.