Spicy Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
These spicy baked lemon pepper chicken wings are perfect for game day or any time you need to whip up a casual yet delicious appetizer.
Making your own homemade flavored seasonings is easy. However, finding the perfect balance of flavors is more of an art than a science because individual tastes vary so widely. Have fun with this, and make the seasoning your own!
The whole black peppercorns impart a BOLD flavor to this seasoning, so it’s best to start with a small amount and adjust upwards until you find the level of heat you prefer. Once you do, you can create larger batches of this seasoning and store the remaining amounts in an airtight container for several months.
Why I Love These Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
The only thing that takes longer is cooking time. Preparing these baked lemon pepper chicken wings is a breeze with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on hand.
I love how you can adjust the flavors to your liking. You can make them as spicy as you want or as lemony as you want.
What You Need to Make Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken Wings
For the lemon-pepper seasoning, you will need:
- 4-5 large organic lemons, zested
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Black peppercorns, crushed.
And then the chicken!
- 4 lbs. chicken wings, tips removed and patted dry
- 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
That’s my kind of easy appetizer!
How to Make Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Position oven rack to center position and preheat oven to warm (lowest setting).
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- To prepare the lemon-pepper seasoning, wash the lemons and pat dry. Remove zest from each lemon with a microplane. While doing so, collect as much of the flavorful yellow outer layer as possible while avoiding the more bitter white layer below.
- Spread the zest in a thin layer on the parchment paper and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and shake to make sure the zest is drying evenly. Return to oven until thoroughly dried, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Remove dried lemon zest from the oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.
- Add dried lemon zest to a spice grinder or food processor, along with salt and black peppercorns. Grind ingredients until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust the ratio of salt and pepper as desired.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with olive oil and 1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon-pepper seasoning and toss until evenly coated.
- Arrange seasoned chicken wings in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not overcrowd. Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn each wing to ensure they cook evenly on all sides. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the wings are browned and crispy.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately with sliced celery and blue cheese or ranch dressing, if desired.
PinWhat to Serve Lemon Pepper Baked Chicken Wings With
Oh, the sky is the limit, but first things first! We need a dipping sauce, no? Here are a few I suggest.
And now some other awesome sides to serve these baked lemon pepper chicken wings with.
- Incredibly Delicious Keto Onion Rings
- Fun and Fresh Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Crunchy and Filling Broccoli Slaw
How to Store Leftover Chicken Wings
Seriously? Leftover chicken wings? That can never happen, but in the rare case that it does, you can safely store them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
But let’s get real.
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Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4-5 large organic lemons zested
- 1 T. kosher salt
- 1 t. black peppercorns crushed
- 4 lbs. chicken wings tips removed and patted dry
- 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Position oven rack to center position and preheat oven to warm (lowest setting).
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- To prepare the lemon-pepper seasoning, wash the lemons and pat dry. Remove zest from each lemon with a microplane. While doing so, collect as much of the flavorful yellow outer layer as possible, while avoiding the more bitter white layer below.
- Spread the zest in a thin layer on the parchment paper and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, remove pan from oven and shake to make sure zest is drying evenly. Return to oven until thoroughly dried, approximately 25-30 minutes.
- Remove dried lemon zest from the oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.
- Add dried lemon zest to spice grinder or food processor along with salt and black peppercorns.Grind ingredients until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust ratio of salt and pepper as desired.
- In a large bowl, combine chicken wings with olive oil and 1 – 2 tablespoons of lemon-pepper seasoning and toss until evenly coated.
- Arrange seasoned chicken wings in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Do not overcrowd. Place baking sheet on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove baking sheet from oven and turn each wing to ensure they cook evenly on all sides. Return to oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until wings are browned and crispy.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately with sliced celery and blue cheese or ranch dressing, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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