Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings from scratch

These air fryer lemon pepper wings are crispy, zesty, and ready in about 30 minutes. Fresh lemon zest, black pepper, garlic powder, and a small amount of baking powder season the wings, while a quick honey-lemon glaze adds sweetness and shine.

I like making them from scratch instead of using bottled lemon pepper seasoning because the fresh zest tastes brighter and you can control the pepper and salt yourself.

The air fryer is the perfect way to make these lemon pepper wings. There's less mess than frying, and the convection in an air fryer helps make every surface super crispy.

Air fryers cook quickly, so these air fryer lemon pepper wings are done in only 22 minutes.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This homemade lemon pepper wings recipe uses only 8 simple ingredients. Since most of the ingredients are pantry items, you probably only need to buy chicken wings and a lemon!

• chicken wings - I recommend bone-in and skin-on chicken wings for this recipe. The skin gets ultra crispy and traditional wings are skin-on. I like to keep a couple of 1-pound packs of chicken wings in the freezer since they freeze and thaw well.
• baking powder - A small amount helps the skin dry and crisp more effectively in the air fryer. Use regular baking powder, not baking soda.
• garlic powder - I do not recommend substituting raw garlic for garlic powder in this recipe. The fine, dried granules cling nicely to the chicken skin, and fresh garlic would behave differently.
• starch - Thickens the honey-lemon glaze slightly so it clings to the wings. You can omit it for a thinner glaze.

You also need salt, black pepper, honey, and a fresh lemon to make this recipe.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities, see the recipe card.

How to Make Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings

1. Prep wings + spice rub: Rinse chicken wings under cool water and pat dry with a towel until skin is slightly sticky. Mix spice rub ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Coat the wings: Roll the skin side of a chicken wing in the spice rub, coating completely. Then lay skin-side-up in the air fryer basket. Repeat with all remaining wings. You can arrange drumsticks so they stand vertically, leaning against the outside of the basket, if more space is needed. 
3. Cook + mix glaze: Air fry at 400 degrees F for 22 minutes. I do not disturb or flip the wings during the cooking process. While cooking, add glaze ingredients to a jar and whisk or cover with a lid and shake until well mixed.
4. Glaze: When finished cooking, gently remove the chicken wings from the air fryer basket with tongs or a spatula. Arrange on a serving dish and drizzle with glaze just before serving. Sprinkle with fresh lemon zest and enjoy!

When you make this recipe, please leave a rating and review below. I always appreciate the feedback! ❤️

📖 Recipe

Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings

Jamie Monkkonen

Crispy air fryer lemon pepper wings made from scratch with fresh lemon zest, black pepper, and a sweet honey-lemon glaze. Ready in about 30 minutes.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 8 minutes mins

Cook Time 22 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 3 people

Calories 255 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound chicken wings

Spice Rub

• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Glaze

• ▢ 3 tablespoons honey
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon = about ½ lemon, juiced
• ▢ 3 teaspoons tapioca starch

Garnish

• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest grated

Instructions

 

• Prep chicken + spice rub: Rinse chicken wings under cool water and pat dry with a towel until skin is slightly sticky. Mix spice rub ingredients in a small bowl.
• Coat wings in spice: Roll the skin side of a chicken wing in the spice rub, coating completely. Then lay skin-side-up in the air fryer basket. Repeat with all remaining wings. You can arrange drumsticks so they stand vertically, leaning against the outside of the basket, if more space is needed. 
• Cook: Air fry at 400 degrees F for 22 minutes. I do not disturb or flip the wings during the cooking process. While cooking, add glaze ingredients to a jar and whisk or cover with a lid and shake until well mixed.
• Glaze: When finished cooking, gently remove the chicken wings from the air fryer basket with tongs or a spatula. Arrange on a serving dish and drizzle with glaze just before serving. Sprinkle with fresh lemon zest and enjoy!

Notes

You can double the spice mix and coat both sides of the chicken wings for an extra kick. Note that they will be very peppery in this case (my partner loves this).

Air Fryer: I use a basket-style air fryer. Depending on the size of your basket, you may need to cook the wings in batches so they aren’t overcrowded.

Storage: Store leftover air fryer lemon pepper wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.  I recommend refrigerating the wings and glaze separately if possible so you can reheat the wings in the air fryer to restore the original crispy texture.

Reheating: Reheat the wings in the air fryer until hot and crisp, then add the glaze after reheating if you stored it separately.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 15gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 519mgPotassium: 151mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 122IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg

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