These Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings are tender and juicy inside, with perfectly crispy skins baked with a zesty lemony glaze that gives them amazing flavor.  Serve them at your next party or game day and watch your guests devour them!

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Lemon Pepper Wings Recipe

• Crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside
• Brushed with a flavorful buttery lemon pepper glaze
• Easy to make with minimal prep work
• Perfect to serve at your next party or game day
• Gluten-free

Chicken wings make a great Keto appetizer because they’re easy to make and everyone loves them!  They have virtually no carbs and serve as a blank canvas for adding whatever flavorings that you like.

To start, I use a lemon pepper seasoning and olive oil, no need for adding baking powder or flour, these wings will get crispy all on their own!  A slightly sweet lemon pepper sauce is brushed over the tops during the last several minutes or cooking that gives the skins incredible lemon flavor.

This sticky and slightly sweet glaze makes them absolutely irresistible. If you’re having a get together or game day gathering and want to serve some delicious low carb appetizers, try these wings they do not disappoint in the least!

🛒 Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

• Chicken wings
• Butter
• Garlic
• Lemon
• Sugar-free honey
• Lemon pepper seasoning
• Olive oil
• Salt

*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

🥣 Recommended Tools

• Baking sheet
• Wire rack
• Brush
• Mixing bowl
• Whisk

🔪 How to Make Lemon Pepper Chicken

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Dry your chicken wings with paper towels, then add them to a mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over the top, then toss to combine, making sure all the wings are well coated.

Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of lemon pepper and salt over the top and continue tossing to combine.

Place the wings on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and a wire rack.

Bake for 40 minutes or until they are almost completely cooked through.

Add the melted butter, garlic, sugar-free honey and lemon zest to a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Remove the wings from the oven and brush on the garlic butter mixture over the wings.  

Increase the temperature to 425°F and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until the are slightly caramelized.

💡 Tips for Baking Wings

• Be sure to bake them on a wire rack in the oven, this will allow the air to circulate around the wings so they can crisp up properly.
• I highly recommend lining your baking sheet with aluminum foil, this helps make cleanup much easier.
• Use a good quality lemon pepper seasoning, this is one of the main ingredients to give your wings great flavor.
• Try to buy wings that are all similar in size.  This will help ensure that they cook evenly and you don’t end up with some overcooked and some undercooked.
• Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the wings.  To safely enjoy them, you’ll want to make sure they reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F.
• Don’t be tempted to brush on the glaze too early.  There is fresh garlic in the glaze that if baked too long at a high temperature, could burn and turn very bitter.

☑️ Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze.

🍴 What to Serve with Chicken Wings

These lemon pepper wings are great as a low carb appetizer, but you can also make them your main protein for dinner and serve with any number of sides including:

• Cauliflower Potato Salad
• Easy Coleslaw
• Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower
• Broccoli Salad with Bacon
• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
• Honey Roasted Brussels Sprouts

In keeping with the lemon theme of this recipe, you can wash these wings down with this sugar free lemonade. It’s refreshing, made with stevia and delicious!

🔄 Substitutions and Additions

• If you don’t have sugar-free honey, you can just omit it or if you’re not following a Keto or low carb diet, you can certainly use regular honey instead.  The honey gives the wings a hint of sweetness, but also helps thicken the glaze so it really sticks to your wings.  The sticky sweetness is part of what makes these wings so irresistible.
• You can also make this recipe using chicken tenders. Chicken tenders will take less time to cook, so once you see they are close to 165°F using a meat thermometer, brush on the glaze and bake for another 5 minutes or until they are cooked through.
• If you don’t have fresh garlic, you can use with garlic powder instead.
• Avocado oil will also work as a substitute for olive oil.
• To add a little heat, you can add a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
• If you would rather not make a glaze, you can bake the wings until they’re cooked through.  Replace the sugar-free honey with a tablespoon of melted butter, then mix in the lemon zest and garlic. Once the wings are cooked, toss them in the garlic butter mixture and serve.

Can I make these wings in the air fryer?

Yes, you sure can! Preheat your air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes while you prepare the wings. Once the wings are ready to cook, place them in your air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 18-20 minutes or until they’re almost are almost completely cooked through. Brush on the glaze and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until golden and caramelized.

How do you get seasoning to stick to chicken wings?

In this recipe, you’ll toss the wings in olive oil before adding the lemon pepper seasoning. Once the wings are all coated in the olive oil, the seasoning sticks to them perfectly!

Are lemon pepper chicken wings gluten free?

Absolutely, since we don’t use any flour on them, they are gluten free. Just be sure the lemon pepper seasoning that you buy is gluten-free like this one is and you’ll be good to go!

What is lemon pepper sauce made of?

For this recipe, I use a lemon pepper seasoning, then make a glaze that includes freshly grated lemon zest to give them even more lemony flavor.

Is lemon pepper wings an Atlanta thing?

Apparently the dish was first created at a deli in Atlanta and since then,there have been other variations, like this recipe, using a sauce or glaze to finish them off.

What does lemon pepper go with?

You can use lemon pepper seasoning with just about any cut of chicken, pork, shrimp and fish.  It’s also great to use when roasting vegetables.

What are some other ways to use lemon pepper?

• Seafood: Add some over your shrimp, scallops and fish before baking to give them a lemony flavor with a peppery bite.
• Chicken or Turkey: Use with any cut of chicken or turkey, add some before or even after cooking.
• Veggies: Sprinkle a healthy tablespoon over your roasted veggies and toss just before baking.
• Soups: Add a dash to just about any soup to brighten up the flavors and give a slight peppery kick.
• Marinade: Use it as a base for a citrus marinade, then add in olive oil, fresh lemon juice and zest, white wine vinegar, garlic and rosemary to use with grilled or baked chicken, shrimp or fish.
• Eggs: Add some in your scrambled eggs.  I know it might sound odd, you’re just going to have to trust me on this, it’s actually delicious!
• Popcorn: If you’re on a low carb diet and enjoy the occasional popcorn treat, add some lemon pepper over the top.  My mother actually did this for us when I was a child, it’s really really good!

🍽️ More Keto Chicken Wings Recipes

• Cilantro Lime Chicken Wings
• Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings
• Baked Ranch Chicken Wings
• Sticky Asian Chicken Wings
• Buffalo Chicken Wings