Honey Lemon Pepper Wings

These Honey Lemon Pepper Wings are sticky, sweet, and full of flavor! They're like our air fryer lemon pepper wings, but with a sticky honey glaze. They're citrusy, sweet, and well-seasoned. You only need a few simple ingredients to make these!

If you can't decide between lemon pepper wings and something sweet, you'll love these wings! They're perfect for game day celebrations, or dinner any day of the week.

These are super simple to make in the oven or air fryer. While the wings roast and get crispy, we make a super quick honey lemon pepper garlic butter sauce on the stovetop.

When the wings are nice and crispy, we just coat them in the luscious sauce and enjoy! If you love a flavorful honey sauce, be sure to try our honey sriracha shrimp, this honey butter chicken biscuit, or these hot honey chicken wings.

You may also enjoy our baked buffalo wings, these mango habanero wings, these air fryer garlic parmesan wings, or these boneless chicken wings.

❤️Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy to make. Simply toss the wings in some seasonings, and get them nice and crispy in an oven or air fryer while you make a simple stovetop sauce. Toss everything together, and enjoy! It doesn't get much easier than that!
• Made with simple ingredients. You only need a handful of ingredients that can be found at your grocery store to make these if you don't already have everything at home!
• Crowd pleaser. Need something for your next gameday watch party? These wings are guaranteed to please! They feed 4-6 people as a meal but are plenty to share with 10 or more people for an appetizer. Fair warning, if you bring these to a party once, they're going to constantly get requested, so proceed with caution!

🍯Ingredients

Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.

• Chicken wing portions. We used pre-cut chicken wing sections which are a favorite when serving wings. you can also make these larger if you buy the wings whole and prefer not to cut them. We'd recommend using fresh chicken wings, but you can use frozen if you're using your air fryer to prepare them.
• Oil. You just need a bit of oil to coat the wings while they cook, and we recommend something that can withstand high temperatures and has a neutral flavor. Avocado oil would be our first choice, but any neutral oil or olive oil will work too.
• Butter. If possible, use unsalted butter so you can control the salt levels easier. If you only have salted, just cut back on the added salt a little bit.
• Lemon pepper seasoning. Use your favorite store-bought lemon pepper seasoning, and if possible, choose one that doesn't have any added salt so that you have full control over the salt levels.
• Hot sauce. Technically optional, but we love adding some. Use your favorite hot sauce, and add it to taste.

Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.

✨Substitutions & Variations

Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.

• Hot honey lemon pepper wings. To make a variation of this recipe that is a little spicier, add extra hot sauce, some additional seasonings like cayenne pepper, and coat everything in some homemade hot honey sauce when it's time to serve!
• Dairy-free. Simply swap out the butter for vegan butter to make this recipe dairy-free.
• Without garlic. Don't love garlic? No worries! You can simply omit the fresh garlic from the recipe.

This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!

🔪Prep Work

• Pat the chicken wing sections with paper towels really well to get rid of excess moisture that helps you achieve crispy skin.
• If using the air fryer, preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Prepare the air fryer basket or trays with aluminum foil or non-stick spray if needed. (Not all air fryers will need this).
• If using your oven, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Mince garlic.
• Zest and juice the lemon.
• Measure out the seasonings and remaining ingredients.

Season the wings

In a large bowl, toss the chicken wing sections with oil, lemon pepper seasoning, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Make sure all sides are evenly coated. (Image 1)

⭑Pro tip: We tend to use 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (and only this unless otherwise stated!) per 1 pound of wings, which makes for perfectly seasoned wings. However, if your lemon pepper seasoning has added salt, scale this back. You can always add more later!

Cook the wings

Add to baking sheets or air fryer trays in a single layer (Image 2) and bake until golden brown and crispy, flipping halfway through. (Image 3)

⭑Pro tip: Cook time can vary a lot depending on the cooking method you use. For an air fryer, you will need at least 20-25 minutes.

In an oven, you will likely need 45 - 60 minutes to get the wings nice and crispy.

No matter which method you choose, make sure the wings reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F, and cook for as long as you'd like to ensure that the wings are nice and crispy.

Make the sauce

Meanwhile, while the wings are cooking, prepare the sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and stir constantly for 5-7 minutes to infuse the butter with garlic flavor.

Next, add the honey, hot sauce, and a pinch of salt. (Image 4)

Stir to combine and simmer gently for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Don't let the mixture boil. (Image 5)

Off the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and black pepper to taste. (Image 6) Stir to combine, then taste, and adjust seasonings according to your preference.

After the wings are cooked through, toss them in the sauce. Serve with the remaining sauce, and drizzle with more honey over top if desired.

You may also enjoy serving them with a side of our homemade Wingstop ranch! Enjoy!!

⭑Pro tip: If you like a crispier wing vs. a glossier wing, you can broil or air fry the wings after tossing them in the sauce for a few minutes to help the honey caramelize and get a little crunchy on the wings if you'd like.

✨Top Tips

• Dry the wings well. Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel before seasoning to ensure crispy skin.
• Cook the wings in a single layer. This will also ensure that they get nice and crispy. If there is too much overlap, the chicken will just steam and not get very crispy.
• For extra crispy wings, we love making wings in the air fryer since it seems to be the easiest way for us to get the wings nice and crispy. But you can also achieve crispy wings by baking the wings with baking powder. Use 1 teaspoon of baking powder per 1 pound of wings, just like our baked buffalo wings recipe.
• Be mindful that cooking times will vary. The time needed to cook the wings is based on the model of your air fryer and your personal preference. Our air fryer is 1500 watts. It is a good idea to check the wattage of your air fryer before cooking. Higher wattage may want to use a lower temperature/shorter cooking time. Always monitor the wings closely after the 20-minute mark of cooking time in an air fryer to ensure they don't burn. In the oven, start checking on them after 40 minutes.
• Sweeten and season to taste. Taste and adjust the flavor according to your liking. Feel free to add more honey if you like things sweeter. If you like a spicier wing, add more hot sauce and cayenne pepper to the seasoning blend. More citrusy - add extra lemon juice and zest!