Name: Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 pounds chicken wings (separated and wing tips removed); 4 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 1/4 cup butter (unsalted); 2 large garlic cloves; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh); 1/4 teaspoon pepper; parsley (chopped, to garnish)

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Crispy Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings are full of tangy, mouth watering flavor and are a healthier option to deep frying. These lemon pepper chicken wings are simple to prepare and cook up perfectly in the air fryer. Serve wings with garlic lemon butter sauce for even more flavor!

Easy air fryer recipes are our favorite recipes! If you are looking for more chicken recipes to make in our favorite kitchen appliance, try these Air Fryer Honey Garlic Marinated Chicken Thighs, delicious! Or Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer, made with pickle juice and a homemade Panko breading.

Close up of air fryer lemon pepper wings on a plate.

Air fryer chicken wings are basically a necessity on game day! Who doesn’t want to dig into a messy plate full of tangy wings, it is one of the best appetizers in my book (and I always eat too many).

These wings cook up juicy and succulent all thanks to the air fryer. Flavored with a little bit of garlic and a generous sprinkle of lemon pepper seasoning, serve them up with your favorite dipping sauce. You won’t be able to keep your hands off of them.

I don’t think there is an easier appetizer exists than these chicken wings. There is no need for toothpicks or sticks here! Just add seasonings while the air fryer is preheating. Then just toss them into the air fryer basket until they are golden brown for an unforgettable and addicting appetizer.

Above view of lemon pepper wings on a plate with celery and dipping sauce.

And guess what?! These can double as an easy dinner idea. They are a family favorite for sure. Everyone fights over these at my house and they are always excited for dinner when I make them.

You can get whole chicken wings at the grocery store. Sometimes, the pack comes with drumettes (those tiny drumsticks) and wings, but cannot always find them. If the wings still have wing tips, cut them off so they don’t burn.

If you love chicken wings you have to try these crispy air fryer lemon pepper wings.

PRO TIP! You definitely want to preheat the air fryer before adding wings.

Why Make Air Fryer Wings?

Healthier. Making wings in the air fryer means you can skip all of the oil that a deep fryer requires.
Quick appetizer or dinner. This recipe has a quick prep time and cooks in only 20 minutes.
Keto friendly. Make these delicious wings if you are on a keto diet, they are low in carbs.
Gluten free. There is no flour used for breading in this wing recipe, so they are great if you are gluten intolerant.
Simple recipe. You guys recipes really don’t get much easier than this.

PRO TIP! To get the best wings, make sure to pat the chicken dry with paper towels

Close up of lemon pepper wings on a plate with lemon garlic sauce.

What Kind of Lemon Pepper to Use?

When shopping for a good lemon pepper seasoning, you want to get one that is made with real lemon zest and not just citric acid. That lemon peel will give you the best lemon flavor! Citric acid will be sour but not provide the flavor you are looking for.

Air Fryer Chicken Wing Recipe Ingredients

Only a handful of simple ingredients are needed to make this easy game day snack. For full ingredient amounts check out the the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.

Chicken Wings: I like to use fresh chicken wings that come in the mixed pack of wings and drumsticks when I can find it. If you can have the ones with the tips already cut off it will save you time. If you get the whole wings will need to be cut into three sections: the drumette, the wingette, and the tip.
Garlic Powder: This adds just a touch of garlic flavor.
Baking Powder: This add some crispness to the wings.
Lemon Pepper: Get a good quality lemon pepper that contains lemon peel in the ingredients.

All of the ingredients to make air fryer wings.

How to Make Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings

You are just minutes away from enjoying this easy recipe! Here are the basic step by step instructions, check out the recipe card for how to make wings in the air fryer.

STEP 1: Preheat the air fryer.

STEP 2: In a small bowl, make the dry rub out of the garlic powder, baking powder, and lemon pepper seasoning. Mix well.

STEP 3: Add chicken wings to a large bowl and sprinkle on half of the dry rub. Mix around, then sprinkle on the other half of the rub. Rub it in well, getting it into all of the crevices.

STEP 4: Place the wings into the preheated air fryer in a single layer.

STEP 5: Make lemon butter dipping sauce if using.

STEP 6: Air fry wings, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time.

Step by step instructions to make lemon pepper wings in air fryer.

Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce Ingredients

This lemon butter dipping sauce is divine, but it is optional to make with the wings. Here are the ingredients you need to make it, but check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full amounts.

Butter: Unsalted butter is what I use, but if you only have salted butter just omit the salt from the recipe.
Garlic: Fresh garlic is a must in this sauce, it will need to be minced.
Salt: Brings out all of the flavors in the dip. I like to use coarse sea salt.
Lemon Juice: Fresh juice is necessary, don’t use the bottled lemon juice here.
Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper will taste the best.
Parsley: Chopped up fresh parsley adds some fresh flavor and a bit of color.

All of the ingredients to make garlic butter lemon sauce.

How to Make Lemon Butter Sauce

This sauce is completely optional but tastes pretty good with these lemon wings if you choose to make it.

Over low heat, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add in the minced garlic and salt to the melted butter. Cook for another minute. Remove pan from the heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with freshly ground pepper and chopped parsley.

Step by step instructions to make dipping sauce.

Serve Wings With

There are so many dressings and dips that go perfectly with air fryer wings. There are dressings to use such as ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or honey mustard dressing.

Then there plenty of sauces to try, but some of them may overpower the lemon pepper flavor. Make with the lemon pepper sauce that I have included, or try honey BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce, buffalo sauce, plain barbecue sauce, or whatever your favorite may be.

Of course, you have to include some lemon wedges, celery sticks and carrot sticks on the side to cleanse your palate and get some veggies in (all the wing places do it!).

Can Lemon Pepper Wings be made in the Oven?

Yes! Here is how to make wings in a conventional oven if you don’t have an air fryer. You can fit more wings in the oven, so you can use more. To make crispy wings, a little oil is used for the oven only.

How to make Wings in the Oven:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, place a wire rack on a baking sheet. Add 3 pounds of chicken wings to a bowl, coat with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Toss to coat. Mix together 2 tablespoons of lemon-pepper seasoning, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and 1 tablespoon of baking powder. Sprinkle on and massage into chicken. Place wings on the baking tray and into preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping wings over halfway through cooking time.

Recipe Tips & Variations

Don’t overcrowd wings. Make sure to keep space between the chicken wings, if they are touching they won’t cook properly. The amount of wings you are able to fit in will depend on the size of your air fryer.
Single layer. Keep wings in a single layer and not stack them on top of each other for best cooking results.
Check internal temperature. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the wings have reached at least 165 deg f, make sure the thermometer is not touching a bone.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long do wings take to air fry? Lemon pepper wings only need about 20 minutes in the air fryer.

Can I use frozen wings? I like to use fresh chicken wings for this recipe. If your wings are frozen just make sure to thaw them out before using.

Are these wings spicy? These are made with lemon pepper which has a tiny bit of spiced flavor but I don’t think these are actually spicy.

Do I need oil to make these wings? Nope, no oil is required to make air fryer wings.

Storage Instructions for Leftover Wings

How to refrigerate wings? Let the cool and put in an airtight container. They should last about 3-4 days in the fridge.

How do you reheat wings? Pre-heat the air fryer to 350° F. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep a close eye on it so that they don’t burn. Continue to heat until heated through.

Can wings be frozen? After cooking wings they can be frozen. Let them cool completely, then place on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Then put frozen wings in a freezer safe ziplock bag or air tight container. Label with recipe and date, can be frozen for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge before heating to eat.

Close up of lemon pepper wings on a plate with celery.

Try these other great appetizer recipes!

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5 from 11 votes