Lemon Pepper Wings

Name: Grilled Lemon Pepper Wings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 pounds chicken wings (flats and drumettes); 1 Tablespoon avocado oil; 1 Tablespoon lemon zest; 2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 cloves garlic (minced); ½ teaspoon onion powder; 4 Tablespoons butter (melted); 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

By Hey Grill Hey

On February 20, 2023

1 reviews

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For a tangy and tasty chicken wing, you must try these grilled lemon pepper wings. They’ve got a little bit of everything for a game-day appetizer that beats all others.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

These grilled lemon pepper chicken wings are bright and zesty. They’re not your typical sticky wings, rather they’re a fresh take on chicken wings that taste fresh and exciting.

While chicken wings are often enjoyed as a party food or as an appetizer when watching sports, these wings are one of my favorite dinner options. The whole family loves them, and they’re beautifully balanced between fresh lemon and cracked black pepper. All you need to do is add a few sides and you’ve got yourself a complete meal!

Ingredients for Lemon Pepper Wings

The key to making these chicken wings unlike all the others is the combo of a homemade lemon pepper seasoning and a simple lemon butter sauce. Here’s what you’ll need to make these lemon pepper chicken wings.

4 pounds chicken wings
1 Tablespoon avocado oil

For the seasoning, you’ll need the following. For a full recipe write-up of this seasoning (it’s so good we decided it needed its own post), check out my post for Homemade Lemon Pepper Seasoning. These recipes do differ slightly in that this one uses freshly minced garlic and the other post uses garlic powder to allow for longer storage. If you plan to use this seasoning immediately, go with fresh garlic.

1 Tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Last up, you’ll need the following to make the lemon butter sauce:

4 Tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

How to Make Lemon Pepper Wings

Now that you have all the ingredients ready to go, let’s get these wings cooking! Here’s how to make lemon pepper wings.

Preheat. Head on out to your patio and fire up your favorite grill. You can use anything you have on your porch, but I really like the flavor of charcoal with my wings. Preheat the grill to 425 degrees F while you prepare your chicken.
Make the seasoning. Follow the instructions in the recipe card below to make the seasoning.
Season. Pat the wings dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with olive oil and then season liberally with lemon pepper seasoning on all sides.
Grill. Place the seasoned wings directly on the preheated grill grates. Close the lid, and cook for 15-20 minutes, flipping every 3-5 minutes. Remove when the wings reach 170 degrees F.
Get saucy. Dunk the grilled wings in the lemon butter sauce and toss to make sure they are all evenly coated.
Dig in. Place the sauced wings on a serving platter and get at it. These are definitely going to need a few napkins or paper towels!

How Long to Grill Lemon Pepper Wings

It takes approximately 15-20 minutes to grill these wings. Once they’re seasoned and on the grill, be sure to flip them every 3-5 minutes to ensure the meat cooks evenly.

More important than watching the clock while grilling these, is to remove the chicken wings when the final temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Be sure to use a reliable internal meat thermometer to gauge the temperature of these wings while they cook.

Tips for Making Lemon Pepper Wings

Here are some tips for making these lemon pepper wings. They’re fairly easy to make, but I’ve found these tips will help you achieve the perfect wings every time.

Take a few minutes to make your own lemon pepper seasoning. It is totally worth it and has no added junk that some store-bought brands have. If you want to make a big batch, I’ve got a whole post about drying the lemon zest so it is shelf stable for longer. However, if you don’t have the time to make your own, store-bought is totally fine!
Don’t be scared of the heat! These wings are grilled hot and fast for extra crunch on the skin. It needs that crispy exterior to stand up to the lemon pepper sauce at the end without getting soggy.
Track your temperatures. Wings are the best texture when cooked to about 175 degrees F. As previously mentioned, use an internal thermometer to check for doneness.

More Chicken Wings Recipes

Looking for more tasty chicken wings to try out the next time you have friends or family over? These top chicken wings recipes from Hey Grill Hey should hit the spot!