Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings

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These Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings include my crispy air fryer fried chicken wings with a simple lemon pepper sauce. They’re the perfect alternative to baked lemon pepper wings for those who don’t want to bake wings in the oven. Enjoy these with blue cheese dressing as a dip or with my pressure cooker collard greens, cauliflower mac and cheese, and keto cornbread for a comfort food meal!

crispy air fryer Lemon Pepper Wings on a plate with lemon slices and ranch dressing as a dip

Why Make Air Fried Lemon Pepper Wings

Here are some reasons these crispy lemon pepper air fryer chicken wings are my favorites:

Quick and easy recipe: baked lemon pepper wings are some of my favorite wings, but they take nearly an hour. By using this simple recipe to make them in the air fryer, you can have crispy chicken wings with the same crunch and flavor in less time
Crispy and saucy: this recipe starts with my Ninja air fryer chicken wings, which gets these delicious wings crisp enough to keep their crunch even after you top them with sauce.
Easy low-carb meal main dish: these are a no-fuss main dish. Simply crisp the wings and toss them in the sauce before serving. Pair them with any of your favorite keto side dishes for chicken.

Ingredients Needed

These air fryer lemon pepper chicken wings with baking powder use simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need to gather:

Chicken Wings: whole chicken wings or chicken wing parts work well in this recipe. If you have whole wings but want to cut them into parts, see my tutorial for how to cut chicken wings with kitchen scissors or a sharp knife.
Black Pepper
Smoked Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Baking Powder: this helps make lemon pepper air fryer wings crispy so do not skip it!
Olive oil or avocado oil

Lemon Pepper Sauce

Butter: since Lemon Pepper seasoning usually has salt, I’m using melted and unsalted butter
Lemon Juice: You can use fresh lemon juice or bottled lemon juice
Lemon Pepper Seasoning: I’m using a California-style lemon pepper seasoning. It’s citrusy and peppery without as much salt as other styles. It also includes garlic and onion.

ingredients needed to make lemon pepper air fryer wings like salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, onion powder, baking powder, melted butter, olive oil, lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice and chicken wings in separate containers

How to Make Lemon Pepper Wings in an Air Fryer

Prepare the chicken: Remove the fresh chicken wings from the refrigerator and pat dry with paper towels (removing as much moisture as possible helps to have a crispy wing skin). Mix the spices and baking powder in a small dish or ramekin.
Toss the chicken to coat: For best results, sprinkle the seasoning mixture on the whole wings and toss to coat (getting the wings evenly coated helps them to get crispy)
Air Fry the chicken wings: Place wings in a flat, single layer in the basket of your air fryer, and drizzle olive oil on the chicken wings. Use the Air Crisp setting (also called the air fryer setting) for 12-15 minutes per side – the goal is for them to get crispy and golden brown.
Make the lemon pepper wing sauce & toss: Add the lemon pepper sauce ingredients to a small bowl and mix. Pour the sauce on the crisped wings and toss the wings in it to coat.

how to cook lemon pepper wings in an air fryer

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

Use all of the baking powder spice mix: the key to getting crispy air fryer chicken wings is to use all of the spice mixture. I toss my wings in it until the entire surface of the chicken is evenly coated.
Save the salt: If you’ve made my oven fried wings or garlic parmesan wings, you might be wondering where is the salt. Since lemon pepper seasoning usually comes with salt, I do not add it to this recipe. This allows me to add as much lemon pepper seasoning to the wings as I wish.
Add the sauce right before serving: to make sure the wings are crispy and saucy, add the lemon pepper sauce right before serving.
Dipping sauces (optional): If you’re craving even more flavor, you can use some homemade blue cheese, ranch dressing, or whatever your favorite dipping sauce from the grocery store may be.

How to Store Leftover Wings

If you have any leftover crispy air fryer lemon pepper wings, the best way to store them is in an airtight container for next time (up to 5 days).

Can you put raw wings in an air fryer?

Yes. This recipe calls for raw chicken wings.

How long do you cook wings in an air fryer?

The required time for cooking chicken wings in an air fryer depends on how large the wings are, whether they are thawed or frozen, and how crisp you’d like your tender chicken wings to be. Generally, this ranges from a cooking time of 20-30 minutes. It also depends on the size of your air fryer.

How do I make my air fryer wings crispy?

As mentioned above, the key to making crispy wings without flour or breading is to use all pf the baking powder spice mixture.

Recipes to Enjoy This With

Here are some great options to enjoy with this air fryer lemon pepper chicken:

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