One taste of my super crispy, perfectly seasoned Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings, and you will be in wing heaven. Easy to prepare and simply delicious, these wings are coated with a touch of baking powder to provide maximum crispness, air-fried, and then tossed in a decadent and flavorful lemon pepper sauce.
1½poundsraw chicken wingsabout 10, drumettes, flats, or both
2teaspoonsbaking powder
½teaspoonKosher salt
½teaspoonlemon pepper seasoning
1½teaspoonspeanut oil,divided
Lemon Pepper Sauce
4tablespoons butter,or ghee
1tablespoonlemon pepper seasoning
Instructions
Use a paper towel and pat the wings dry, removing as much moisture as possible.
Add the baking powder, salt, and a half teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning to a gallon-size plastic bag. Shake to combine the ingredients, and add the chicken wings. Shake the wings around in the bag to ensure they are all evenly coated with the baking powder mixture.
Add half a teaspoon of oil to a paper towel and lightly grease the bottom of the air fryer basket. Add the chicken wings in an even layer being careful not to crowd them. Depending on the size of your basket, you may have to do this in two or more batches.
Cook the wings at 370° F for 15 minutes. It is not necessary to preheat your air fryer.
Remove the basket, and use tongs to turn the wings over. Cook for ten more minutes.
Remove the basket, turn the wings over again, and lightly spritz with oil. Increase the temperature to 400° F and cook for ten more minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown and the internal temperature is 165° F.
While the wings are cooking, add the butter to a medium size bowl, place it in the microwave, and melt it. Then, add one tablespoon of lemon pepper seasoning. Whisk to combine.
When the wings are done, place them in the bowl with the lemon pepper sauce and toss them until they are all coated.
Serve immediately with plenty of napkins.
Notes
If you have to make several batches of wings, keep the already-cooked wings warm by setting your oven temperature at 200° F and putting them on a wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Wait until all the wings are cooked before tossing them in the lemon pepper sauce.Moisture is the enemy of crisp wings. If you have time, before preparing them, place the wings uncovered in the refrigerator for two to four hours which will help to remove even more moisture.I usually double the recipe for the lemon pepper wing sauce, so I will have sauce to toss the wings in and more sauce to serve on the side for dipping. You can kick the flavor of the dipping sauce up a notch by adding a bit of lemon zest, lemon juice, and a teaspoon of honey. For a more decadent sauce, you can substitute ghee for butter.If your wings are whole and you don't know how to cut them up, here are step-by-step instructions from America's Test Kitchen.