These Honey Lemon Pepper Wings are dangerously addictive! A delicious appetizer, these air fryer chicken wings are perfectly seasoned in a honey, lemon and pepper glaze and are extra crispy too. Made with basic ingredients, yet packed with flavor! (this recipe is Gluten-Free)
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It doesn’t get better than these deliciously crispy chicken wings tossed up in a lemon honey and pepper glaze. They make for perfect game day snacks or as a side for a party. What’s great about this recipe is that it uses very little oil, so you can snack without the guilt!
Using the air fryer for this recipe makes a world of difference – they come out super crispy, something the oven cannot achieve. For perfectly crispy air fryer chicken wings, air fry the seasoned chicken wings in your preheated air fryer at 400 F for 15 minutes. My buffalo cauliflower wings are also made in the air fryer, and come up super crispy every time.
For the final step, prepare the zingy lemon pepper honey glaze and keep it ready. Once the chicken wings are out of the air fryer, they are tossed up in the glaze and served immediately. I like to serve these chicken wings with a side of rice and veggies and herb garlic smashed potatoes.
Why this recipe works
- The air fryer uses forced circulating hot air, which makes the skin extra crisp, unlike in a conventional oven
- The wings are tossed up in a sticky honey lemon pepper glaze that is simply addictive
- Gluten-free recipe
- Made with just a 2 teaspoons of olive oil
Ingredients
Step by step recipe
Start by patting the chicken wings dry on kitchen paper. This is an important step to ensure that the skin on the chicken wings stays dry. If the skin has moisture on it, it will not crisp up as well.
In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken wings and top it with a teaspoon of olive oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder (optional), black pepper. Mix this up with a spatula.
In the basket of a preheated air fryer (I am using my Instant Vortex here), place the chicken wings in a single layer without overcrowding. Set it to air fry at 400 F for 15 minutes.
At the 10 minutes mark, flip over the chicken wings to air fry them evenly on all sides. Once the air frying cycle is complete, take out the chicken wings and add them to a bowl.
Now we make the honey lemon pepper glaze. You will need to make this in a saucepan on the stovetop. Heat olive oil and add minced garlic, lemon zest and juice of half a lemon, and honey. Mix well and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes until thick.
Take this mixture off the heat and pour this glaze over the prepared chicken wings. Toss the chicken wings until they are evenly coated in the glaze.
And that's it! Your honey lemon pepper air fryer chicken wings are now ready! You can serve them on their own or with a side of ranch dip.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings Tips + FAQs
Yes! Raw chicken can be cooked fresh or even from the frozen state in the air fryer. If using fresh chicken wings, season them well before you add them to the air fryer basket. I use an Instant Vortex, which has a preheating cycle of 2-3 minutes, before adding n the raw chicken.
Fresh chicken wings will take 15 minutes to cook at 400 F (Recommended temperature) for the wings to cook properly and stay tender on the inside while the skin gets crisped up on the outside.
Cooking the chicken wings in an air fryer gives you crispier skin when compared to a conventional oven. This is because the air fryer uses forced circulating hot air, which makes the skin extra crisp, unlike in a conventional oven. I recommend air frying at 400F for 15 minutes for best results.
No, there is no need to thaw frozen chicken wings before air frying them. You can drop the frozen wings into the air fryer basket and air fry at 375 F for 7-8 minutes, then take out the tray or basket, break apart the wings, season them and then add them back to the air fryer basket to fry them at 400 F for 15 minutes.
Similar Recipes
Honey Lemon Pepper Wings (Air Fryer Chicken Wings) Recipe
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
For the glaze
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1½ tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Fresh Lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
Instructions
- Start by patting the chicken wings dry on kitchen paper. This is an important step to ensure that the skin on the chicken wings stays dry. If the skin has moisture on it, it will not crisp up as well.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken wings and top it with a teaspoon of olive oil, paprika, salt, garlic powder (optional), black pepper. Mix this up with a spatula.
- In the basket of a preheated air fryer (I am using my Instant Vortex here), place the chicken wings in a single layer without overcrowding. Set it to air fry at 400 F for 15 minutes.
- At the 10 minute mark, flip over the chicken wings to air fry them evenly on all sides. Once the air frying cycle is complete, take out the chicken wings and add them to a bowl.
Make the honey lemon pepper glaze
- Make the glaze in a saucepan on the stovetop. Heat olive oil, minced garlic, lemon zest, and juice of half a lemon, and honey. Mix well and cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes until thick.
- Take this mixture off the heat and pour this glaze over the prepared chicken wings. Toss the chicken wings until they are evenly coated in the glaze.
- Loney lemon pepper air fryer chicken wings can be served on their own or with a side of ranch dip.
You mentioned minced garlic in the recipe for the glaze but it’s not listed as an ingredient. Please clarify
thanks for pointing this out, I have updated the recipe card with the minced garlic now