Honey Lemon Pepper Wings

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All you need are a few pantry staples to make these delicious honey lemon pepper wings. They’re so crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and coated in a sticky sweet and tangy sauce. These chicken wings are the perfect game-day appetizer or as an easy finger-licking dinner.

Sweet, bright, and tangy, these honey lemon pepper wings are a simple but flavorful recipe that your whole family will love. As someone who is in love with bright, lemon flavors, it pairs so well with the sweetness of honey, so you know I had to combine these two flavors. And you know what else pairs well with lemon? Pepper. You will be licking your fingers clean with these chicken wings!

Overhead view of a platter of honey lemon pepper wings with lemon slices and a bowl of sauce.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s super simple to make! Toss the chicken wings in some seasoning and pop them into the oven, then combine the honey lemon pepper sauce ingredients in a saucepan. It’s easy, peasy, lemon, squeezy.
Chicken wings are always a hit! You can serve them as a snack, an appetizer, or turn them into a whole meal. It’s an all-rounder!
They are so crispy without being fried! The starch and baking powder help crisp up the wings and make for a crispy coating.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make honey lemon pepper wings.

chicken wings — you can use a mixture of wingettes and drumettes or just one. It’s up to you.
potato starch — you can use cornstarch as well. While I prefer making honey lemon pepper chicken wings using potato starch, you can use what you have on hand.
baking powder — adding baking powder to the chicken wings help them become more brown and crisp when baked. Do not swap for baking soda.
seasoning — I season the crispy coating with garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
honey — I use pure liquid Ontario honey but a flavored honey would be fire in this recipe.
lemon — you’ll need both lemon juice and lemon zest. I love the bright citrus flavor and the tartness pairs well with the honey. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. Plus, you’ll need a lemon to zest, so you might as well juice it!
garlic — the more garlic, the better. I always have frozen minced garlic in the freezer, so it cuts down on the prep time.
butter — I use unsalted butter.
pepper — be generous with your pepper! Freshly cracked, if possible.
salt — just a pinch. If you only have salted butter, you can omit the salt.

How to Make Honey Lemon Pepper Wings

Set of two photos showing chicken wings in a bowl and seasoning and flour poured on top.

Heat the oven to 450°F.
Pat dry the chicken wings with a paper towel if they are moist.
Add the potato starch, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika to the chicken wings.

Set of two photos showing wings coated with seasoning and placed on a lined sheet pan.

Toss to coat the chicken wings.
Lightly spray some oil onto the parchment-lined sheet pan, then transfer the chicken wings to the sheet pan in a single layer. Spray the tops of the chicken with some more oil.

Set of two photos showing before and after chicken baked on a lined sheet pan.

Decrease the oven temperature to 425°F and bake the chicken wings for 35 to 40 minutes (depending on their size), flipping them at the halfway mark and spraying a bit more oil on the tops.

Set of two photos showing honey lemon pepper sauce before and after simmering.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan on the stovetop, over medium heat, add the honey, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, butter, salt, and pepper.
Stir and simmer the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes until everything is well combined. Set aside a small portion to dip the wings in, if desired.

Set of two photos showing before and after chicken wings are tossed in honey lemon pepper sauce.

Once the wings are done, transfer them to a bowl and toss them to coat with the honey lemon pepper sauce. You can also do this on the sheet pan, but I prefer doing it in a bowl so any sauce on the bottom can be scooped back up to coat any missed wings.

Recipe Tips and Notes

Add an extra tablespoon of lemon if you are like me and love the tartness! I usually hold off a bit since I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
Keep in mind that the sauce may seem a bit runny, but as it cools, it’ll thicken back up a bit, thanks to the honey.
If you have time, you can place the chicken wings on their own beforehand, uncovered, in the fridge for a couple of hours. This will help dry out the wings, allowing them to bake up even crisper.

My Recommendation

This is my go-to meat thermometer for making sure that the internal temperature of my meat is good to go. It’s also magnetic so I have it on my fridge door to save drawer space!

Get it Now!

Chicken wings are done when they’ve reached an internal temperature of 165F/74C. I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer.
In the past, I’ve baked my chicken wings on a wire rack. However, I found that my wings are just as crispy without one, as long as I flip the wings. Use a wire rack if you don’t want to flip the wings.
To be honest, I cannot remember why I was taught to preheat the oven to 450°F before lowering it to 425°F to bake the wings. I’ve been making wings this way for years, and it’s one of those “because I told you so” from my family haha. I believe the initial blast of hot air helps make the wings crispier!
Don’t forget to zest your lemon before you juice it. You can get more juice out of a lemon at room temperature and if you roll it on your countertop first.
Make sure you only zest the yellow part of the lemon. The white part is bitter!

A close up view of honey lemon pepper wing on a parchment lined plate.

Storage Tips

Storage: These chicken wings keep up to 4 days in the fridge. Make sure to use an airtight container.
Reheat: I highly recommend reheating these wings in the oven or air fryer so they stay crispy.

What is the difference between drumettes and wingettes?

The drumette is a chicken part that is connected to the main part and looks similar to a drumstick. It has a rounded and meaty end that tapers off towards the bottom.

My personal favorite part of chicken wings is the section between the drumette and the tip, known as the wingette or flat. This section has a great balance of skin and meat, with two horizontal bones running through the middle. Additionally, the wingette tends to come out crispier than other parts of the wing as it’s less meaty than the drumettes.