Lemon Pepper Wings
These Lemon Pepper Wings are perfect for summer barbecues in the backyard! Go ahead and make a double batch – you’ll be glad you did!
This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
Whenever we go out for wings, I have a serious struggle. I love ‘traditional’ wings – fried and then tossed in buffalo sauce. But there are so many other delicious flavors! If I could, I would order 12 wings in about 6 different flavors, but the folks in the kitchen tend to frown on orders like that.
In the end, I always go with ½ buffalo wings and ½ some other variety that catches my eye. Sometimes that’s Blue Heat (a combo of buffalo sauce with blue cheese dressing). Other times it’s Cajun dry-rubbed. And don’t forget the Garlic Parm Wings – holy cow, those are amazing!
The last time we went out for wings, I opted for Lemon Pepper as my second choice. Ummm, yes please. Those Lemon Pepper Wings were quite delicious, and I happily ate them all. Back home, I decided to try my hand at grilling a batch of these wings. Woah. Just woah. The taste is out of this world!
Lemon Pepper Wings
These Lemon Pepper Wings are a delicious and easy-to-make recipe that is perfect for summers in the backyard. Whether you’re hosting a backyard barbecue or just looking for a tasty meal for the family, these wings are sure to be a hit!
As we talked about with these Grilled Garlic Parm Wings, the key to making delicious grilled chicken wings at home is M-O-M. Nope, not Mom as in “dear old mom.” M-O-M as in “medium-off-medium.”
Medium-off-medium is the way to set up your grill when you’re looking to grill up some fantastic chicken wings. The burners on either side of the grill are set to medium, and the chicken wings get placed over the “off” portion of the grill. This indirect style produces juicy, flavorful wings that aren’t burnt to a crisp.
If you’ve ever tried grilling chicken wings over a direct flame, you know the pain of opening the lid only to find the wings charred beyond recognition. Been there, done that. Go with the M-O-M method!
How to Grill Chicken Wings at Home
If you have a ceramic grill or smoker, chances are you already have an insert for indirect grilling. That insert blocks the direct flames and allows for indirect grilling.
If you have a gas grill, go with the M-O-M method by turning the outside burners to medium or medium-low heat. The wings go on the middle (i.e. “off”) portion of the grill.
If you use a charcoal grill, the method is very similar to M-O-M. Just split the charcoal into 2 piles on either side of the grill while leaving the center portion without any charcoal. As with the gas grill, the wings will get placed over the middle (no charcoal) portion of the grill.
How to Brine Chicken Wings
In addition to the indirect style of grilling, the other key to making tasty chicken wings at home is brining. Don’t worry – this step is super easy. Just soak the raw wings in a large bowl of water with kosher salt and a bit of sugar for about 30-45 minutes. That’s it. This easy trick will lead to juicier, tastier wings!
The only “hard” part about this Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings recipe is waiting for ~45 minutes while the wings grill. The indirect style of grilling takes a bit longer, but it also makes sure the wings aren’t burnt to a crisp. Once you pull those golden brown wings off the grill, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree that the time is worth it!
Once the wings are fully cooked, just toss them in a simple lemon pepper butter sauce and serve ’em up hot. Since they take a bit of time to cook (and they’re so freakin’ delicious), we often make a double batch whenever we make grilled wings.
To store leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat grilled chicken wings, just place them in a 350°F oven for ~8-10 minutes, or until heated through. They reheat beautifully!
If you’re looking for a tasty summer backyard appetizer or meal, then put these Lemon Pepper Wings on the menu. But be prepared – your family and friends will be asking you to make another batch very soon! Happy grilling!
Did you make a batch of these Lemon Pepper Wings at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog) – I’d love to see your version!
Lemon Pepper Wings
Ingredients
For the Brine
- 8 cups water
- ⅓ cup kosher salt
- 1½ Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 pounds chicken wings separated into drumsticks and flats (most bags of frozen chicken wings are already separated when you purchase them)
For Grilling
- ¼ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
For the Lemon Pepper Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper if using lemon pepper seasoning, omit the black pepper and lemon zest
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- chopped parsley for garnishing
Instructions
For the Brine
- Using a large bowl, add water, salt and sugar; stir until salt and sugar have dissolved into water.
- Place chicken wings in bowl. (If needed, add more water until wings are covered.)
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
For Grilling
- Set up grill for indirect cooking and preheat to 375°F for indirect cooking (see note).
- Remove wings from brine; discard brine.
- Pat wings completely dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Return wings to the empty bowl.
- Using a small bowl, whisk together the oil, salt, paprika, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Pour mixture into bowl with wings and toss until well coated. (Tip: Wipe the grill grates with a folded paper towel soaked with vegetable oil before placing wings on grill – this helps prevent the wings from sticking to the grates.)
- Place wings on grill in a single layer and cook for ~45 minutes, flipping about halfway through. (Note: While the wings are cooking, make the Garlic Parmesan Sauce.)
For the Lemon Pepper Sauce
- Using a small saucepan, add butter and place over medium heat.
- Once butter has melted, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add smoked paprika, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and Dijon mustard; whisk together until well combined and continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes.
- Remove wings from grill and place in a large bowl; add Lemon Pepper Sauce and toss until wings are well coated.
- Before serving, garnish with chopped parsley.
Looking for more grilled chicken recipes? Check out some of these other favorites, too:
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use tofu i never lemon pepper wings before perfect for my after office snacks love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
That’s an interesting idea, Ramya! The cooking times would probably be different with tofu, but I think you could use the ideas in this recipe to create a tasty non-meat version. If you give it a try, let me know what you did and how it turns out!
So tender and flavorful with the brine.. these lemon pepper wings will be on repeat all summer long!
Oh the brine is the key to juicy grilled wings. These wings were SO good! Definitely worth putting on repeat all summer long. 🙂
Yum! They look so good! Great seasoning.
Thanks so much, Mimi!
Drumsticks and flats? Buffalo wings? So many new terms … I like your idea of brining first; makes food so tender. These look delicious David. Not really BBQ weather here 🙂 We are just into winter (as of june 1) so it is a wee bit chilly. Well, I say chilly but it was only 9C last night. Sorry don’t know what that is in F 🙂 Anyways, your wings look very tasty!
Haha – these are common terms when talking about chicken wings here in the States. I still can’t believe buffalo wings aren’t a thing down there! Let’s see…google tells me 9°C is mid-40s in F. That’s enough to reach for another layer or two! Stay warm, and save the grilling recipes for a few more months. Haha!
These Lemon Pepper Wings sound like a mouthwatering addition to any backyard barbecue! I can almost taste the tangy lemon and aromatic pepper melding together on those crispy grilled wings.
Talk about a great recipe for summer grilling! These wings are it. 🙂 Thanks, Raymund!
We’ve had an incredibly rainy spring, so the grill hasn’t seen much action yet. But as soon as the weather turns nice again I want to try this out. We have a nephew living with us at the moment while he attends a local college who’s a huge wings fan. I bet he’d really enjoy these.
Not to mention yours truly… 🙂 That lemon butter sauce sounds out of this world.
We’ve had an oddly rainy season here in the mountains so far, too. I feel like I’m dodging rain showers every time I get the grill out! I do think you should give these wings a try, Frank. Grilling them using the offset method yields some truly fantastic wings!! (Maybe make a double batch if you’ve got a college student on hand…haha!)
Well, the weather finally turned and I gave these wings a go. They were delicious. And nephew approved!
Awesome! I’m so glad you got a chance to make these wings, Frank. And I’m glad they were a hit! Now that you’ve got the method down, you can easily mix up the sauces to make different flavors. The possibilities are endless!! 🙂
The fact that these juicy wings are grilled not fried is calling my name! That and you can never go wrong with a lemon pepper combo. SO good!
Grilled wings are one of our favorite things in the summer! The lemon + pepper on these is fantastic. 🙂