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Author:
Franco Salzillo
After the spicy buffalo hot sauce, lemon pepper wings are amongst the most popular in the world. They offer an alternative to people that don’t necessarily want to suffer the extenuating heat from chili peppers while still adding a delicious flavor to our favorite finger food.
Now, here’s a little secret — store-bought lemon pepper seasonings are no good. They’re made with artificial flavorings, meaning there’s hardly any lemon in them. Is that what you really want?
What if I tell you, you can make your own authentic lemon pepper seasoning in five minutes, and it’s better than any other you’ve tried? The thing with lemon is that it’s perishable, so you can’t just add it to a spice mix and expect it to have a long shelf-life. That’s why real lemon pepper seasonings are done a-la-minute.
We’ll start by dehydrating lemon zest in the microwave. If you have more time, use the oven for more consistent results. Then we have to make a lemon pepper rub for our wings, and we must use very little liquid because we’re using our air-frier. If the wings are too moist, they won’t brown.
By tossing the wings in freshly cracked pepper, dehydrated lemon zest, garlic powder and just a splash of lemon juice, you’ll have some good wings to throw in your air cooker.
Around fifteen minutes at very high heat is more than enough to ensure fall-off-the-bone wings with the tangiest and spiciest flavor. These are restaurant quality, perhaps better!
Once you have your wings, serve a nice creamy dip to go with them. I love ranch with my lemon pepper wings, but by all means, use your favorite dip, or eat them as is. There’s no way you can get these wrong.
In a microwave-safe plate, spread the lemon zest and microwave for about 2-3 minutes until dry.
In a small mixing bowl, add the lemon zest, garlic powder, ground pepper, salt and lemon juice. Mix well to form a rub, it should be quite dry, and that’s ok.
Pat your chicken wings dry with a paper towel and toss them in a large mixing bowl while sprinkling all the lemon pepper rub. Use your hands to cover them thoroughly.
Place the wings in the air fryer without overcrowding it.
Air fry at 400˚F for 8 minutes, then rearrange and fry for 8 more minutes.
Serve immediately.
