These grilled lemon pepper wings are the only chicken wing recipe you'll need! They’re crispy, tender, and packed full of buttery, lemon pepper goodness! What sets these wings apart is the lemon garlic butter that the wings are tossed in! It adds so much flavor and richness and sticks to the wings like honey!
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It's weird to think that I went almost 34 years without ever making chicken wings for myself.
Don't get me wrong, I love them but I always loved when someone else made them for me MORE.
Then having a baby and the hottest summer on earth happened. And consequently, things changed!
We got gifted a new smart grill from Weber and we fell in love.
Thanks to them, gone were the days of using an old grill that barely worked!
Now we were using the best gas grill on the market. Not only is it stunning but it's loaded with so many smart features - all of which make grilling a breeze.
The temp reader and smart phone connection truly rocked our world. We basically began grilling everything in sight.
And this is where these wings come from!
A few months ago, I got a butter partnership and I knew I had to share our new favorite wing recipe.
So here it is! These grilled lemon pepper chicken wings are so so SO GOOD!
I swear, we devour entire platters in mere minutes and then lick our fingers afterward.
So let's get to it because my tummy is rumblin' just thinking about them!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Chicken Wings - I just buy a pack of chicken wings and ask the meat department to split them into the drum and flat. I highly recommend this because it's free and it'll save you time and energy!
Kosher Salt - The best salt for cooking in my opinion! You could also use table salt or pink himalayan if you had to but I always recommend good ole' course ground kosher salt for cooking.
Black Pepper - Since you need a lot of pepper, it's easiest to just buy pre-ground black pepper... but it would be extra delicious if you used fresh cracked pepper, too!
Garlic Powder - Garlic Powder works best for this recipe at the beginning phases of the grilling. You'll want fresh garlic for the end of the recipe!
Oil - I used regular ole' Canola oil but you could use any neutral oil of your choice.
Salted butter - Salted Butter is best but if you don't have any, you can use unsalted butter with a few pinches of extra salt aded.
Fresh Garlic - no real sub here!
Lemon Zest & Juice - fresh is best with lemon zest! You'll also use the juice so it's a win win to buy fresh lemons for this recipe.
Maldon Salt - I love finishing wings with Maldon Salt because it adds an extra layer of pizazz that is unbeatable. If you don't have it, you can finish with regular salt but this makes such a statement.
How to make Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Making lemon pepper chicken wings on the grill is easier than you think! Although you can find the full recipe below, I'll walk you through it here with some added info if you'd like the recipe in more detail!
You'll want to start by preheating your grill over medium-high heat.
While it's heating up, grab a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder and oil on top. Using tongs, toss everything together and set aside.
Then once the grill is hot, add your chicken wings. I like to close the lid for the first 5-10 minutes - checking every so often.
Once the wings start to brown and get grill marks, begin flipping them over as needed. Keep in mind that some wings will cook faster than other wings so you’ll want to keep an eye on them and flip or turn as necessary.
After the wings have cooked for about 10 minutes, add a small shallow pan to your grill grates and add 4 tablespoon of salted butter. Watch to make sure that the butter doesn't begin to burn.
If you see it getting too hot, move the pan to a cooler part of the grill.
Then once the butter is melted add the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook down for a few minutes until the garlic gets tender and fragrant.
Next, add the lemon zest and some more pepper and cook for a few more minutes. Give the mixture a taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
After about 20 minutes on the grill, the wings should be done.
If you’re unsure, simply insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the wing near the bone.
The wings are cooked perfectly when the internal temp is 165F degrees.
Lastly, pull the wings off the grill and place in a clean mixing bowl.
Add the garlic butter mixture, the juice from the lemon, an 1 tablespoon of finely diced chives.
Toss and serve on a platter with a sprinkle of Maldon finishing salt.
Serve with whatever dipping sauces you like!
What type of grill works best for making chicken wings
At the start of summer, I was gifted this beautiful new Weber Smart Grill and I'm absolutely obsessed!
Every single thing that I've cooked on it has come out perfectly!
This is a gas grill that has smart features like temperature control, temperature reading, a spit for rotisserie chicken and more!
It is quite pricey but it's so worth it if you're in the market for a new grill!
What to pair them with
The beautiful thing about these grilled lemon pepper chicken wings is that they go with so many things!
If i were making these for a summer barbecue, I would pair them with this mediterranean cauliflower salad, or some polish cucumber salad.
You could even pair them with a big bowl of my fav buffalo chicken pasta bake!
For even more tasty grill recipes, try these mango kimchi hot dogs or these buttery smash burgers with cheese!
Save this recipe for later
If you'd like to save this grilled lemon pepper wing recipe for later, I got you!! Simply hover over any image and click pin! The ones right below this paragraph were made specifically for pinterest so feel free to use these!
I absolutely love when you save my recipes on Pinterest! So thank you for that!
And if you don’t already, feel free to follow me for more cheesy goodness that I share each and everyday!
Recipe
Grilled Lemon Pepper Wings
Ingredients
For the Wings
- 2 lbs wings
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon oil
For the Lemon Pepper Sauce
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 small lemon juiced
- 1 tablespoon chives finely diced
- Maldon salt
Instructions
- Start by preheating your grill over medium-high heat.
- In a large mixing bowl, add chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 tablespoon oil. Toss everything together and set aside.
- Once the grill is hot, add your chicken wings and close the lid for 5-10 minutes - checking every so often. Once the wings start to brown and get grill marks, begin flipping them over as needed - some wings will cook faster than other wings so you’ll want to keep an eye on them and flip or turn as necessary.
- After the wings have cooked for about 10 minutes, add a small shallow pan to your grill surface and add 4 tablespoon of salted butter.
- Once it’s melted add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook down for a few minutes until the garlic gets tender and fragrant. Move the pan to a cooler part of the grill if the butter/garlic start to burn
- Next, add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and ⅛ teaspoon more pepper and cook for a few more minutes then remove from the heat.
- After about 20 minutes on the grill, the wings should be done. If you’re unsure, insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the wing near the bone. The wings are cooked perfectly when the internal temp is 165F degrees.
- Pull the wings off the grill and place in a clean mixing bowl. Add the garlic butter mixture, the juice from the lemon, an 1 tablespoon of finely diced chives. Toss and serve on a platter with a sprinkle of Maldon finishing salt.
- Serve with whatever dipping sauces you like!
