Celery Free Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings
Crispy, golden wings with a bright, buttery lemon pepper glaze — this air fryer recipe delivers serious restaurant-quality results without ever turning on the oven. The secret to that shatteringly crisp skin is a light coating of baking powder before cooking, which draws out moisture and encourages deep browning in the circulating heat. Once the wings come out of the basket, they get tossed in a quick pan sauce made with melted butter, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and coarsely ground black pepper — bold, tangy, and completely from scratch. There's no celery seed, no celery salt, and no pre-mixed seasoning blends hiding unwanted ingredients, so you know exactly what's going into every bite. That matters more than people realize, since a lot of wing sauces and dry rubs sneak in celery-derived flavoring without much fanfare on the label. Finishing with a scatter of fresh parsley and a few lemon wedges keeps things fresh and vibrant on the platter. These are the kind of wings that disappear fast, so you might want to plan on making two batches.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 2 lbs chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes, tips removed
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
For the lemon pepper sauce
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For serving
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- lemon wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken wings thoroughly dry with paper towels. In a large mixing bowl, toss the wings with the baking powder, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and garlic powder until evenly coated.
- 2
Preheat the air fryer to 400°F (205°C) for 3 minutes. Arrange the wings in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each piece — work in two batches if needed to avoid crowding.
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