Nightshade Free Air Fryer Lemon Pepper Wings
Crispy, golden wings tossed in a bright, buttery lemon pepper sauce — this air fryer recipe delivers serious crowd-pleasing flavor without a single nightshade in sight. No tomatoes, no peppers, no paprika, no cayenne — just clean, simple ingredients that let the citrus and black pepper do all the heavy lifting. The secret to that shatteringly crisp skin is baking powder in the dry coating, which draws out moisture and helps the air fryer work its magic at high heat. A quick homemade sauce of melted butter, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and coarsely ground black pepper comes together in minutes and coats every piece in tangy, savory goodness. Because you're making the sauce from scratch, there's no need to scan labels for hidden chili extracts or spice blends that often sneak nightshades into store-bought wing sauces. Finished with a scatter of fresh parsley and a few lemon wedges, these wings look as good as they taste — and they're genuinely hard to stop eating.
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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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