There is so much more to this recipe than simply adding lemon and garlic to chicken wings. This Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings recipe is loaded with fresh herbs, packed with a fiery punch of hot sauce, and mellowed out with flowery honey. It’s awesome, one of my favorite chicken wings recipes, and only takes a minute to make!
This recipe is: Low Carb, Keto, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Paleo
Table of Contents
7 Reasons to Love This Recipe
Here are 7 reasons why these lemon garlic chicken wings will be your new favorite:
- Unique flavor profile with lemon and garlic.
- Tangy lemon complements savory garlic perfectly.
- Easily customizable with your favorite hot sauce.
- Perfect for parties and guaranteed to impress.
- Completely low-carb and keto-friendly.
- Ideal for summer BBQs and picnics.
- Loved by the entire family.
Are Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings Low-Carb?
Yes, lemon garlic chicken wings are low-carb. This recipe contains only 1 g net carbs per wing, which makes it ideal for those following a low-carb diet. You can reduce this even more by swapping the honey for a low-carb honey alternative.
Moreover, if you want to know if Lemons Are Low Carb or about Carbs In Chicken Wings, you can head over to these articles and learn how incredible it is to use lemons in recipes!
Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings Are Flavor Bombs!
Wings are a favorite for lunch or dinner around our house. My kids just LOVE them, so I make a lot of wings. I’m always playing with different preparations and recipes for new wing sauces. This lemon garlic sauce was a happy accident.
I was trying to make more of a traditional lemon garlic wing sauce with just lemon, garlic and a few herbs. I left the kitchen for a minute and when I came back my son had dumped a bunch of hot sauce into the mix. Ok.
My concern was the amount of acid when combining hot sauce and lemon juice. Yikes- it really curls your teeth. Add in a touch of honey and BLAMMO! A delicious lemon garlic wing sauce with just the right amount of heat. I hope you love it too.
Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
When cooking chicken wings, it is best to cook them without the sauce. If you go into any restaurant, they are going to (most likely) deep-fry the wings first and add sauce after. Some restaurants blanch, steam, bake, or even microwave (nasty) the raw wings before they fry them to save time cooking. One thing applies: they are never coated with the sauce while cooking.
You can learn how to grill chicken wings with my helpful step-by-step instructions. Here’s a snapshot on how to grill wings:
- Add the wings to a hot grill and lower the heat to medium.
- Cook one side for 4-5 minutes. Flip and repeat.
- Often the flats will finish cooking before the drums. The flats also like to cause more flare-ups! Keep your eye on them.
- The wings are cooked when they have reached an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
After they are done cooking, simply add them to a bowl with some of the lemon garlic sauce. Lightly coat with tongs and serve hot. They taste really good when loaded up with the herbs.
Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings Ingredient List
Below is the list of ingredients you’ll need to make lemon garlic wings:
For the Wings
- 32 wings (total count)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon pepper
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ tablespoon rosemary chopped
Ingredient Substitutions
Need to switch some ingredients? Here are some easy alternatives you can use for garlic lemon chicken wings:
- Honey: Use a low-carb honey alternative with the same viscosity.
- Olive oil: Substitute with avocado or coconut oil without any issues.
- Garlic: Try some mashed roasted garlic for an extra depth of flavor.
Additional Ingredients
Looking to enhance the flavors even more for these lemon herb chicken wings? Here are some tasty additions that pair well with the main ingredients:
- Spices: Add some dried spices with complementary flavors like smoked paprika, ground mustard powder, dried oregano, or dried Italian seasoning.
Note: These ingredients are optional, you can use them to improve the taste as per your liking.
Cooking Tools Required
Below is the list of cooking tools you’ll need to make lemon and garlic chicken wings:
- Grill
- Tongs
- Mixing bowls
- Meat thermometer
- Small bowl for dipping sauce
How to Make Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings: Complete Cooking Guide
Cooking Method
- Grilling
Preparation Steps
- Gather all the tools and ingredients to make lemon garlic chicken wings.
- Mince garlic.
- Chop parsley and rosemary.
Cooking Instructions
For the Wings
- Preheat your grill.
- Salt and pepper the wings.
- Add to the grill. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and repeat three times (total cook time should be between 12 and 20 minutes depending on your grill). Cook until the internal temperature of the wing is 165°F (74°C).
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Mix well.
Making the Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
- Add the cooked wings to a fresh bowl.
- Pour over 3-4 tablespoon of the lemon garlic sauce. Mix well with tongs.
- Add more sauce if you would like. Serve remaining sauce as a dipping sauce in a separate bowl.
Baked Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings in the Oven
There are a number of different methods to cook chicken wings in the oven.
One way is slow and low, allowing the fat in the wings to render and the skin to crisp up. This is a great method, but takes forever.
Another method is to blast them with heat in the beginning to crisp the skin, reduce the heat to prevent burning and finish them off under the broiler. This method takes about 20 minutes and is my favorite method after grilling.
Once you have cooked the wings to 165°F (74°C), remove them from the oven. Give them a bath in the lemon garlic sauce and serve hot.
💡 My Pro Tips
- For sweeter wings, add in more honey if you’re not following a keto diet.
- For a thicker lemon garlic wing sauce, add in some cornstarch or arrowroot. When the sauce hits the cooked wings, it activates the starch and thickens quickly.
- Want less garlic punch? Try using roasted garlic instead. The flavor will be completely mellow.
⏲️ Time-Saving Tips
- Use room temperature wings. This speeds up cooking and crisps the skin.
- Prepare the sauce ahead of time. It keeps well in the fridge for days!
- Buy cleaned and separated wings. Skip the cleaning and slicing to save time and effort.
What to Serve with Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings?
Garlic lemon chicken wings are a delightful blend of tangy and savory flavors. You can enjoy them with your favorite dipping sauce or pair them with other low carb side dishes. Here are some perfect pairings:
- Cauliflower Purée:Cauliflower puree provides a creamy, low-carb alternative that complements the tangy and savory flavors of the lemon and herb chicken wings, offering a comforting texture.
- Fresh Summer Broccoli Salad:Fresh summer broccoli salad adds a refreshing crunch to the meal, with its light dressing enhancing the saucy wings, making it a perfect side dish for weeknight dinners.
- Cucumber Feta Salad: Cucumber feta salad offers a refreshing contrast the tender chicken wings, with creamy feta complementing the tangy lemon and garlic sauce beautifully, creating a balanced and satisfying meal combination.
- Baked Zucchini Fries:Baked zucchini fries are a healthier alternative to traditional fries, providing a crispy texture that pairs well with the golden brown lemon garlic chicken wings, adding a delightful crunch to the meal.
- Cauliflower Potato Salad: This low-carb twist on a classic dish combines creamy textures with fresh flavors that complement the garlic flavor of the wings, creating a satisfying and balanced plate.
Storage, Freezing, And Reheating Instructions
Storage
- Store in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.
Reheating
- Reheat in the oven at 350°F (180°C) on a lined, rimmed baking sheet until warmed through.
- Alternatively, heat on a gas grill over medium-high heat until warmed through.
- To maintain flavor and texture, microwave on medium-high heat for several minutes until heated. Do not reheat in a pan on the stove.
Freezing
- To freeze, replace fresh parsley and rosemary with dried or an herb de Provence blend.
- Place in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating using your preferred method.
Recipe Conclusion
There are a couple things I want to mention for Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings, related to the HEAT.
First, when you combine fresh lemon juice and hot sauce, for some reason they seem to be HOTTER than normal. We eat Cholula hot sauce daily in our house and normally it doesn’t taste all that spicy. When it is added to the lemon, my lips were burning and mouth felt like an oven. It was unexpected and awesome.
The takeaway: be cautious when adding the hot sauce. Make sure that you taste it first, then add more if you are comfortable with the level of heat.
Second, you can use whatever hot sauce you like. We love Cholula, but it would be tasty with Tabasco or even Franks Red Hot. Just use a good, quality hot sauce.
All in all, it’s a delicious chicken wing recipe that fits right in my collection of appetizer recipes. I even enjoy it as a main course when paired with a fulfilling side dish. No matter how I eat it, it’s just top of the chart!
More Chicken Wings Recipes
Get more of my wing recipes here:
FAQs
Cook your wings on the grill for 12 to 20 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes until they reach 165°F (75°C) internal temperature.
Yes, it helps seasoning stick and crisps the skin better when you put oil on wings before seasoning.
Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the Wings
- 32 wings total count
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ tablespoon pepper
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ tablespoon rosemary chopped
Instructions
Preparation Steps
- Gather all the tools and ingredients to make lemon garlic chicken wings.
- Mince garlic.
- Chop parsley and rosemary.
Cooking Instructions
For the Wings
- Preheat your grill.
- Salt and pepper the wings.
- Add to the grill. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and repeat three times (total cook time should be between 12 and 20 minutes depending on your grill). Cook until the internal temperature of the wing is 165°F (74°C).
For the Lemon Garlic Sauce
- Add all the ingredients to a bowl. Mix well.
Making the Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings
- Add the cooked wings to a fresh bowl.
- Pour over 3-4 tablespoon of the lemon garlic sauce. Mix well with tongs.
- Add more sauce if you would like. Serve remaining sauce as a dipping sauce in a separate bowl.
Notes
Nutrition
“This website provides approximate nutrition data and information for convenience and as a courtesy only.”
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10 Responses
I’ve been waiting for a wing recipe just like this. So many recipes have heavy sauces and this looks light and delicious. I purchased all the ingredients today and can’t wait to try it.
Hi Brenda:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. How did the wings come out?
Have an excellent day in the kitchen!
Scott
What?? No truffle brains? But seriously, I think I’m making these tomorrow night with the kids. Nice one, Scott =)
HA! I’m saving the truffle “brains” for when I get home. You’re going to lose your mind with how good they taste. In the meantime, grill up some of these fantastic wings… in about 10 days check back for my Chipotle Aioli coated wings. They’re outrageously good.
I’m a huge fan of wings. I will eat them any way I can get them. These lemon garlic wings look so good that I feel like running to the store and getting the ingredients! In fact, I think I may. š
Hi Elaine:
Sounds great! I hope you had a chance to make them- I love this recipe!
Take care-
Scott
This looks AMAZING:) We really like chicken wings and I am always looking for an alternative to buffalo wings. This is great, thanks for sharing!
Hi Tina:
Thanks so much- I really appreciate it. Let me know if you get a chance to try the recipe!
Take care and have a great day in the kitchen-
Scott
I love chicken wings in any form – These look delicious!
Hi Christine:
Thanks so much- did you get a chance to try them?
Hope you’re having a great day-
Scott