Lemon Garlic Parmesan Baked Chicken Wings
These baked garlic parmesan chicken wings are the perfect appetizer to share! They are tender, juicy, with crispy edges and loaded with a buttery rich parmesan and garlic sauce - and are mild enough that everyone can eat them. They are seasoned then baked in the oven (and not deep-fried!) until the skin is perfectly golden and tossed in that rich garlic butter Parmesan sauce.
We love chicken wings and make them at home whenever the cravings hit. They are so easy to make and they sure beat the greasy ones you get at restaurants. They taste just as good, perhaps even better the takeout or restaurant ones because you can customize your wings to your liking and these ones might just be also be a smidge better for you as they are not deep fried. They are smothered in a buttery garlic Parmesan sauce so I would definitely not call these a health food but they are baked - that’s something. These tasty little guys are perfect for dinner any day, parties, game day…or whenever you need some chicken wings in your life.
The first time I had these wings was when we shot them for a client - they were so good and so obviously I had to make my own garlic parmesan chicken wings and share them with you guys. These are baked but these would be great on the grill as well. They usually take less time to cook on the grill though so if you do decide to make them on the grill the recipe stays exactly the same only they take likely 7-10 min per side on the grill.
There are a lot of techniques out there to make your baked wings extra crispy like using baking powder or cornstarch on them, either in the dry rub or sort of marinating them with it on them overnight in the fridge. I have also heard of steaming them, or boiling them first to melt away a lot of the fat , then placing them in the fridge over night uncovered to dry out the skin. These are all fantastic methods but for these wings I find them unnecessary. That being said if you have your own technique or pre marinating trick that you always use on your wings feel free to do so. I find that baking them is enough. They get those nice crisp edges and then they are doused in that really awesome butter sauce and are just perfect the way they are.
How to Make Lemon Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
The method is really easy. It’s basically a three-step process: season the wings then bake the chicken wings, then mix the wings with the parmesan, butter and garlic sauce and that is it. An easy peasy, no fuss, and fail proof recipe.
Here is how I break it down:
- Toss with oil and seasoning blend - I love to use lemon pepper seasoning
- Place on a baking rack that is on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes until crispy and golden brown.
- Make the lemony garlic Parmesan sauce.
- Toss the wings in the sauce.
- Inhale ……….and repeat!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb. bone-in chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil or any vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning or Italian seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste (do not add extra salt if seasoning blend has salt in it)
- 4 tablespoons of melted butter (½ stick)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- Caesar or ranch dressing, for dipping
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with a metal rack. (I usually line my baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup and lightly spray my rack with a little cooking spray but that is optional)
- Toss wings with oil and season with lemon pepper seasoning. Then transfer wings to prepared metal rack and bake until cooked through, golden and crispy, approx 40-45 minutes.
- Make sauce: In a large bowl, stir together warm melted butter, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and lemon zest. Add wings and toss until completely coated.
- Sprinkle with extra Parmesan if you would like and serve with Caesar dressing.
Recipe Notes
- Chicken wings take about 40-50 minutes to bake until they’re nice and crispy at 4OO°F . However, each oven is different, so start checking in on them after 30 minutes.
- If your wings aren’t golden and crispy after 45 minutes, turn the broiler on and broil them for about 2-3 more minutes, watching them carefully as they could burn quickly.
- I purchased wings that were already pre-cut into wingettes and drumettes, but if they are not, remove the wing tip then cut them vertically through the joint. Discard the wing tip.
- To GRILL these wings follow the directions above but these will cook faster on the grill - all they need is 7-10 min per side. Once off the grill toss them in the butter sauce the same way.
- To AIR FRY these wings - there is no need to toss the wings in oil just the seasoning then place in the air fryer at 400°F and cook for 25-30 min flipping them once. Then continue with the butter sauce the same way.
Adapted from Delish
