Description
When you rub fresh lemon zest into just coarsely ground black pepper, you release the oils of each. It’s like a magical culinary experience bringing out the flavors of each. A little citric acid (A.K.A sour salt) gives the seasoning that ubiquitous tangy tartness you find in most lemon pepper seasonings. To quote the NYT: This golden dust gives off high-voltage flavors! Aside from being delicious, it’s pretty simple to make. Perfect for Simchat Torah or football season!
Additionally, I doubled the recipe for the Lemon Pepper Seasoning – we like our wings heavily seasoned.
This is another I found it so you don’t have to recipe! Here is a link to the original on the New York Times Cooking Website.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken wings, whole or separated into wingettes and drumettes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
For the Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
- 1 packed teaspoon dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon citric acid (optional; see Tip)
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Heat oven to 400 degrees, 375 degrees convection, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. I used my awesome Caraway large sheet pan and didn’t have to line it. If not using a “non-stick” ceramic pan, line the pan.
- On the sheet pan, or in a large bowl, pat the chicken wings dry, and toss with the olive oil and salt until evenly coated.
- Roast on the prepared sheet pan until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy, turning once halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes.
For the Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- Finely grate about 2 teaspoons zest from the lemons onto another parchment paper-lined pan (a considerably smaller one works).
- Add pepper to the zest, mix to combine and spread in an even layer.
- Cut the lemons into wedges and set aside for serving.
- When the wings are done roasting, transfer them to a large mixing bowl and turn off the oven.
- Place the pan with the lemon zest and black pepper in the still-warm oven, letting the lemon zest dry out and the black pepper toast in the residual heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn or brown the zest; it may darken in shade slightly but should still be a vibrant yellow. (See note below)
- In a small bowl, use your fingers to mix together the toasted lemon zest and black pepper with the salt, brown sugar, garlic powder and citric acid (if using) until well combined. Be sure to break up any clumps of sugar
- Sprinkle 4 teaspoons of the lemon pepper over the wings and toss until evenly coated. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon pepper as desired (we added a lot). (You can store the rest of the spice blend in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.)
- Transfer the seasoned wings to a large platter and garnish with the lemon wedges. Serve immediately.
Notes
I doubled the recipe for the Lemon Pepper Seasoning – we like our wings heavily seasoned. Keep in mind that if you do double the recipe it will take longer to dry out the spice. I had that issue but in the end it turned out great!
My lemon zest and pepper didn’t dry out in the time specified in the original recipe. I turned the temp to around 200 degrees and dried them out for another 5-10 minutes checking every two minutes or so to ensure it didn’t burn.
The wings at Romanian Kosher here in Chicago are the absolute best wings around. Let me know if you’re here and we can take a field trip together!
From the NYT recipe:
- Citric acid is the secret ingredient in most commercial lemon-pepper seasonings. An organic compound found in lemons and other citrus fruits, it is sold powdered (sometimes as sour salt) in the baking and spice aisles of supermarkets as well as online. It gives you an electric tartness without fresh juice. But if you don’t want to go this route, be sure to spritz the chicken wings with the lemon wedges right before serving (and do this anyway, even with the citric acid, as the sharpness is exhilarating).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ozs.
- Calories: 162
- Sugar: 1.7 g
- Sodium: 150.4 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 5.7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
