Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
These Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings are seasoned with garlic, lemon pepper, and smoked paprika, then cooked over hickory before being tossed in warm garlic lemon pepper butter. Smoking the wings at 400°F builds wood-fired flavor while rendering the skin, and the fresh lemon zest and juice give the buttery finish a bright citrus bite.
Like my smoked hot honey chicken wings, these are great to serve on a game day get-together or make during a summer cookout.
Quick Look: Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- What it is: Chicken wings seasoned with garlic, lemon pepper, smoked paprika, and black pepper, smoked over indirect heat and finished in garlic lemon pepper butter.
- Why Make THIS Version? The wings get hickory smoke before they're tossed in the butter sauce, so you get smoke, garlic, fresh lemon, and black pepper without covering up the flavor of the chicken.
- Key Ingredients: Chicken wings, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic, smoked paprika, butter, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper.
- Cooking Method: Smoked over indirect heat at 400°F for about 45-55 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the wings reach 185-195°F internal temperature.
- Total Time: About 1 hour 10 minutes.
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Why This Recipe
- Smoke First, Sauce Last: Smoking the wings before adding the garlic lemon pepper butter lets the chicken pick up hickory flavor while the skin renders. The butter goes on after smoking so the lemon, garlic, and black pepper stay bright instead of cooking for the entire smoke.
- Garlic + Fresh Lemon: Lemon pepper seasoning builds the base flavor, while fresh lemon zest and juice in the finishing butter add another layer of citrus. The zest provides concentrated lemon aroma while the juice adds acidity to balance the butter, a technique I used in my chili lime chicken wings recipe.
Key Ingredients
- Lemon Pepper Seasoning: Choose salt-free seasoning if available. You’ll be seasoning the wings separately with Kosher salt and this gives you better control over the final salt level.
- Fresh Lemon: Use both zest and juice. The zest provides concentrated lemon aroma while the juice adds acidity to the butter.
- Hickory: Provides the stronger smoke profile used in this recipe which works well with chicken wings. I used it for my Cajun grilled chicken drumsticks recipe too.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so the salt can be controlled between the seasoning and finishing sauce.
Substitutions or Additions
- No Hickory: Oak or pecan can be used for a milder smoke profile, I use them when I make orange Gochujang smoked chicken wings.
- Control the Salt: Reduce the added kosher salt if the lemon pepper seasoning already contains significant salt.
How to Make Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings (Step by Step)
Step 1: Season the Wings: Pat the chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. Add them to a large mixing bowl and lightly coat with olive oil. Season with kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon pepper seasoning, and black pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
Step 2: Smoke the Wings: Preheat the smoker or grill to 400°F for indirect cooking. Add hickory for smoke. Smoke the wings for approximately 45-55 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check several wings and continue cooking until they reach an internal temperature of 185-195°F.
Step 3: Make the Garlic Lemon Pepper Butter: Melt the butter and gently cook the garlic until fragrant. Add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, and salt. Keep the sauce warm while the wings finish.
Step 4: Sauce and Finish: Toss the finished wings in the warm garlic lemon pepper butter.
James’ Grill Master Pro Tips
Use a Wire Rack: I keep the wings on a wire rack while they cook so I can rotate the entire rack when needed. If using a pellet smoker for this recipe, they can have hotter zones, and rotating the rack helps the wings cook more evenly.
Check More Than One Wing: Flats and drumettes don't always finish simultaneously. Check several pieces and move smaller wings off the heat first if necessary.
Sauce After Smoking: Let the wings develop smoke flavor and rendered skin before adding the garlic lemon pepper butter. Toss them while they're still hot so the butter coats the surface, I always do this when I make hot honey lemon pepper chicken wings.
Air-Dry the Wings Before Smoking: After patting the wings dry, I place them on a wire rack over a baking sheet and refrigerate them uncovered for 2 hours. This helps dry the surface before they go onto the smoker.
Chicken Drumstick Temperature Guide
Chicken drumsticks should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the meat, according to USDA guidance. Make sure you check several drumsticks when cooking a batch, since smaller drumsticks can cook faster than larger ones.
- 165°F: Safe minimum: Chicken drumsticks are safe to eat at 165°F, according to the USDA.
- 175°F+: More tender: As drumsticks cook beyond the minimum safe temperature, connective tissue continues to bread down, giving the meat a more tender texture.
- 185-195°F: I prefer taking my chicken drumsticks to 185-195°F. At this temperature, the meat pulls cleanly from the bone while staying juicy, and high-heat cooking gives the skin more time to render and crisp.
Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings FAQs
Yes, use the established oven method from the recipe. 400°F on a wire rack for approximately 40-45 minutes, checking internal temperature for doneness.
Chicken is safely cooked at 165°F, but I prefer taking chicken wings to 185-195°F. The additional cooking time gives the fat and connective tissue more time to render and make the skin crispy.
It can be prepared shortly before the wings finish and kept warm. Stir before tossing with the wings if the butter begins separating.
More Smoked Appetizer Recipes
If you tried this smoked garlic lemon pepper chicken wings recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Remember, a bad day grilling is better than a GREAT day at work!
Smoked Garlic Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the Wings:
- 2.5 lbs chicken wings drumettes and flats
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp lemon pepper seasoning salt-free if possible
- ½ tsp coarse black pepper
For the Garlic Lemon Pepper Sauce:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp salt to taste
- Optional: ½ tsp honey or hot sauce for a sweet/spicy twist
Instructions
Season the Wings
- Pat the chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. Add them to a large mixing bowl and lightly coat with olive oil. Season with kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon pepper seasoning, and black pepper. Toss until evenly coated.
Smoke the Wings
- Preheat the smoker or grill to 400°F for indirect cooking. Add hickory for smoke. Smoke the wings for approximately 45-55 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check if wings have hit 185-195°F internal temperature to confirm doneness.
Make the Garlic Lemon Pepper Butter
- Melt the butter and gently cook the garlic until fragrant. Add fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, cracked black pepper, and salt. Keep the sauce warm while the wings finish.
Sauce and Finish
- Toss the finished wings in the warm garlic lemon pepper butter.
Video
Notes
- Pat the chicken wings thoroughly dry before seasoning to help the skin crisp.
- Space out the chicken wings on the wire rack and leave enough space between each wing. Overcrowding can cause the wings to steam and they won’t develop the crispy skin.
- Sauce chicken wings only after they have cooked. Time the sauce to ensure it gets ready close to the time when the wings are done.
Awesome, wonderful meat recipes…Will try them out and give a feed back..