Lemon Chicken Wings Recipe

A quick visual overview of the key ingredients and cooking flow.

A warm cream visual overview of chicken wings, lemon, six seasoning dishes, the finished plate and four numbered scenes for marinating, searing, simmering and finishing with lemon.

Pat 500 g chicken wing flats dry with paper towels; make two shallow cuts on each side without cutting through the bones. Do not rinse raw chicken. Mince 20 g peeled garlic. Wash one lemon; thinly slice and deseed one half, and juice the other half. Use clean tools and a separate board for the lemon.

Scored raw chicken wing flats on a pale bamboo board, with lemon slices and juice on a separate clean surface.

Mix all the wings with the 20 g garlic, one tablespoon light soy sauce, half a tablespoon oyster sauce and half a teaspoon black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Reserve the lemon slices and juice for the finish.

Raw wing flats coated with a light brown marinade, minced garlic and black pepper in a clear glass bowl, without lemon.

Lift out the wings and scrape off loose garlic, keeping all the marinade and garlic in the bowl. Heat the full tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium-low heat. Sear the wings in one layer for about 8–10 minutes, turning until both sides are golden; they may still be undercooked inside. Work in batches if crowded and keep the garlic out of the hot oil.

Chicken wing flats searing in a single layer until golden in a black nonstick pan with two short loop handles, without lemon or loose garlic.

Stir the 80 ml water into the reserved marinade and garlic, then add it all to the pan. Bring to a full boil, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for about 8–10 minutes, turning halfway. Continue until the thickest part of the wings reaches at least 74°C (165°F), measured away from the bone. If the pan is drying out before they are done, lower the heat and add a little water; do not judge doneness by color or time alone.

The same black pan covered with a glass lid, with golden wings simmering in a light brown garlic sauce and condensation beneath the lid.

Uncover and cook over medium heat for about 2–3 minutes, gently turning until the sauce lightly coats the wings with no watery pool. Keep a little flowing sauce; do not reduce it to a thick caramel or scorch the garlic. If the wings are done but the pan is still watery, move them to a clean plate, reduce the liquid, then return them.

Wing flats coated with a thin glossy golden-brown sauce in the same black pan, with a wooden spatula clearly separate from the handles and no lemon yet.

Lower the heat and add all the reserved lemon slices and the juice from the other half. Turn gently for about 30 seconds, until the light sauce coats the wings again, then turn off the heat and plate. The wings should be golden to light brown with visible lemon slices, garlic and black pepper. Avoid prolonged cooking of the lemon slices.

Lemon Chicken Wings

At a Glance

Main Ingredients

Seasonings