Name: Atlanta Lemon Pepper Wet Wings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken wings; 0 vegetable oil; 1 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 115 g butter; 3 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning; 1 piece lemon; 60 ml buffalo sauce; 0.5 tsp garlic powder

Atlanta Lemon Pepper Wet Wings

The wing that built a city's reputation. In Atlanta, ordering them lemon pepper wet is practically a love language, and one bite of these buttery, citrus-soaked, crackly-skinned wings makes it clear why.

🇺🇸 United States ·North America · $

15 min Prep

20 min Cook

35 min Total

4 portions

Atlanta lemon pepper wet wings are deep-fried with no batter, a naked fry that leaves the skin shatteringly crisp before any sauce ever touches it. Once they come out of the oil, the wings get tossed in a glossy bath of melted butter loosened with lemon juice and a heavy hand of lemon-pepper seasoning, which is exactly where the wet in the name comes from. Many Atlanta wing spots build that buttery toss over a light buffalo-sauce base, so the heat stays mild and the lemon and pepper take the lead. The style was popularized in the early 2000s by neighborhood institutions like American Deli and J.R. Crickets, then spread nationally after a now-famous scene on the FX show Atlanta. The flavor is so tied to the city that a former mayor once flatly declared that lemon pepper wings are Atlanta. These are crispy, buttery, tangy, and only mildly spicy, meant to be eaten by the dozen with plenty of napkins.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken wings separated into flats and drumettes, patted very dry

0 vegetable oil for deep frying, enough to submerge the wings

1 tsp salt for seasoning the wings before frying

0.5 tsp black pepper for seasoning the wings before frying

Lemon pepper wet sauce

115 g butter unsalted, melted

3 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning divided, some for the sauce and some to finish

1 piece lemon juiced, plus a little zest

60 ml buffalo sauce optional mild base for the classic wet style (optional)

0.5 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients

4 portions

Ingredients

1 kgchicken wings separated into flats and drumettes, patted very dry

vegetable oil for deep frying, enough to submerge the wings

1 tspsalt for seasoning the wings before frying

0.5 tspblack pepper for seasoning the wings before frying

Lemon pepper wet sauce

115 gbutter unsalted, melted

3 tbsplemon pepper seasoning divided, some for the sauce and some to finish

1 piecelemon juiced, plus a little zest

60 mlbuffalo sauce optional mild base for the classic wet style (optional)

0.5 tspgarlic powder

Instructions

Fry the wings

1

Pat the chicken wings completely dry with paper towels, the drier the skin, the crispier the fry. Season all over with the salt and black pepper. Do not coat them in any flour or batter, this is a naked fry.
~5 min
2

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep pot or fryer to 350 to 375 F (175 to 190 C). Work in batches so you do not crowd the pot, which would drop the oil temperature.
~5 min
3

Fry the wings for 10 to 12 minutes per batch, until deep golden brown, crisp, and cooked through. Lift them out and drain on a rack or paper towels.
~12 min

Make the wet sauce and toss

1

In a wide bowl or saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in about 2 tablespoons of the lemon pepper seasoning, the lemon juice, lemon zest, and garlic powder. For the classic wet style, whisk in the optional buffalo sauce for a mild base. Keep it warm and loose.
~3 min
2

Add the hot fried wings to the butter mixture and toss until every piece is glossy and coated. The wings should look wet and shiny, not dry.
~2 min
3

Pile the wings onto a platter, sprinkle the remaining lemon pepper seasoning over the top, and serve right away while the skin is still crisp.
~1 min

Credits & Inspiration

Babish Culinary Universe
Naked-fry recipe at 350 F that contrasts the American Deli clarified-butter wet style with the J.R. Crickets buffalo style.
Sweet Tea + Thyme
Detailed lemon pepper wet butter sauce built from melted butter, lemon juice, zest, and lemon pepper seasoning.
Soul Food Cooking 101
Atlanta-style recipe deep-frying wings at 375 F and tossing them in a butter and hot sauce wet sauce finished with lemon pepper.
Atlanta Magazine
History of the FX Atlanta scene, the American Deli origin, J.R. Crickets, and the Fester wings that became lemon pepper wet.
Mashed
Cultural background on Atlanta's wing scene and the wet versus buffalo-hybrid styles.