Forget Chicken: Use Lemon Pepper On Turkey For Double The Deliciousness

When you think of turkey, two things come to mind: Thanksgiving, and deli meats. However, there's absolutely no reason this tasty bird should be restricted to just holiday dinners and sandwiches. And if you're looking for a place to start experimenting, try making lemon pepper wings with turkey instead of chicken — they're zingy, tangy, and easy to put together.

Turkey wings aren't just larger and meatier than chicken wings, they also have a richer, heartier flavor profile which works beautifully in our lemon pepper turkey wings recipe, which delivers restaurant quality wings with mountains of flavor. The flavors are layered across three different steps, starting with an overnight marinade that has olive oil, lemon, and freshly cracked pepper. The wings are then roasted until the outer skin is caramelized and crispy. They then take flight to the next level with the final touch, a sprinkling of lemon pepper. Paired with the right dipping sauce, this is a cracking appetizer, whether it's for a weeknight dinner or a party you're hosting.

Our recipe recommends serving these turkey wings with a dip made with mayo, yogurt, lemon zest, garlic, dill, and cayenne. But feel free to experiment. For example, our take on Wingstop's lemon pepper chicken wings go beautifully with dipping sauces made with blue cheese or ranch dressing. These should pair just as well with turkey wings.

While the flavors of lemon and pepper are incorporated into this turkey wings dish right from the marinade, it's the sprinkling of lemon pepper seasoning right at the end that truly elevates it. It's the kind of seasoning that can take any dish from comfort food to restaurant quality. And the best part? Lemon pepper seasoning is really easy to make at home. 

The most stripped down version requires just three ingredients: Lemon, pepper, and salt. Once you've scraped the zest and cracked the pepper, all you need to do is strike a balance between the tartness from the zest and the heat from the pepper. As you start experimenting, you'll see just how versatile this little flavor bomb is. You could play on the flavor difference between black pepper and white pepper by making a version that's more earthy than spicy. To add different layers to the seasoning, introduce ingredients like garlic powder or dried basil. Use a bit of orange zest to give the citrus hit a twist. Just remember that lemon and pepper are the primary flavors, so don't add anything that will overpower that.

Try this recipe for lemon pepper turkey wings.