Recipe Challenge: Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings

Football season is here! Looking for a delicious but healthy dish to bring to your next watch party? Not a football fan? These are a crowd pleaser at any ‘end of summer’ backyard gathering. These chicken wings are crispy, flavorful, and pair well with any salad or veggie side dish. Dip in your favorite low cal dressing or tzatziki sauce. Can be baked in an oven or prepared in an air fryer.

Lemon Garlic Chicken Wings

Yields 4 servings
Recipe adapted from Kalefornia Kravings blog

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken wings
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp avocado oil 
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Add your marinade ingredients (lemon juice, zest, avocado oil, garlic cloves, and seasonings) to a food processor and blend them together until smooth.
2. Place your chicken wings in a large plastic bag or bowl and add your marinade. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and let them marinate for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
3. Place a large wired rack on a rimmed cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray. Then add chicken wings and bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. For crispier wings, broil for 3-5 minutes after they are done baking.
4. If making in the air fryer,  preheat your air fryer to 390 degrees. Once it’s ready, remove your wings from the marinade and place them in the air fryer basket in a single layer. (Do this in batches if needed.) Air fry for 18-20 minutes flipping halfway through.
5. Optional Step: While the wings are cooking, make another half recipe of the marinade to dip your wings in later or brush over the top after they’re done cooking. This step is completely optional but adds a lot of additional flavor! 
6. Serve your wings immediately with extra lemon wedges and low calorie dipping sauce of your choice.

Nutrition Facts

*Per 2 wings or 1/4 recipe: 301 calories, 22g fat, 3g total carbohydrate, 21g protein
*For VLCD recommended serving size is 1 wing or 1/8 recipe: 150 calories, 11g fat, 2g total carbohydrate, 11g protein