Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Crispy fried chicken wings finished in a lemon pepper butter sauce made with fresh lemon zest, coarsely ground black pepper, butter, lemon juice, chicken stock, and cornstarch. A business-ready recipe from Victor Heredia's Master Cook channel, standardized with precise weights for restaurant replication.

15m Prep

20m Cook

35m Total

1 Servings

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Ingredients

garnish

fresh parsley (finely chopped, for garnish) optional
lemon slices (for garnish) optional

main

chicken wings (pre-cooked in stock, then deep-fried until golden)

sauce

10 g butter (cut into small pieces)
0.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper (coarsely ground, not too fine)
0.25 tsp lemon zest (grated from the green outer skin only — avoid the white pith)
20 g fresh lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
80 g chicken cooking stock (from the stock used to pre-cook the wings)
0.5 tsp cornstarch (dissolved in the cold stock before adding to pan)
0.5 tsp chicken seasoning powder

side

straw potatoes (papas paja) (fried) optional

Steps

1

Before slicing the lemon, grate the outer green skin to collect 1/4 tsp of lemon zest. Only use the green part — the white pith is bitter. Zest can be made in advance and kept dry.

Tip: Use a microplane or fine grater. Move the lemon as you grate to avoid reaching the white layer.

~3 min
2

Cut the lemon into quarters and squeeze out 20 g of fresh juice into a small container. Do not squeeze completely to avoid bitterness.

~2 min
3

Grind black pepper coarsely — medium-coarse, not too fine. Measure 1/2 tsp and set aside.

Tip: Freshly ground coarse black pepper is essential for lemon pepper wings — pre-ground powder won't give the same result.

~2 min
4

Dissolve 1/2 tsp of cornstarch in the 80 g of cold chicken stock. Mix until fully dissolved before heating.

Tip: Always dissolve cornstarch in cold liquid — never in hot.

~1 min
5

Heat the pan on very low heat. Add the 10 g of butter, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and 1/4 tsp of lemon zest. Melt the butter slowly on the lowest heat possible to release the essential oils of lemon and pepper.

Tip: The key is super low heat — this is not a fry, just a gentle melt to bloom the aromatics.

~4 min
6

Once the butter begins to melt and barely starts to sizzle, add the cornstarch-stock mixture and 1/2 tsp of chicken seasoning. Stir continuously on low heat until the sauce thickens to the ideal texture.

Tip: Do not add extra salt — the chicken stock and seasoning already contain salt.

~3 min
7

Turn off the heat. Add the 20 g of fresh lemon juice to the sauce and mix.

~1 min
8

Deep fry the pre-cooked chicken wings in hot oil until golden and crispy. Remove and drain, shaking off excess oil.

~5 min
9

Add the fried wings to the sauce and toss to coat evenly. Alternatively, pour the sauce generously over the plated wings.

~1 min
10

Plate the wings. Garnish with finely chopped fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve with straw potatoes (papas paja) if desired.

~2 min

Nutrition (per serving)

350

Calories

32g

Protein

12g

Carbs

18g

Fat

Fiber

Cultural Context

Lemon Pepper wings are an American classic that Victor Heredia has adapted for Peruvian restobares and piqueo culture. The key Peruvian adaptation is using chicken cooking stock (caldo de pollo) as the liquid base of the sauce, adding depth of flavor. This recipe is part of his 'receta al desnudo' (naked recipe) series where each dish is taught with precise weights and measures so entrepreneurs can scale and replicate it consistently.