Episode 17: Outkast - Stankonia - Lemon Pepper Wet Wings

Meat me in the bathroom!

On a previous episode of The Indie 500 podcast, we took a deep dive into Outkasts album “Stankonia”. An iconic album in the hip hop scene of the early 2000’s and certainly a record we couldn’t escape in our high school days. Whether it was car rides hearing “Ms. Jackson” over and over, groovin’ to “So Fresh, So Clean” or…I don’t even know what, to “Bombs over Baghdad”, it certainly held a place in the soundtrack of our high school years.

For an album of this magnitude, we had to have a recipe to match. While Atlanta is known for a variety of soul food, one menu item that has come to prominence in the 21st century is Lemon Pepper Wings. From pop culture references on the show “Atlanta” to Rick Ross, to NBA star Lou Williams breaking COVID quarantine from the NBA bubble and receiving a 10-day quarantine/suspension for traveling up to Magic City in Atlanta to pick-up wings. Thus giving him the nickname, “Lemon Pepper Lou”. You can even buy the wings on Goldbelly.com to give them a try (although their recipe is a little different from what I’ve got for you.)

Ingredients:

3 lbs. party chicken wings

Salt

3 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning (there are recipes for this out there, I use Mrs. dash or equivalent) + 2 tbsp to use in sauce later

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp baking powder

2 lemons (zested with micro-plane and juiced)

2 tbsp minced garlic

8 oz butter, salted

Step 1: Get your wings onto a sheet tray that’s been lined with paper towels and take a few more paper towels to dry off the wings as much as possible. Dry Skin = Crispy Skin

Step 2: Add the wings to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt and 3tbsp Lemon Pepper seasoning. Stir so that all the wings have seasoning on them. Trust your gut, if they look like they need more lemon pepper, add more! Let them chill in the fridge at minimum 30 minutes but overnight is totally good too.

Step 3: Combine the cornstarch and baking powder in a small bowl and mix. Add that mix to the bowl with the wings, stir, shake, coat the wings so that they all have a bit of a dusting on them.

Step 4: This is where you might have a different path than I did…I cooked mine in an air fryer. I set the temp to 400 degrees convection, sprayed the basket with non-stick cooking spray, put the wings on it single file then a pan underneath to catch any renderings. I cooked for 12 minutes, turned them over and then another 12. The numbers will be similar in a standard oven. If you have a thermometer the internal temp should be over 165 degrees and visibly crispy skin.

Step 5: In the meantime, in small pan, add your butter, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and remaining lemon pepper. Turn the heat on medium low, you aren’t trying to cook things here as much as you are trying to infuse the butter “sauce” with flavors. Once you see it bubbling you can turn off the heat.

Step 6: As your wings are ready, be on standby with your sauce and a large mixing bowl. When the wings are done, take them off the rack and add to the mixing bowl. Working in batches, pour the sauce over the wings, toss to coat. Always taste your food before serving, add a little extra salt or seasoning if need be!

Enjoy!!