While every other fast food joint scrambles to serve tortilla-enrobed chicken tenders to combat the return of the McDonald’s Snack Wrap, one chain is choosing to zag. Zaxby’s got its start by making tenders the focus of its entire menu back in 1990 (a radical idea at the time), and this summer, the brand is drawing inspiration from its Georgia roots with the launch of lemon pepper wings.
Lemon pepper wings are an Atlanta staple (and not just because FX’s Atlanta popularized ordering ‘em “lemon pepper wet”), and people have strong opinions about the best ones. They need a citrusy tang with a little kick, and shatteringly crisp skin that gives way to a juicy wing. Could a fast food joint really pull that off, when their whole goal is getting people in and out of a drive thru in record time?
As a food editor, I needed to know, so I hit up my nearest Zaxby’s to try them out.
Friends, they did not disappoint.
Candace Davison
VP of editorial content
- Oversees home, food and commerce articles
- Author of two cookbooks and has contributed recipes to three others
- Named one of 2023's Outstanding Young Alumni at the University of South Florida, where she studied mass communications and business
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