Making crispy Baked Chicken Wings isn’t hard, in fact it’s much easier than frying them. You just need the right combination of ingredients and oven temperature.
Die hard chicken wing fans won’t take their wings any way but crispy, and I am here today to tell you that I have a baked wing recipe that is truly crispy. Getting a crispy texture without deep frying might seem like wizardry, but I promise it’s just a matter of science.
This technique comes from the culinary wizards at America’s Test Kitchen, and it is very simple to pull off. Pair this baked chicken wing recipe with your favorite wing sauce, and you have some killer chicken wings.
How to Bake Chicken Wings
This is a brief overview to show you how simple this wings recipe is. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, please find the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Pat the chicken dry. Nothing will ruin this recipe faster than chicken that has been thawed but not dried.
- Toss the chicken in baking powder and salt. I like doing this in a ziplock bag. It’s an easy way to make sure it all gets coated well. (Read below on why the two ingredients are important.)
- Bake the chicken. Place the chicken on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes, and flip them over at the 20 minute mark.
- Broil the chicken. To crisp up the skin of the chicken further, turn on the broiler for 6 minutes, watching the chicken closely.
- Toss with your favorite wing sauce.
Why Baking Powder and Salt
I love getting into the science behind cooking, so let’s talk about it for a minute. Baking powder and salt act similarly in this recipe. They both pull water out of the chicken. Once it is pulled out of the chicken it can evaporate in the oven, leaving a nice crispy skin.
In this recipe we are using both baking powder and salt, so that we can double down on pulling out moisture. It is vitally important that you use baking powder and not baking soda in this recipe.
How Long to Bake Chicken Wings
Baked Chicken Wings need to cook on that wire rack (so all the air can circulate) for a solid 40 minutes. While they will reach 165 degrees before that point, they will need that full length of time to get crisp.
After that they need another 6 minutes under the broiler to finish crisping. For best results, I even suggest doing four minutes under the broiler, then flipping them and doing another four minutes. Watch them closely so they do not burn.
Wing Sauce for Baked Chicken Wings
You can use any wing sauce you would like for these crispy baked chicken wings. You can even use my amazing, five star BBQ sauce. Traditionally wings are tossed in Buffalo Sauce after they are deep fried. I have a great homemade buffalo sauce that is easy to whip up while the wings are baking.
Buffalo Sauce
Wings in the Air Fryer
Chicken wings made in the air fryer is another great way to simulate frying without the oil. In this recipe we can skip the baking powder and salt and use a delicious chicken rub instead.
Air fryer chicken wings should cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees.
Air Fryer Chicken Wings
Wings in the Crockpot
Another great way to make chicken wings is in the crockpot. The wings can go in fresh or frozen. After they are cooked we put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up.
Cook the thawed chicken wings in the slow cooker covered in 12 ounces of wing sauce for three hours on low. Remove them from the oven and put them in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Crockpot Chicken Wings
FAQ
For this recipe we recommend that you crank your oven up all the way to 475 degrees and bake them for 40 minutes and then broil them for 6 minutes.
Yes. This along with baking them on a wire rack allows both sides of the wing to crisp up while the fat drips away below.
Baked chicken wings are significantly healthier than deep fried wings. In this recipe we aren’t using any oil at all and we are using the science of baking powder and salt to make the wings crispy.
Other Game Day Recipes
I think that chicken wings are the perfect game day recipe, but if you are looking for more, I have a whole post with my favorite Game Day Recipes. Some of the stand outs are:
If you make these oven baked chicken wings, or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you!
Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings thawed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (not baking soda) read about the science behind using baking powder and salt
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- Buffalo Sauce for tossing (you can use any wing sauce that you like with this recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 475. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire on it and spray generaously with cooking spray.
- Pat the chicken wings dry with a paper towel. Place the chicken in a gallon ziplock bag. Add the baking powder and salt. Toss to combine.
- Place the chicken on the wire rack. Bake for 40 minutes, turning the chicken over half way during baking. Put the chicken under the broiler for 6 minutes, watching closely so they do not burn.
- Remove from the oven and toss with wing sauce, and enjoy.
Terry says
Table salt? I can’t remember the last time this house had table salt. A couple decades? Why table salt, and does it have to be table salt? Can we use sea salt?
The purpose of the salt is to pull moisture out rather than to make it salty. The small granules of table salt help more thoroughly coat the chicken to pull that moisture out. While I think that sea salt could work, I would want to test it to see if it results in a similar crispiness.
Mike K says
The Crispy Chicken Wing recipe notes to use baking powder not Baking Soda as the dredge, but the link is name has Baking Soda not Baking Powder. Easy fix but it may confuse some folks.
Good catch!! Thank you!
Leigh says
Could I also add in other seasonings along with the salt? My family prefers wings with no sauce, only dry seasonings.
You sure can! I have a great chicken rub that would be perfect on these. I would just reduce the salt.
Teresa says
Do you have any easy recipes for chicken legs?
Yup! You can get it here: chicken legs.