No false promises here – these crispy oven baked wings are SERIOUSLY crispy! You will be gob smacked how easy they are to make. They honestly taste like they’ve been deep fried, with a thin shatteringly crisp golden skin. You can see how easy these are to make and hear how crispy they really are in this cooking video.
These are so good they can be eaten plain. Or toss them in your favourite sauce, or serve it on the side. I’ve provided a selection of sauces for these crispy baked wings in the recipe below!
Truly crispy oven baked wings
This recipe for how to make Crispy Oven Baked Wings is a discovery by the genius folk over at Cook’s Illustrated. Being the food nerd I am, I really enjoy how Cook’s Illustrated explains the science behind why they do things in a particular way.
And I honestly believe this to be one of their most all time most epic recipes, especially because it’s so insanely EASY!!! And today, I’m sharing the secret with you. Are you ready? 🙂
How to make crispy oven baked wings
Crispy oven baked wings in 3 easy steps:
Pat wings dry with paper towels;
Toss wings in baking powder and salt;
Bake at 120°C/250°F for 30 minutes, then at 220°C/425°F for 40 – 50 minutes until golden brown and crispy.
Yes, that’s it. That’s all there is to it. 🙂
Why this recipe works
In those 3 simple steps are 2 very important things to make these truly crispy oven baked wings:
1. Coat in baking powder – yes, you read that right, baking powder! I won’t go into all the technicalities, but in a nutshell, the baking powder draws moisture to the surface of the skin so it can evaporate, thereby making the skin crispier; and
2. Bake for 30 minutes on low to melt the fat before blasting in a very hot oven to crisp up the skin. There’s a lot of scientific explanations around this and I’ll skip it because I’ll bore you! But basically, the wings are first baked on the lowest shelf in the oven at a very low temperature for 30 minutes which causes the fat under the skin to “melt”, then you move the wings up to the top shelf and crank up the heat which crisps up the skin.
The other tip is ensuring that the wings are dry. If you are organised enough, put the wings on the rack and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. However, I neither have the fridge space nor am I organised enough, so I just dry them using paper towels (see photo below for how I do this).
When these come out of the oven and you tap the skin with your nail, you can instantly “hear” how crispy the skin is. They even look like they’ve been fried! And in case you are concerned, you don’t taste baking powder at all.
Got questions? See FAQ under the recipe card.
You will notice that the wings are smaller than you are used to. That’s because so much of the fat under the skin melts off the wings – you’ll see it all pooled on the tray. So these have the added benefit of reduced calories too!
You can toss the wings in your sauce of choice or serve the sauce on the side. I’ve also shared classic Buffalo Wings using this same method for crispy oven baked wings. For this recipe, I’ve included a few simple sauces that I like to serve wings with: Honey Garlic Sauce, Honey Mustard Sauce, Ranch Dipping Sauce.
Let’s get stuck into these wings! – Nagi x
PS I’ve now published the Buffalo Wings version! Here it is: Truly Crispy Oven Baked BUFFALO Wings.
Watch how to make it
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Truly Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Crispy Wings
- 4 lb / 2 kg chicken wings , cut into wingettes and drumettes (Note 1)
- 5 teaspoons baking powder (NOT BAKING SODA / BI-CARB SODA!!)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- Oil spray
Instructions
Crispy Wings
- If you are organised enough, uncover the chicken wings and leave them in the fridge for a few hours to dry out. Otherwise, use a paper towel to pat the wings dry.
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions.
- Preheat oven to 250F/120C (all oven types – standard/convection/fan).
- Line a baking tray with foil, then place a rack (like a cooling rack) on the foil. Spray the rack with oil spray.
- Place wings in a large bowl or in a ziplock bag. Add the baking powder and salt, then toss to coat evenly.
- Place the wings on the baking tray in a single layer with the skin side up. They should just fit snugly. They will shrink when they cook because the fat renders out so don’t worry if they look too snug.
- Place wings on the lower middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.
- Move wings up to the upper middle rack and increase the oven temperature to 425F/220C. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.
- Remove baking tray from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Toss wings in sauce of choice or serve it on the side to dip / drizzle on the wings, then serve.
Recipe Notes:
* Honey Garlic Sauce: Mix together 4 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp white vinegar (or sub with any other vinegar except balsamic), 2-3 garlic cloves, minced. Use for dipping OR tossing.
* Honey Mustard Sauce: 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup honey
* Ranch Dipping Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp EACH dried dill, parsley, chives, onion and garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste.
* Spicy Creamy Dipping Sauce: 3/4 cup mayo, 1/2 tso garlic powder, 1/8 tsp paprika, 3-4 tbsp sriracha, salt & pepper
* Pink Sauce: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce) 7. Nutrition: The nutrition is per serving, assuming 8 servings. Note that the calories is HIGHER than it actually is because so much fat is rendered out (melted) and discarded which is not reflected in the nutrition below. I measured the discarded fat once and calculated that it should be 60 calories LESS per serving (around 1/4 cup fat in total was discarded).
Nutrition Information:
Originally published in November 2014, updated with fresh new photos and step by step photos!
Frequently asked questions
I don’t have a rack. Does this cause a problem? The skin will still be crispy but the bottom of the wings that is in contact with the tray will be oily. This is because the purpose of the rack is to elevate the wings off the tray and allow the chicken fat to drip down.
One way to get around an oily underside is to take the wings out after around 35 minutes during the high temp cooking. Drain the oil out of the tray then return to the oven to finish crisping/browning. You could also drain the excess oil from the wings on paper towels before serving.
Can I make ahead? These stay crispy for as long as the wings are warm, so around 20 – 30 minutes. After that, the skin starts to wrinkle and soften. However, I was shocked how well they reheat! Just allow the wings to cool (uncovered), then cover and refrigerate. Spread wings out on tray, skin side up, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes at 200C/390F. The skin smooths out and puffs up, just like when they were baked fresh. Other than to you (if you’ve made as many wings as me!) and true hard core Wings experts, the difference in juiciness and crispiness is barely noticeable – my friends never notice when I reheat!
The skin stays crispy for around 10 – 15 minutes after tossing in the sauce, then after that they start to soften but not go soggy, up to around 30 minutes. If you reheat after tossing in sauce, they go soggy.
Please do not toss in baking powder then refrigerate or freeze, this won’t work (makes the wings sweat too much to become crispy).
Can I add seasonings? You sure can! It does marginally reduce the actual skin crispiness but a crust forms from the extra seasonings/spices and adds more crunch. I did a lot of testing around this and I can assure you it works really well!
There was a lot of smoke! Help! A few readers have had this problem and I don’t think it’s from the chicken wings because I’ve made a ridiculous amount of these wings (in my kitchen and others) and never had the problem. The problem may be: a) spillage of chicken fat onto the oven burners when transferring from the lower to the upper shelf or b) there already was fat on the oven burners. I can’t think of anything else. While the smoke point of chicken fat is below that of the high oven temperature used in this recipe, the fat is not in direct contact with the heat because it’s shielded by all the wings and diluted by chicken juices dripping into the fat.
You really don’t need to flip? Really! Even if you don’t use a rack, the underside will get crispy.
Can I make this with other cuts of chicken? Yes BUT the crispiness will only work on the skin. So it works best on wings because they are almost fully enclosed by skin. With drumsticks, thighs and skin on breast, they are not fully encased with skin when raw and the skin shrinks while cooking. But the actual technique works super well! For 1 kg / 2 lb drumsticks or other cut of chicken, using 2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt – less than the recipe for wings because there is less skin surface area.
Life of Dozer
No wings for Dozer – cooked chicken bones are dangerous for dogs! How about a Honey Prawn instead??
Yae says
Just like Lea F. asked about the lemon pepper seasoning, can you add any types of seasoning you wish? I was thinking something like, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt instead of regular salt and some pepper. Would that be ok?
Nagi says
Hi Yae! yes you certainly can. 🙂 It has a slight mild affect on the crispiness, but it is not much! Still super crispy, will still amaze people that they aren’t deep fried!!
JL says
The four boys/men in my household and I agree– these were GREAT!! I told them I’d put them in the dinner ‘rotation’ upon which my 8 yo said, “Mom, can we have these about every two weeks or so?” He knew if he asked for every week, I’d say no, so bless his heart, he tried to stretch it in and effort to get me to say yes. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this. The skin was great! Moist on the inside. I used your honey/garlic sauce and the Buffalo sauce, too. To my surprise, my little guys loved the Buffalo sauce.
Nagi says
Awwww that is SO CUTE!!!! He’s learning young how to “work” you – the he he! So glad you and the boys enjoyed this JL! N x
Sabrina B says
Ahhh, what a revelation,!
This is a great recipe for games, etc and good timing for this, thanks you! I’m amazed that no deep frying is involved!
Nagi says
It really is legendary Sabrina!!! America’s Test Kitchen ROCKS!
Angela McBryar says
I have get a lot of fat or grease splatter from the crisping chicken when I crank up the oven for the 2nd round of baking. This causes some smoke in the kitchen. Any suggestions on minimizing this?
Nagi says
Hi Angela! Is the smoke coming from the fat hitting the heat source or from the tray? I must admit I don’t have that problem. N x
Trish says
I dipped mine in Baking soda. I just reread your reciepe, should be BAKING SODA! Oh dang lol. I`ll try again.
Nagi says
Oh no oh no!!! It’s horrid 🙁 I wish I could have been watching over to say Nooooooooooo!!!! 😉 N x
Lea F. says
Can you season the wings with lemon pepper seasoning before baking them? I truly love crispy lemon pepper wings and wonder if baking them on low, then high heat would work?
Nagi says
Hi Lea! You sure can 🙂 They still come out really crispy! N x
Lauren says
These were great!!! And so easy to make, thank you!
Nagi says
So glad you enjoyed them Lauren! Thanks for letting me know! N x
jennifer says
Can this be done for thighs and legs the same way?
Nagi says
Hi Jennifer – it works ok for drumsticks and for thighs with lots of skin 🙂 This recipe is for making just the skin part crispy so it doesn’t work with, for example, breast. 🙂
Arthur Nahatis says
Excellent method that guarantees lower fat intake along with the crispness that everyone enjoys!
Goes great with our Greek dipping sauce:
1 part of sour cream (low fat is best)
1 part non fat yougurt
1 part mayo (be consistent, low fat)
Crumbled feta cheese
A dusting of white pepper
And a dash of Louisiana Red (according to taste)
Refrigerate for at least 30 min to blend flavors
Kali Orexi (Food Appetite)
Arthur Nahatis
“The Greek Gourmet”
Nagi says
Thanks for sharing your dip Arthur! 🙂 N x
Arthur Nahatis says
“Good Apetite”
Joyce says
These wings were wonderful, I would never have guessed they would be like fried but they are and very finger licking good. Thank you so much for this recipe. Super crispy!
Nagi says
Virtual high five! YESSS!! So glad you enjoyed it Joyce, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x
John says
How big are the cooking racks you use?
Nagi says
Hi John! It’s about 35cm / 14″ x 23cm / 9″ 🙂
Rhonda says
Making these for my sisters birthday. Can you add the sauce and put them back in the oven to glaze it a little. I am not a fan of the sauce just laying there.
Nagi says
Hi Rhonda! I’d just toss it in the sauce just prior to serving rather than putting it back in the oven becacuse it will lose crispness! 🙂
Teo ai li says
Hi, I made these today. They tasted excellent except they were tough. Is it I overbaked them or what did I do wrong? Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Teo, I’ve made this dozens and dozens of times, and tough is definitely something that has never happened. All I can think is – were your wings extra small??? Was it the flesh itself that was tough?? So odd, wings are so juicy, I have never in my life had a tough wing!
Judy Buenzli says
I am almost in tears! I made this recipe a second time today because we loved the crispiness the first time. The only problem was they were WAYYYY too salty. I assumed I hadn’t measured the salt correctly the first time, so was careful to put in just what the recipe called for. OUCH…I think they were even saltier the second time. Then I read the ingredients on my container of baking powder. The first two ingredients begin with sodium. I have to assume that means I probably shouldn’t have added ANY salt. I can’t believe you’ve had so many positive responses and none that ask about the salt. I love the technique, but don’t like having 911 on speed dial for when my heart attack hits.
Nagi says
Hi Judy – something is really out of whack, especially if it worked the first time. I checked my baking powder too and it has the same, but I just tasted my baking powder and it is barely salty at all. This recipe only calls for 3/4 TEASPOON salt for 4 pounds of wings so there is no way that quantity produces wings that are too salty, in fact, people always query whether it is enough!! (And are always amazed that it IS!). All I can think is that there is something wrong with your baking powder – or did you accidentally use 3/4 tablespoons instead of 3/4 teaspoons of salt??
Barbara Scott says
These certainly are the BEST wing recipe I ever made… I did pat the wings dry and still let them in the fridge uncovered for about 6 hours before preparing for baking. I made my own honey Sirachia sauce for dipping… Yum!!
Nagi says
Woo hoo! So glad you loved them Barbara! N x
Gabe says
Wow, these wings were amazing! I have tried a lot of recipes and this one takes the cake.
Taste almost the same as deep fried, just take a little longer to make. Will be making these a lot!
Nagi says
Thank you Gabe! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it!!
Cathlin says
Will this work without a cooling rack ? I know I’m probably one of the only people that doesn’t have one in their kitchen !
Nagi says
It does Caitlin! It is just that the base touching the tray will be wet with oil, but actually it is still crispy because it is almost frying in it’s own fat! And it’s not the whole underside either because when it crisps up, the base “bows” rather than sitting flat like it does when raw 🙂
Tamika says
I love this recipe but I’ve made it twice now and each time my house becomes very smokey. What am I doing wrong?
Theresa says
These were the best wings we ever made! Thank you! Just wondering if chicken legs would work as well?
Nagi says
Hi Theresa, so glad you enjoyed them! I find that it does not work as well with legs because there is not enough skin – it shrinks when cooked. But it works better with thighs with lots of flappy skin to get crispy! I sort of tuck it around the thigh to enclose as much of the meat with crispy skin! 🙂
R Fisher says
I have used this recipe a few times and love it. I am considering trying with thighs, ever try this?
Nagi says
Hi! Yes it works great with chicken thigh too as long as you have plenty of skin because skin shrinks when it cooks 🙂