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??
Heather says
Can I substitute agave for honey in the sauce recipes?
Thanks!!
Alex says
This was great. And easy. I used too much salt in my spice. But that was my fault. Will make this again !!!
Kate says
Unbelievable! I had tried chicken wings once as a child; over 40 years ago, and loathed them. I made these today and scoffed down half within 5 min. These will be on our fortnightly weekend lunch rotation. Thank you, Nagi!
Nagi says
You’re totally converted now Kate!!!
Tanja says
Wings came out excellent and we loved them. I am too lazy to deep fry and this is the perfect way to avoid that. I’d give more stars if I could.
Nagi says
Yes and soooo much easier to do a big batch all at once! N x
Erik says
The baking powder is great. But can I get the same amount of crispiness without the salt? The sauces I use have enough already.
Nagi says
Definitely, just leave it out Erik 🙂
Linda says
I made these 2 nights ago & forgot to rate them. This is my go to recipe for wings. I made them & then did some of them as buffalo wings. This will be so awesome to make a wing bar with different toppings that people can choose what they would like
Nagi says
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Linda! N x
CLove says
Made these as lemon pepper wings in the oven tonite. Added Onion powder, Lemon pepper, Paprika and smoked Salt. So crispy!! Great recipe. Cant wait to try this on the smoker. Thank u!
Nagi says
Sounds divine Clove!! N x
Danielle says
Made these tonight, perfect, easy and a great crunch with alot less fat. Had with coleslaw and bread, delicious. Halved recipe as only two of us but worked well.
Nagi says
Sounds fabulous Danielle! N x
Rowena says
These are delish! I added garlic powder for the extra kick. Thank you!!! The famiky really enjoyed it! I’ve already shared your recipe with friends and family!!!
Nagi says
Yes there are so many possibilities here! I’m so glad you love them as much as I do Rowena! ❤️ N x
Deb says
Hi Nagi, do you have a parmesan and garlic recipe for the wings?
Nagi says
Sounds delicious – pop it on my recipe request page Deb! N x
Mike says
Hi Nagi,
Great recipe, great technique. Made a batch yesterday and they came out awesome….just as advertised. I added a tsp each of Stubbs (chicken), Rufus Teague’s (meat) and “Montreal Chicken” to the shakin’ dry mix. Scuptious and crisp!! Thanks!
Nagi says
Sounds amazing Mike!!!
Taaryn says
Nagi, hi! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I was so impressed that I was able to make these using $14 (just over 2kg)worth of wings. We usually pay $1 per wing just for the pleasure of enjoying crispy wings at a restaurant. I had one slight issue and I hope you can help. While eating the wings, I felt a sort of gritty feeling on my teeth. I am leaning towards the baking powder as the culprit. I used the required amount and checked a thousand times that it was definitely baking powder :). How much could I reduce the baking powder by while still ensuring the crispiness? Or do you have any other ideas as to why this happened? Thanks.
Nagi says
The grittiness doesn’t sound right at all – I’ve never had this issue! What brand of baking powder do you use – it’s usually a finer grain than flour so shouldn’t be the culprit! N x
Taaryn says
Hi Nagi. Thanks for your reply. Mackenzie’s baking powder. Maybe my description wasn’t accurate. It is more of a chalky feeling on my teeth and tongue. What brand of powder would you recommend? Or a lesser measurement? Thanks again.
Jacinta Murray says
These chicken wings/drumettes are so good. I had about 700 grams from a raffle win. I adjusted the recipe & they turned out perfect & the honey garlic dipping sauce was also delicious. Will be making these again & again.
Nagi says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Jacinta!!
Heather Hays says
I did not like the taste of the baking powder. A family consented never again to use baking powder again.
Jennifer says
It’s my Super Bowl go to every year! My family loves them! On one note you said you don’t have to coat the whole thing, but I do and the little bits of skin have a slight crisp to it. I do table spoons of the powder. And a bit more than the 3/4 of salt. I do everything you say except I coat the whole thing. No issues. ❤️😊
May says
Can i substitute cornstarch
Herm says
Sounds like this would be good to try on the grill. Has anyone tried it?
Ltrvlr says
Question
Do I remove wings while waiting for oven temperature to reach 425?
Nagi says
Good question! I leave mine in the oven 🙂
Diane Johnson says
I don’t enjoy frying, so I never made wings before. I used your recipe last night and they came out perfect. I will be cooking chicken wings often now. Soooooo easy.
Nagi says
You’re converted now Diane! N x
Jake says
If I add a dry rub AND the baking powder, what order should I do that? Or should I mix them and toss it all together?
Nagi says
Hi Jake, yes definitely you can mix the dry rub with the baking powder – love to know how it turns out! N x