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??
Jackie Cameron says
I have cooked in restaurants for 20+ years, this is the worst chicken wings recipe I have ever cooked. They were dry and tasteless. I even put Bar-B-Que sauce on them, did not help.
Iris says
You did something wrong, I made them an we are so in love with this recipe, beautiful crisp wings. I can eat them, hate wet wings. We tell all our Friends about this recipe. Think you need to try it again an you will see you did something wrong an apology is needed to Nagi.
Buffalo Bill says
Wow really? Either your tastebuds have died from eating your 20+years restaurant food or you accidentally cooked frog legs!!!. Which would probably taste great to with this recipe.That being said, your recipe was
fantastic nothing more needs to be said.
Nagi says
Thanks Bill! PS And you HAVE tried the BUFFALO version of these wings, haven’t you…??? 😉 N xx https://www.recipetineats.com/truly-crispy-oven-baked-buffalo-wings-my-wings-cookbook/
Nagi says
Hi Jackie, I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like something went very wrong, there are 800-odd very happy reader messages below yours! All I can think is that you accidentally used baking SODA instead of powder as that will make it inedible. Or that your wings were unusually very lean? Because that’s the only thing I can think would make wings dry. I hope that helps! 🙂
Jackie Cameron says
No I used baking powder , I know the difference. My advice is add some kind of seasoning with the baking powder.
Nagi says
Hi Jackie! The only suggestion I can offer is that the wings were not coated evenly because clumps of baking powder would not be nice. And ensuring you used the right amount of wings because again, if you used too little then the coating would be thicker. I once halved the recipe but accidentally forgot to halve the baking powder and it was awful, metallic and inedible. 🙂
Karen says
Excellent recipe! I don’t eat wings out t restaurants because of the low quality of chicken used in most restaurants and because they are deep fried. I made these with Bell & Evans organic wings, followed the recipe exactly and the wings came out perfectly. Fantastic, thank you!
Nagi says
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it Karen! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
Linda Clark says
Hi Nagi,
One question, do I need to be fearful of smoking up my oven/kitchen with the fat from these cooking at such a high oven temp? Had this problem with another recipe.
Do want to try these though.
Thanks,
Nagi says
Hi Linda! I have had a few readers mention that (out of the 400 or so reader messages) but in all honesty, I have made this so many times and never had that problem. I have thought about it and can’t figure out what might have happened, except that perhaps they already had fat splattered in their oven which, at the high oven temperature this is cooked at, cause the fat to smoke a lot. Hope that helps!
Rodney says
Hello Nagi, i have two questions before i try this. 1 how long does the wings stay crispy without sauce & if i coat them with sauce straight out the oven? 2 can i season the wings as i normally do. Say garlic, pepper, spice rub etc…
Nagi says
Hi Rodney! Around 30 minutes without sauce, with sauce around 15 minutes 🙂 If you season the wings, stick with powders and it will still be far crispier than any other baking method but not quite as crisp as making them plan 🙂
Liz says
We stumbled across these wings a few years ago. Your explanations are very helpful in ensuring that we keep up the great crispiness. We eat these every Christmas for Wings and White Christmas – we munch and sing along to all the songs. We keep some of the wings plain and offer dipping sauce and then we toss some of the wings in hot sauce warmed up with crumbled blue cheese – decadent and very messy. Thanks for a great recap and outline of this approach to great wings.
Nagi says
I’m so happy to hear that Liz, thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
Sandra says
Hi Nagy,
I have to say these are the best wings I have ever made…the secret is the baking powder. My husband and I make them to watch football or on cold Sundays when you want good tasting comfort food. We make a few different sauces and baste in the last few minutes of baking.
Thank you for all your great recipes!!!
Tomorrow I’m having friends over and making your Chicken Cordon Bleu and Christmas Eve will be Ham and your Cheesy Potato Gratin Stacks…can’t wait 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Sandra, I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. So thrilled to know you’re making some of my recipes for Christmas Eve!! – N x
TOBY DEL says
THANKS FOR THIS RECIPE, HAVE BEEN MAKING BUFFALO WINGS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. HAVE USED MANY DIFFERENT RECIPES AND MOST RATED O.K. SINCE I FOUND THIS ONE, ITS THE ONLY WAY THAT I’LL PREPARE MY WINGS!
THANKS. I ADD 1 TBSP OF RIB RUB SPICE MIX TO THE BAKING POWDER/ SALT BEFORE COATING, ADDS ANOTHER LAYER OF FLAVOR TO THE TRADITIONAL BUFFALO SAUCE THAT I TOSS THEM IN.
Nagi says
Thanks Toby! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Peter says
Don’t bother with any other wings recipe. This is THE ONE. I’ve tried so many other recipes I’ve found on the internet and this is the best by far. Clear instructions and they came out just like the photos. And as promised – SO CRISPY
Nagi says
Woo hoo! So glad to hear that you enjoyed it Peter, thanks for letting me know! N x
Theresa says
This recipe truly works for crispy wings with no deep frying they are amazingly crispy but I honey mustard them with SWEET BABY RAYS>>>
Nagi says
HIGH FIVE!!!!
PK says
Hi nagi, ive been loving your recipes because the instructions are so clear. I made the wings tonight and i love the texture however i find that there is bittter aftertaste that come through. The wings are nicely browned so its not from burning, im guessing its frm the baking powder? Im using the normal australian mckenzie brand. Have you across this before? Thanks
Nagi says
Hi PK! That’s exactly the brand I use 🙂 Just to check, is the baking powder definitely no past the expiry date? that definitely causes the problem – my friend experienced this problem. And the other key step is ensuring the wings are coated evenly, hence using a very large bowl or large zip lock bag to ensure even distribution. Because not much is used, it’s important to toss / shake well to ensure even coating, even small clumps here and there can cause that bitterness. Hope that helps! N xx
Chris says
The meat isn’t salty, just the skin. If you wanted the meat to be salty too, then you would need to brine the wings overnight. For an excellent all around chicken brine we use (all measurements eyeballed) 1/4-1/3 cup kosher salt, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2-1 cup lemon juice to about 1-1/2 gallons water. Soak overnight and then use your chicken for whatever. Works particularly well for grilled breasts or baking.
Cheers
Nagi says
Hi Chris! Have you tried brining this particular recipe? I must say I haven’t, never felt the need given salty skin to meat ratio 🙂
Chris says
I usually don’t brine just wings. Like you said, the meat to skin ratio isn’t enough for me to want it any saltier than the coating process calls for. Plus I think with the size of the wings the brine’s flavor, even without the salt, would over power the meat.
Cheers
Cara Lane says
Hi! Wowza, this looks delicious ??
I have a question though, I’m looking to make these for a friend’s birthday party and she really likes salty things. So for these wings, is the meat salty as well or is it just the coating/skin that’s salty?
Nagi says
Hi Cara! It’s just the skin but because there is not much meat on wings, it is salty enough. 🙂 You could increase the salt by 1/4 tsp to make it saltier if you want – you don’t need much! A small amount of salt goes so far!
Olivia says
I want to make these so badly but all I have is boneless skinless wings! Could it possibly work?
Nagi says
Sorry Olivia, it won’t work with skinless 🙁 Need the skin!
Pat says
what about thighs? also LOL turkey wings?
Nagi says
Hi Pat! Anything poultry with skin 🙂
DALE MARIE SEARS says
I LOVE ALL YOUR DELICIOUS RECIPES. T HE PICTURES HELP SO MUCH ALONG WITH YOUR COMMENTS! CRAZY ABOUT YOUR STIRFRY SAUCES ! DALE MARIE SEARS
Nagi says
Thanks for the compliment Dale! And I’m super glad you like my stir fry sauces!! N x
Jim Matthews says
Nagi l have used you reciepe 3 times for the crispy wings .
All l can is WOW 1 WOW 2 AND WOW 3 !
I don’t have any plans to purchase anymore frozen prepared ins again !
Jim from Canada!
Nagi says
AWESOME! So happy to hear you enjoyed it Jim, and thanks for letting me know! N x
Charlene says
Can you add seasonings other than salt to the salt/baking powder mix?
Nagi says
You sure can! 🙂
Ragia says
They turned out perfect. Best wing we ever had! Thank you for sharing.
Nagi says
I’m so glad to hear that Ragia! Thank you for letting me know!! N xx
tess says
OMG..my house smells really good…perfect recipe no need to fry….10/10….thank u
Nagi says
I’m so glad to hear that Tess! Thank you for letting me know! N x
Roy says
First off I want to say that I love these and they truly do taste very close to deep fried wings – close enough that if you don’t tell anyone they probably wouldn’t know.
I am wondering though, how did you get the nutritional information? You’re showing almost 4x as many protein grams as fat grams but raw chicken wings are closer to 1g fat per 1g protein.
Thanks
Roy
Nagi says
Hi Roy! So glad you enjoy them! I use a nutrition calculator – I will recheck it, thank you for your feedback!
Carter says
Nagi,
This method is definitely a game changer! Instead of heavily spicing up my wings before cooking, I just tossed them in my special seasoning blend after they were baked. Truly, truly marvelous. Thanks so much!
Nagi says
So glad you love this method of cooking wings too Carter!!! 🙂 N x
Kathy C says
I am on a low sodium diet. Do you have to use salt, or can you substitute it with something else.
Nagi says
Hi Kathy! I suggest halving the salt. That way you still get a bit of the saltiness and all the crispiness!