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??
Laura Chatt says
Came across this recipe thanks to google, I can’t stop eating them. Wings are so crispy and delicious and that sauce is everything. I added some dry seasoning before the baking powder (almost used baking soda by accident too). I was worried about tasting the baking powder after reading other comments but you can’t taste it at all!!! Thanks for posting. Will be checking out your other recipes.
Duyen Cao says
So, I wanted to add to the baking powder and salt mix, perhaps onion/garlic powder and cayenne?
Would that be okay?
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Duyen! Yes, you can definitely add flavourings but the crispness isn’t quite the same. But it is still MUCH crispier than not using baking powder. Toss the wings in baking powder + salt, as per the recipe. Then toss in the flavourings you want. There is only a bit of baking powder so it doesn’t coat the wings thickly which means there is plenty of moisture left so your other flavourings will stick. 🙂 Hope you love it!!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hurrah! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed it!! I have done some more research and I think that old / expired baking powder might be the problem. It can produce a slightly metallic taste. Also if it is not tossed evenly! Clumps of baking powder would not be nice 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back to share your feedback! (PS I’m sharing buffalo wings soon…oh my, they are INCREDIBLE!!!)
Tina Key says
Oh my…. The Chrispyness on those wings were out of bounds. Fantastic, truly enjoyed. Will be preparing my wings more often in this matter, when frying is not a option or just don’t feel like frying.
Thank you.
P.S.
Loved the sauce also.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Tina! Thank you SO MUCH for coming to share your feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed it. It’s insane how crispy they wings are, isn’t it?? Insane insane. Cook’s Illustrated is the best!! Hope you are having a lovely weekend – Nagi x
Christine says
I’m starting to prep these right now! Well, as soon as I get off the internet 😉
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Yay! Love to hear what you think!! N x
Christine says
uh. i’m still licking my fingers. praying for one last little taste.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Oooh, you are making me jealous, it has been a while since I had some of these!!
Amanda says
Due to the ingredients in baking powder, we usually make our own. 2 parts baking soda to 1 part cream of tartar. It does the job in baking. But I wanted to see your thoughts about this and if that would work. thanks!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Amanda – I am so sorry, I don’t know! I don’t know enough about the exact make up of baking powder to know if that would work. I didn’t know that though, I am fascinated! 🙂 If you try it, I would love to know if this works for you!
Liuise says
How does using frozen wings affect the recipe? Would you defrost the wings and dry them out first?
Anxious to try the baking powder but concerned about too much water in the frozen wings.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Liuise! Defrosted wings is fine, just make sure you pat them dry with with paper towels. 🙂
tj says
How can I make these if I don’t have a baker’s rack
how else can I elevate the wings??
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi TJ! I can’t think of an alternative 🙁 However, they are fine to bake straight on the tray. Just that they will be sitting in the fat that renders. But the bottom of the wing doesn’t get super crispy anyway, even when baked on a rack, because it is mainly the skin that gets crispy, most of which is on the surface of the chicken. It is better to use a rack but definitely doesn’t not ruin it if you don’t use one! 🙂
Gina says
I don’t have any baking Power on hand can I substitute flour or cornstarch instead?
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Gina! Unfortunately you won’t get the same result 🙂 But if I had to choose one, I would go with flour. Honestly, try this with baking powder when you get a chance, you will be SHOCKED how crispy it is!
Nicky says
Hey so I’m making the wings right now, I added some dry spices to the baking powder, they are about to go in ! I’m excited, I have made boneless before, but never on the bone! Let’s see what happens!
5 stars right now! I’ll posta again when I am done!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Ooooh, yay yay!! Just so you know, adding the dry spices will impact the crispiness of the skin a bit. It’s still really crispy – much crispier than NOT using this method. But it isn’t quite as crispy. 🙂 Looking forward to hearing what you think!!
Miss Tammee says
OMG, this is the BEST crispy baked wing recipe ever! LOVE making these, but I tend to use a lemon pepper sauce to dip (the honey one is good too though).
Oh… and I find it super easy to use the pyramid silicone baking mat when making them (http://www.asseenontvofficialsite.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/110584-dd.jpg) – makes clean up super easy!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Baking mat is a great tip! And I am SO GLAD you enjoyed it!! Never tried a lemon pepper sauce dip but I’m pff to find one now!!
Chia-Yi says
Thank you so much for your answer Nagi! I love your recipes! I made the no washing up ham, egg and cheese bread bowls and it was a big hit, very pleased =) Have a nice day Nagi!
Chia-Yi says
Hi Nagi,
If I marinated the wings with shrimp paste overnight and then use the baking powder, would the chicken be as crispy? Actually would they be edible the mixture of baking powder and the marinated chicken pieces? Thank you!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Chia-Yi! I’m sorry, I do not think that will work, it will impact the “science” that creates the crispy skin. Because even when I use dry spices on the skin, it makes it less crispy so using a wet paste will make it even less crispy. 🙂
Amy says
I cant wait to try this, but I’m still confused. so, the wings get placed directly on the lowest oven rack? then I use a pan underneath the wings to catch the fat? what do I need the tinfoil for?
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Amy! You need to put a rack – like a cookie cooling rack – on a baking tray, then put the wings ON the rack which is on the tray. That way the wings are elevated above the tray and the fat drips onto the tray. If you don’t do this, the wings will be sitting in a pool of fat and the wings won’t be as crispy underneath 🙂 The sides and top is still super crispy though! I have made it before without using a rack. Hope that helps!
Janet Lawson says
My family loves cicken wings and this seems like the best alternative to frying. Cant wait to try them. Can you soak them in buttermilk first?
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Janet! I tried that and unfortunately the level of crispiness is quite substantially reduced because it alters the “science” behind it as well as adding moisture into the wings. SUCH a bummer!!
HP says
Turned out perfectly… Will not make wings at home any other way. Thanks!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
SO GLAD!! Thank you very much for coming back to share your feedback! 🙂
Diane W says
Loved them! Will try using this technique on small pieces of chicken thighs/breasts as nuggets for my grandchildren, they will think they are deep fried. Can you add a small amount of chilli to the baking powder to spice them up? Maybe try next time, not for the grandchildren, I hasten to add!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Diane! I am SO glad you enjoyed them!! Unfortunately though, this won’t work on thighs / breast because you need the skin that you get on wings. i.e. the baking powder draws moisture out of the chicken skin to make it crispy. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news! Having said that though, I have a technique for making CRUMBED chicken that is virtually mess free and comes out properly golden and crunchy all over. I’m planning to share that recipe next week and it’s PERFECT for nuggets!
Linda Wiseman says
I love crispy chicken wings. I definitely need to try this recipe! Looks absolutely, positively delish!!!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Linda! Happy Easter to you and your family! I hope you do try this, you will honestly be AMAZED how crispy they are!
Fatima says
Silly question!! So the wings (uncooked) go on the RACK and the tray kind of just sits underneath in the oven? I’m so excited to try this I’m nervous about messing up!! Hahaha!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Fatima! No such thing as a silly question 🙂 I mean a rack like a cookie cooling rack that sits on the baking tray. Then you put the wings on the rack. This allows the fat from the chicken to drip onto the tray which makes it crispy. No need to be nervous, it is super easy! Just set the timer so you get the roasting time right and make sure you use baking POWDER (i.e. the stuff you use for pancakes and muffins) NOT baking SODA / bicarb soda (which is the stuff you use for cleaning!!). 🙂
Fatima says
Hi Nagi!!
Thank you for the quick reply!! Ohhhh! I don’t have one of those where I am. I’m using the actual oven rack and placed the tray underneath. It’s still dripping onto the tray so I’m hoping it’s still doing the trick! I made sure to get baking soda! So far…so good!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Fatima! That will work JUST FINE! Anything to elevate the wings so the fat drips off rather than sitting in the fat while it cooks. And NOOOOO!! NOT baking SODA!! You must use Baking POWDER! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK the label on the jar!
If you use Baking soda, it will be inedible! 🙁
Fatima says
Nagi!! OOOPS!!! I’d seen so much “don’t use baking soda” on the website that I accidentally typed “baking soda”!!! Hahahahaha!! I got baking powder!! I made sure to underline it when I was making my grocery list!! I promise, I got baking POWDER!!! 🙂
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Phew! You had me stressed for a moment there!! 🙂
Zenee says
Never heard of using baking powder on wings. Did a google search and found your site. Will try this soon! Yummo!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hope you do try it! It really is amazing how crispy these come out 🙂
Melissa Bianconi says
We recently moved to the US west coast from New York state. We really miss the wings from NY and haven’t been able to find anything even close here. Until now! Thank you for this recipe, it was just what we were craving. Super crispy. Made your sauce and a buffalo sauce. I also used seasoned salt with the baking powder. Excellent.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Thank you Melissa! I hope you got a taste of NY with these 🙂 If I ever move to the states, NYC is definitely where I would live! I keep meaning to share a buffalo version of this recipe, thank you for the reminder! So glad you enjoyed these 🙂 Hope you are having a great weekend!
shin says
Hi. If I only have half the chicken weight approx 1kg with 12 full whole wings, do I use half the quantity of baking powder to 1 tbsp. Or does the weight not matter because its more about the number of wings.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hi Shin! Weight does matter because it’s relate to surface area of wings 🙂 Yes, if you are using 1 kg of wings, definitely halve the baking powder!
Nicholas Morrow says
Hi and thanks for sharing the recipe,
UNFORTUNATELY……I made the “baking soda” mistake and to say it was awful is an understatement….!
(I say that smiling and laughing at myself btw…and by no means hope you feel bad in anyway what so everhowever my tummy is kinda churning all about from my attempt of finishing my first and only one…. thank god I only cooked x6 lol)
You live and learn though and I am looking forward to trying these again. I wonder if you are able to “fool proof” the ingredient / method in an effort to save other unsuspecting victims.
For what its worth I can tell you the bottle I used reads “Bi-Carb Soda” then under that is “Baking Soda” none of which I now understand is written the recipe…..however that said though I want to share with you my mistake in an attempt to prevent others wasting food.
My first mistake was that I was one very hungry cave-man who incidentally made a tincy wincy clerical error through my own lack of knowledge of the pantry / pharmaceutical / voodoo ingredient “baking soda”.
My second mistake was I usually read the comments of others before cooking from a recipe on the net…..In this case I see I am not the first to go go down this path…
So I was thinking, maybe just maybe if it were clear in the section 1 to state “Do not use Baking Soda” must be baking powder…..
giving 5 stars because I know I will love this when done correctly.
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Nicholas – oh no oh no!! I am so sorry that you made that mistake…because I have done it myself and I know: a) how disgusting it tastes and b) how disappointing it is when you are looking forward to wings and they are a disaster!!
THANK YOU for that tip to make it really clear! In Australia, it is the same re: Baking Soda in small letters, but I didn’t think of that because no one refers to it as Bi-Carb! I will update the recipe right now 🙂
I wish I could have been there to yell out to you when you picked up the wrong jar! – Nagi
Nicholas Morrow says
It is Friday the 13 here so maybe that also had something to do with it!
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Oooh….THAT EXPLAINS it! It wasn’t just you that had a disaster yesterday….I tossed an entire 3kg roast pork because it was an inedible disaster!! (And even more devastating, all the crackling too…the best but of pork was burnt to a charred mess that even my DOG turned his nose up at!)
Elton Pasceri says
Tried this tonite so yammiii so amazing!!!!! We loved it
Nagi | RecipeTin says
Hip hip hurrah! I am so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thank you for coming back to share your feedback!!