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??
“There’s a lot of scientific explanations around this and I’ll skip it because I’ll bore you!”
Oh. please. The explanation is not boring at all – I’m not sure why anybody would read this and not this by the James Beard Award winner who actually created the technique. It’s nice that you make money from rehashing others’ cooking techniques. https://www.seriouseats.com/2010/02/the-best-baked-buffalo-chicken-wings-in-oven-not-fried-appetizers.html
Ouch Robert, that’s a bit harsh. Oh. Nagi, you’re so gracious. This is a fab recipe and Nagi does acknowledge inspiration and credits other cooks/chefs. Yes, most of us not interested in the science behind the recipe, we just wanna cook fab tasty meals and she nails it!!! Thanks
Hello Robert! Actually, if you read what I wrote, I fully credit Cooks Illustrated for this technique. Maybe Kenji created it during his time at America’s Test Kitchen, but if he did I am not aware of that. I shall ask him myself! 🙂 Lovely to hear you’d be interested in all the science behind it, but I assumed that most people wouldn’t be. Thank you for your contribution to the discussion. – Nagi
Really easy, really crispy without any breading or added fat. I love Asian sweet chili sauce and it was delish on these wings. A real keeper and do over of a recipe.
Yes totally Fran! I’m so happy you loved them 🙂
I have made these unbelievably easy and TOTALLY DELICIOUS wings about 6 times. Does anyone know how to stop the oven from smoking? Fire alarm goes off two or three times! I am moving to an apartment soon and don’t dare make them there! Breaks my heart…any ideas??????
Hi Julia, sounds like you might have fat splattered on your element causing smoke – The wings should cause an oven to smoke at all – N x
I have no elements…New modern stove with none visible.
Fabulous recipe for this wing gal! Tried many recipes and this tops it!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Susan!
OOPS! I didn’t see you were only supposed to use a few tsp baking powder… I used half a can!
Oh nooooo 😂
This is a great recipe. For those, like me, that think they have a metallic taste, buy the baking powder without Aluminum. It makes all the difference.
I’ve become a big fan of Japanese 7 Pepper Spice (Nanami / Schichimi Togarashi) on seafood and my guess is it will go great on these wings. Right now the wings are coated and in the fridge drying. I believe I’ll spray a little oil on them to hold the spice and see what happens. I’ll report back.
Sounds amazing Steve, and yes I have just discovered the aluminium free baking powder and it makes a HUGE difference!
Fabulous recipe. A total hit
Wahoo that’s great Cheryl!
These feel like they are guilt-free!! Delish, every time!
Totally, because they’re not fried! (I can justify eating twice as much that way 😉)
These are GREAT – thank you for sharing. They were a hit with my husband and kids!
Wahoo! That’s great Jessica!
Officially have been making this recipe for 3 years! Always a hit! Thank you!!!!
Wahoo! That’s great to hear!!
The best and I mean the absolute best chicken wings EVER!!!
So crispy……unbelievable that they are baked and not deep fried!!!! Love them!
Wahoo, I’m so glad you loved them Krystene!!
Can you cook your chickrn wings in an airfryer they look amazing plz
I haven’t tried to be honest Joyce, but I’ve heard people cook them in the air fryer successfully – N x
Nagi your crispy chicken wings looks amazing can you cook them in a air fryer
Hi, could you use this recipe but before cooking add a dry rub spice mix on them. Then cook. Would they still come out lovely and crispy?
I haven’t tried to be honest Julie, would love to know!
Yes it worked a treat! Love your recipes it’s my ‘go to’ website for inspiration for feeding my family. Note going to get my son to start cooking more and I’ll get him to use your site as you put everything into a very accessible format. Xx
Thank you so much! My family devoured the whole batch of wings! This is our new favorite!
Wahoo! I’m so happy you loved them Karen – N x
Made these and they are truly excellent! The crispyness I’ve been looking for! These are my go to wings now and forever! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much for letting me know Janice ❤️
Any way to convert instructions for air frying?
I don’t own an air fryer sorry!
Made these a few times now. So easy, and they come out amazingly perfect! I don’t cook wings any other way now. Thank you for sharing this!!
Hi Nagi,Followed this to a tee. It’s like pork crackling but on chicken! I’m actually going to try this with prawns, first in the shell, then without. Do you think this a good idea?
I have only ever used baking powder for breads and cakes and I actually mistook baking powder for baking soda (bicarb) in your recipe for your cornbread, (mega metallic attack on the tastebuds)! Never too old to learn!
Hi Carol, I don’t think it will have quite the same effect with prawns unfortunately – N x
I’ve finally found the PERFECT wings! I’ve made them several times now and have pointed out your recipe to all that ask how I did it (which is pretty much everyone who has had them). Everything you said is absolutely true and so easy! Thank you!
Wahoo, thanks so much Jenn!