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??
I. Am. In. LOVE!!!!!
I hate paying ridiculously high prices for wings at places that are always too fatty anyways. These are amazing!!!
I love how simple this is and how it does not use anything artificial, and tastes LOADS better than most restaurants. I have been wanting to find a way to do crispy wings without frying too. Hats off to you and this fabulous recipe!!! <3
Hi ,Do i still use the baking powder if i use other dry seasonings tossed with he wings and salt if the dry seasonings do not include salt
YES please! It is what makes it crispy 🙂
These are amazing! I am never without at least 2 x 500g packs of segmented chicken wings in my freezer now and guests are suitably impressed! Wondering, would the same method work for drumsticks etc., and how long would you recommend I cook them if so.
Thanks and keep the great recipes coming xx
That’s great to hear Sue! Thanks so much for letting me know! it doesn’t work as well with drumsticks because the skin shrinks so much. It works with thigh but you need to ensure you have plenty of flappy skin! N x
I Have made these a few times and they are an absolute favourite in my house, as are all of your recipes. But I feel like they are too salty. Iv even reduced the amount of salt by half and still the same problem, Any advice?
Hi Jenna! Gosh, the amount of salt in this is pretty small, are you sure you are measuring it correctly?? 🙂 N x
Thanks so much for getting back to
Me. Yes definitely measuring it correctly, could it be too much baking powder?
Teaspoons definitely, not tablespoons?? Because 3/4 teaspoons of salt across 2 kg of wings is very little salt!!! If you really find it too salty, reduce the salt. My baking powder doesn’t have salt in it – what brand are you using? I use McKenzie’s
Yes definitely teaspoons and I use mckenzies also. I’m not quiet using 2kgs more like 1.5
Hi Jenna! That will affect it a lot – that means your wings are 30% saltier than they should be. If you use less than 2kg of wings, please change the salt! Scale the recipe by clicking on Servings and sliding 🙂
Hi! I need help scaling this recipe down. If I have 1.5 lbs of chicken wings, how much baking soda and salt would I need to use? Thank you!
Hi Chelsea! Just click on Servings and SLIDE!
We made these for dinner tonight and everyone loved them. They came out super crispy and stayed crispy with being tossed in a light hot sauce. We did get a lot of smoke but it was definitely from the grease in the bottom of the pan. If making them again I think we would switch the rack to a new pan about 1/2 way through to prevent this.
Chicken wings were amazingly crispy and turned out delicious. The honey-garlic sauce suggested in the notes was not. The 2-3 garlic cloves was a bad shout and overpowered the whole sauce. Other than that brilliant recipe, thanks.
That’s so great to hear Gregg! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
Hi Nagi.
I’m a newcomer to your recipes but am happily working through many.
I have just made these wings but can taste the baking powder. Should I have shaken it off the wings before cooking? I just took them from the bag and onto the rack.
Thanks
Hi Linda! I’m sorry to hear that. Did you ensure that you tossed them very well so they were evenly coated? N x
I usually use air fryer but takes too long as basket is small & needs to cook in 3 batches. Decided to try your recipe last night as able cook in 1 batch. Skin was crispy but the bottom was not, still taste good. Would try again but recommend to flip it midway.
Hi Min, thanks for your feedback! Did you use a rack??
These are great! They cook great! I did have alot of smoke, but I poured a little water on top of foil and it cut the smoke down alot. The wings were crispy and it was dripping with greese. I am making my wings like this all the time!
Water on the pan? That’s a for sure oven fire starter! If you must put something down, maybe trying dried beans, coarse grind salt works well too. Be safe and sound. Plus water changes how this turns out. You’d never quell a grease fire with water; same principle.
correction….it wasn’t dripping with greese.
🙌🏻
I have made these soo many times now and they are excellent the hardest part is deciding on which of the two sauces to make . If you like fried food without the fat you gotta make these Cheers n Thanks
Wonderful to hear Joecool! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x
Yay! I will try this recipe. My kids always request fried chicken wings and I hate cooking it because it takes so long fry them.
The only problem I have tho is I dont have a proper oven. Just a microwave/ convection oven.
Can I pls bother you for the temperature on what I should use and the time?
Thanks so much, Nagi. Post more awesome recipes !
Hi Racquel! So is it one of those small ovens that is the size of a microwave??
Yes it is
Hi Nagi –
The recipe is absolutely brilliant – I was wondering if you could cook them half way ( like for 30 mins ) and allow them to cool on room temperature and continue the rest of the procedure an hour before serving ? Would the wings be as crispy and nice ? Or would exposing to heat after they have rested cause the skin to limp ?
Thankyou for the brilliant sauce recipes as well 🙂
Hi Aay! So glad you love these 🙂 Please see note 5 for making ahead and reheating – it comes out perfectly crisp! N xx
I love these wings, and have made them many times, but this was the first time I made one of the sauces – the Honey Garlic Sauce, and I used Rice Wine Vinegar, and I also added crushed Penzeys Crystallized Ginger Bits which added a nice bit of sweet heat. I warmed the sauce until it thickened slightly and tossed the wings with it. Excellent!
Terrific to hear Vera! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it – N x
As stated yesterday, I cooked the wings again and it was just delicious, just delicious. Crispy and moist.
Can I prepare them and leave them to refrigerate over night in an open plastic bag and cook them the next day??
HI Rob
Yes you can. I have done it before. In fact, the longer they sit to “air dry” in the fridge aftering being prepped, the crispier they get. Go for it!
Dear Nagi…thank u. I cooked the oven baked wings a few days ago and once I’m done w/this message I’m going to cook more wings. I followed the recipe exactly. I had 2 pounds of wings, therefore, only added 2 teaspoons of baking powder. My problem was that I baked them too long and it came out too crispy and dry but I ate them anyway! Tonight is the night because they’ll be better than before. I stumbled upon your website a few weeks ago and I’m glad I did. Thanks again for all of your beautiful, vivid pics and lovely recipes. I’m sure I’ll try many more of your recipes.
This is exactly what I was looking for! I used organic and humane chicken from a local farm. They were huge and not fatty, so I didn’t need to drain and I didn’t use a rack. But I did flip them halfway through. These wings were so good, I didn’t use the sauce I made. There is no reason to ever fry wings again. Thank you!
I LOVE hearing that Mike! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx
You wrote that seasoning marginally reduces crispness. I want to use salt, pepper and garlic powder,but I don’t want to lose the crispness. When would you suggest I add that seasoning”
Don’t add more salt! It’s amazing how little salt seasons these. Anything else – go wild! Add the seasonings with the baking powder and toss 🙂 N x
I just reread your article and I saw the reheating paragraph. Thanks!
I,m not a “cooker” at all. My meals are frozen and nuked. I love chicken wings, but I would never buy them because of the calories. So I was happy when I saw this and I actually cooked for the first time in a year. OK, these were so good it was worth it. But I still felt guilty about the skin. Well I just read from a reliable source, that the difference between a skin on and a skin off chicken portion, is 50 Calories! And it only has 2.5 extra grams of fat. Furthermore, 1.25 of that fat is the good kind of fat. So, this is my new meal. But I have a question. Is there anyway that I can keep these and heat them up later and them still be crispy and good? I really do hate to cook and it would be a big pain to me to have to make them every time I wanted to eat them. But thank U thank U for this recipe.
I LOVE hearing that Max! Thanks so much for letting me know! N xx