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??
Great recipe.Tasty crispy and moist wings. I do them on the bbq in the same manor on indirect heat.Saves the mess in the oven. I lower the temp just below 400 degress for 40 minute. did not seem to matter if that they where wet or dehydrated. Delicious.
So pleased you enjoyed it Ray! Thanks for letting me know! N xx❤️
Hi
I tried the wings with baking powder but did not like them. My daughter in law suggested potato starch. I now use that, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours, and put the wings in a 220c oven for about 30 mins and then turn them for a few more minutes. The wings are sooo crispy and stay really moist. Quite a lot of fat comes out but the wings stay much more moist. Hey who cares about calories when they taste so good.
Hello,
I would like to try this method but I plan to smoke the wings in my smoker for a while, then finish them in the oven to crisp the skin. I have to brine them overnight first, then I pat dry and coat with a dry rub, then smoke them. For adding the baking powder, when do you suggest I do that? Should I add it to the dry rub ingredients and put it on before smoking, since the smoking will take up some of that low/slow cooking time? The smoker doesn’t crisp the skin enough, and I always burn them when finishing on the grill, so I was looking for a way to get good crispy skin on a smoked wing. Your opinion? Thanks in advance!!
Hi Amy, I’m sorry to say I haven’t tried this recipe in conjunction with smoking. 🙂 The other concern I have is what the brining does to the skin with regards to this recipe. Also because this recipe requires the wings to be cooked for a fairly long time, I would be concerned about the wings overcooking. Sorry to say!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I’ve been using it for a long time but never commented on it. It’s excellent! So crispy and the meat is still juicy and flavorful! Hooray! I have switched to aluminum free baking powder…For whatever reason the wings seemed super salty/bitter even after I omitted salt altogether. So if anyone else has that experience, try aluminum free baking powder(specifically sodium aluminum sulfate)…Rumsford makes it, and I’m sure other brands do too.
Thanks for the tip Jennifer! Maybe there are some cheaper brands that have that problem??? I’m so pleased you enjoy this recipe! N xx
I don’t have a baking rack. Can I bake them directly on the tinfoil on the baking sheet?
Yep! Please read the FAQ below the recipe for more info on this 🙂 N xx
Stumbled on your recipe. The wings were PERFECT and took on the flavor of the dips very well..
That’s terrific to hear David! Thank you for letting me know! N xx
My family loved these chicken wings! Went on a leap of faith and believed they would be perfectly crispy and they did not fail. I made four of your sauces and they too were wonderful! Thank you!
That’s fantastic to hear Jill! Thanks for letting me know!! ?
I consider myself a chicken wing connoisseur and these are HANDS DOWN THE BEST homemade chicken wings I’ve ever made! I think the baking powder and the slow low and then hot oven temps is the key. Thank you sooo much for putting this recipe on the “interweb.” I’m going to make these often!
That’s so fantastic to hear Mitchell! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! – N xx
My husband was blown away by these, me too, so delicious, thank you Nagi!
My family is super picky when it comes to crispy chicken wings.
Always having trouble with them being dry and tough.
I was hungry for dry rubbed hot wings but I am on Weight Watchers, so deep fried wings were a no-no for me.
Did an internet search for crispy baked hot wings and ran across your recipe!!!
I printed it out and read it over.. sounded pretty easy.
My husband read it thinking it was a bit much work, but willing to give it a go…
Normally I cook, however, I am confined to my chair since my surgery, so he was cooking.
After he started he was delighted in how simple and very well spelled out the recipe was.
Our son showed up for dinner and we sat down to eat..
All around review…
A M A Z I N G!!!
I used a dry jerk blend on mine. Just shook them in a Ziploc bag to coat them.. SOOOO yummy!!
Son had the same and then tried some other dry rubs. Outcome was the same.. best baked wings! Never want fried again . He said that it set better on his stomach as well!
The hubby….. He says they are perfect, perfectly plain!!
Oh and they are not even a tad dry!!!
Still moist inside with a really nice super crispy skin!!!
Never going to fry them again!!
*** Just would like the run down on the nutrition list for these prepare this way. I did not see it on here anywhere.. unless I over looked it.
I am guessing at 2 points per wing, but would like to be for sure.***
WHOOOOOT! What feedback, thank you! I’m so pleased you enjoyed them so much, and I LOVE the idea of using jerk season gin!!
Can you still fry them if you wanted to and get similar results with using the baking soda for crispy skin ?
Hi Lisa, I haven’t tried, but you can get crispy skin without using the baking POWDER (not soda!)
My partner and I love these as well. We tried a bunch of different online recipes, and avoided this one because we thought it took too long. But after we tried it, we stopped looking around and bookmarked it. They are so crispy and the meat is still juicy. We also like them with a bit of salt and pepper and occasionally break out some sauces for dipping. We don’t have a rack but just use a pan with parchment paper and it works fine. One day we will get a rack ( ^ _^) And we leave them whole. When they cook, it’s easy to to pull them apart so I thought “why bother cutting them.” We’ve used your process about 5 or 6 times now that its becoming a ritual. At least every 2 weeks we have a chicken wing night!
I’m so pleased to hear that Deribou, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Oh, and mustn’t forget the star rating.
Aaah! I misread the first temp as 250C!! I saved them – just – before they burned but they were a bit dry. Oh well
Bugger!!!?
Admittedly I have not tried this recipe but after much research I can tell this is going to be the one I will save (hence my rating). Thank you very much for all of the testing and work you have done to be able to share this information with us! Out of curiosity, have you tried brining the wings before you dry them? Are the wings tender and flavorful enough without it? I was considering doing it to combat the baking powder flavor and to ensure the meat falls off the bone. Thanks.
Hi Dani! I tried brining but the flesh then draws in too much moisture which then affects how crispy the skin gets 🙂 In all honesty, these wings are tasty just as they are, just the tiny bit of salt (you will be amazed how such a small amount is enough for so many wings!). The unique thing about this recipe is that the fat melts as it bakes, and that bastes the flesh which adds more flavour. I honestly am happy eating these plain!
I made the recipe last night and you could not be more correct. Very flavorful, fall off the bone meat. I made a quick Buffalo sauce as well as BBQ for tossing and they turned out amazing. My husband agreed that we do not need to go out for wings anymore. Thanks Nagi!
Fantastic! So glad to hear that Dani! N xx
Mine tasted like baking powder had a bitter taste to them
I’m sorry to hear that Peggy. Did you pat the wings dry and toss well so they are evenly coated with the lightest dusting??
Can you bake and freeze? Cooking from frozen?
Hi Keira, unfortunately it can’t be frozen once cooked but please see the notes for making ahead and refrigerating them reheating!
Crispy chicken Wings-They are amazing! We had a party for my ultra fussy 19 year old who loves wings…. I was nervous that he would poo poo non-fried wings.
He was ecstatic as were all of his friends- so easy and so good.
Fantastic to hear that Joan! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, my husband cooked this recipe with chicken wings, thighs and legs and all cooked beautifully. I noticed that several people mentioned the recipe was too salty. It might be of interest to note that to the uninitiated cooks 3/4 tsb of salt comes out looking like 3 to 4 teaspoons as opposed to threequarters of a teaspoon on different media, i.e. iPad but not so on Laptop. Hubby should have asked me…….. luckily he was only cooking half the recipe so 1 1/2 tsp’s went in, but way too much anyway. Will try with correct amount.
Oh no oh NO?? Really?? I will write it out properly to make sure it reads properly, thank you SO MUCh for letting me know! And I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N xx
Cornflour to substitute baking powder?
Unfortunately no Marilyn, doesn’t come out nearly as crispy! 🙂
The wings definitely turned out crispy although on the first bake there was not much fat released. Not sure if that is because I’m in California (so many rules on chicken production so not sure if that affects the fat content or if it was just coincidence). I didn’t make a sauce because I really like them plain, but in the future I will make the sauce or add some spice tot the baking powder. I could defniitely taste the baking powder even though there was little used. So if others have sensitive taste buds they might also want to add something additional to mask it.
Since this came from Cooks I. I wasn’t sure if there was a scientific reason for adding the salt, so I did add it. Normallyl I don’t use salt so would be good to know if it was just for taste or if it had something to do with drawing the moisture/fat out of the skin.
Also due to oven size issues I had to make several batches, some in glass cooking dishes. They cooked fine, but the tip about using foil and spray are definitely needed. Even with fat in the pan from the cooking chicken, I lost some of the crunchiness on the bottom of the wings stuck in the glass pans (and that’s the best part of the wing IMHO). And the tip of drying on the rack in the fridge is a good idea – I used a lot of paper towls to dry them, so if I had planned ahead,, the rack would be easier and save a ton of paper waste!
Hi Emma, thanks so much for your comprehensive feedback! I didn’t know there were so many rules about chicken produce in California, I will have a scout around and see if I can find anything that might be affecting this recipe 🙂 N x
There is a difference in baking powders. Be sure to use an aluminum free baking powder. You will take an improvement in everything that is baked. Rumford is the most popular brand.