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??
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
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 🙂
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
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?
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!
I want to make these so badly but all I have is boneless skinless wings! Could it possibly work?
Sorry Olivia, it won’t work with skinless 🙁 Need the skin!
what about thighs? also LOL turkey wings?
Hi Pat! Anything poultry with skin 🙂
I LOVE ALL YOUR DELICIOUS RECIPES. T HE PICTURES HELP SO MUCH ALONG WITH YOUR COMMENTS! CRAZY ABOUT YOUR STIRFRY SAUCES ! DALE MARIE SEARS
Thanks for the compliment Dale! And I’m super glad you like my stir fry sauces!! N x
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!
AWESOME! So happy to hear you enjoyed it Jim, and thanks for letting me know! N x
Can you add seasonings other than salt to the salt/baking powder mix?
You sure can! 🙂
They turned out perfect. Best wing we ever had! Thank you for sharing.
I’m so glad to hear that Ragia! Thank you for letting me know!! N xx
OMG..my house smells really good…perfect recipe no need to fry….10/10….thank u
I’m so glad to hear that Tess! Thank you for letting me know! N x
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
Hi Roy! So glad you enjoy them! I use a nutrition calculator – I will recheck it, thank you for your feedback!
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!
So glad you love this method of cooking wings too Carter!!! 🙂 N x
I am on a low sodium diet. Do you have to use salt, or can you substitute it with something else.
Hi Kathy! I suggest halving the salt. That way you still get a bit of the saltiness and all the crispiness!
Just like Lea F. asked about the lemon pepper seasoning, can you add any types of seasoning you wish? I was thinking something like, garlic powder, onion powder, garlic salt instead of regular salt and some pepper. Would that be ok?
Hi Yae! yes you certainly can. 🙂 It has a slight mild affect on the crispiness, but it is not much! Still super crispy, will still amaze people that they aren’t deep fried!!
The four boys/men in my household and I agree– these were GREAT!! I told them I’d put them in the dinner ‘rotation’ upon which my 8 yo said, “Mom, can we have these about every two weeks or so?” He knew if he asked for every week, I’d say no, so bless his heart, he tried to stretch it in and effort to get me to say yes. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing this. The skin was great! Moist on the inside. I used your honey/garlic sauce and the Buffalo sauce, too. To my surprise, my little guys loved the Buffalo sauce.
Awwww that is SO CUTE!!!! He’s learning young how to “work” you – the he he! So glad you and the boys enjoyed this JL! N x
Ahhh, what a revelation,!
This is a great recipe for games, etc and good timing for this, thanks you! I’m amazed that no deep frying is involved!
It really is legendary Sabrina!!! America’s Test Kitchen ROCKS!
I have get a lot of fat or grease splatter from the crisping chicken when I crank up the oven for the 2nd round of baking. This causes some smoke in the kitchen. Any suggestions on minimizing this?
Hi Angela! Is the smoke coming from the fat hitting the heat source or from the tray? I must admit I don’t have that problem. N x
I dipped mine in Baking soda. I just reread your reciepe, should be BAKING SODA! Oh dang lol. I`ll try again.
Oh no oh no!!! It’s horrid 🙁 I wish I could have been watching over to say Nooooooooooo!!!! 😉 N x
Can you season the wings with lemon pepper seasoning before baking them? I truly love crispy lemon pepper wings and wonder if baking them on low, then high heat would work?
Hi Lea! You sure can 🙂 They still come out really crispy! N x
These were great!!! And so easy to make, thank you!
So glad you enjoyed them Lauren! Thanks for letting me know! N x
Can this be done for thighs and legs the same way?
Hi Jennifer – it works ok for drumsticks and for thighs with lots of skin 🙂 This recipe is for making just the skin part crispy so it doesn’t work with, for example, breast. 🙂
Excellent method that guarantees lower fat intake along with the crispness that everyone enjoys!
Goes great with our Greek dipping sauce:
1 part of sour cream (low fat is best)
1 part non fat yougurt
1 part mayo (be consistent, low fat)
Crumbled feta cheese
A dusting of white pepper
And a dash of Louisiana Red (according to taste)
Refrigerate for at least 30 min to blend flavors
Kali Orexi (Food Appetite)
Arthur Nahatis
“The Greek Gourmet”
Thanks for sharing your dip Arthur! 🙂 N x
“Good Apetite”
These wings were wonderful, I would never have guessed they would be like fried but they are and very finger licking good. Thank you so much for this recipe. Super crispy!
Virtual high five! YESSS!! So glad you enjoyed it Joyce, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x