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??
By far the most flavorful and crispy wings I have ever made with such a small amount of salt. And the sauce….delectable! I will be making these again soon. Also, thank you for the free cookbooks.
So glad you enjoyed it Evette! I know, isn’t is amazing how such a small amount of salt can perfectly season so many wings?! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you enjoyed these!
This recipe made fantastic chicken wings. Better than deep fried in my opinion. A little fresh cracked pepper added in while tossing in the baking powder gave a little more flavor.
AWESOME! So glad you loved it Jeff!! It really is incredible isn’t it?? I prefer these over fried too! (Plus, way less calories = I can have more wings!!)
I love chicken wings and I’m very particular, these were the best wing recipe EVER!
Thanks Carolyn! Means a lot to hear that from someone who know their wings! 😉
We are having a large crowd for a party and people will be coming and going all day. Are these just as tasty room temperature? Can they sit out for a couple hours?
Hi Whitney! I have to say, I am not a huge fan of wings at room temperature. Also the skin is not as crispy. Sorry to disappoint! 🙂
What if I like fat? Should I just bake them on the higher temperature?
Hi Meghan! Unfortunately this won’t work if the fat stays on the skin, it won’t go crispy! 🙂 The wings are extremely juicy and fatty though, I promise! 🙂
I made it yesterday. I tried to make it crispier but they were smelling burn 🙁 Can you suggest something?
Hi Geet! Did you pat the wings dry? And make sure you used baking powder, not baking soda or bicarb soda? If so, then they should definitely have come out crispy without burning!! 🙂
I just came across a few of your recipes. They sound *delicious*, and I am totally looking forward to trying some of them out! I noticed in your recipe that you said to cut the wings into wingettes and drumettes. Do I have to? Will I have to adjust your cooking instructions if I don’t?
Hi Emme! So glad you like the look of my recipes 🙂 Nope, you sure don’t have to cut them! I actually like the look of them whole, but they just aren’t as easy to eat, that’s all! As in – you need 2 hands to navigate whole wings whereas you can eat wingettes/drumettes with one hand!!
Nope, no adjustment to cooking time requires! Just “shake” a bit more vigorously to ensure the baking powder coats the wings evenly as possible (because the shape of whole wings makes it a wee bit more awkward 🙂 Hope you love!!
I found this recipe today August 12th 2015 and I made them for dinner. I did not add any other seasoning. I tossed them in the sauce when cooked and they were perfect. Did not need any more salt or other seasoning. Thank you so much I will be trying other sauces. So quick and easy
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! I know, isn’t it weird how such a small amount of salt is enough? I was quite dubious at first too, but it really is enough!
Hi Nagi
Just a couple of questions.
1) Does it matter which setting I use? ie Fan forced or not?
2) so is it an additional 40-50 mins on 220C after the initial 30minson 120C therefore total bake time of 70-80 mins?
Looking forward to try this looking at the comments.
Cheers
Alex
Hi Alex! I have made these in a fan forced and conventional oven and found that it doesn’t matter, the bake time at the higher temperature will differ slightly and it will depend how deep golden you want them, with fan forced ready at around 40 to 45 min and conventional closer to 50 minutes. And yes, the total bake time is 70 to 80 minutes – and worth every minute! 🙂
Thanks for your quick reply.
Question can I don’t have the rack to place in the pan..will they still come out crispy?
Hi Andra! The top and sides will but the bottom won’t be 100% crispy because they will be sitting in oil. Using this method, a LOT of fat melts, much more than usual. The bottom will crisp up, but it will almost be like they are deep frying, it that makes sense?
Question: So halfway through the high heat part all you have to do is rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees? No need to flip the wings over-the bottoms will still be crispy?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Rob! That’s right, no need to flip the wings and the bottom is crispy because it is elevated by the rack!
This is a GREAT recipe for baked wings!! They come out crispy and delicious! I used bottled wing sauce, but next time I am going to try your sauce recipe. Thanks for posting!!
Simply AMAZINGLY! I have shared your recipe with many of my family members and we just cannot get enough of these wings! Thank you for sharing! This will forever be my go to wing recipe!
SO GLAD you loved it Ashley!! I am a little obsessed with these wings too….so I’m glad you and your family agree! 🙂
Hi Nagi, Can I make a large batch of these ahead of time and reheat the next day for a party? Can this be accomplished without over cooking the chicken or drying it out?
Hi Alicia! You sure can. 🙂 When I was making my wings cookbook, I had to reheat them all the time for shooting / testing. They dry out a tiny bit, just like anything which is made ahead because everything is always better straight out of the oven. But it is not noticeable and doesn’t compromise the wings, if you know what I mean? Blast them in a 180C/350F oven for around 10 minutes, just until you see the skin go smooth (it wrinkles when it cools) and crispy again. Wings are not that big so they heat through pretty quickly!
I tried making these last night and they turned out completely perfect, I made the garlic honey sauce to go along with it and fell in love. This recipe for chicken so genius, I would love to buy a copy of the book soon. I am definitely going to share your recipe on my blog one of these days, too. One thing I did differently was to cook the sauce over the stove-top for a few minutes to help reduce it, so perfect!
I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed it!! The technique is brilliant, isn’t it? You’ve inspired me, I’m going to make these again tomorrow! 🙂
Uh-MAZING! Love this recipe and will definitely use again. Thank you very much…
SO GLAD you loved it!! Thanks for letting me know – I LOVE hearing from people!! 🙂
Just wanted to say, please follow the recipe CAREFULLY. I had a COMPLETE disaster with these wings ( I was so looking forward to them too) because I used more baking powder than the recipe called for.. They were completely inedible. I had to throw them away. I have NO DOUBT that these are really good if made properly, but I think we would have died if we ate it.. SO please follow the recipe!!!
Oh dear! I am so sorry you used too much baking powder! I love that you have emphasised how important it is to follow this recipe properly because you are right. Unlike many recipes where it is ok if you use more or less sauce or something, this recipe is like baking, it must be followed exactly. And yes, using too much baking powder will make these inedible, there is an exact amount required to achieve the crispiness without being able to taste the powder. I’m sorry it wasn’t your day in the kitchen!!! I do hope you give it another go – I promise it is WORTH IT!!! 🙂
I want to try these so bad.. The thing is my oven doesn’t go lower than 200F. Will these still work??
Hi Sarah! That’s fine because the wings bake at 250F for the first 30 minutes then 425F for the 2nd part. So you don’t need your oven to go below 200F. 🙂
I usually don’t leave replies good or bad, but oh my goodness your recipe is so delicious, easy, and directions were spot on! I’m highly impressed. The only tip I have is when I coated the wings, after drying them on half a roll of paper towels , I coated half a batch at a time and split the amount of baking powder and salt per batch. It was easier to manage and half a batch worked perfectly on a gallon size ziplock bag. I am absolutely going to start following you and share this in every way I can! You are so talented and really on to something with the science behind cooking and bringing it to laimons terms! I served the wings with a Korean BBQ sauce and Thai peanut sauce, steamed artichokes with sour cream and tried my best to replicate Tupulo Honey Restaurant’s fried avocados while we are watching the USA Girls World Cup. Thanks for bringing a healthier version of a classic favorite to our fingertips!
Hi Monica! That’s a really great tip to do them in two batches, thank you, I’ll have to update the recipe with that tip!
Oooh, isn’t Korean wigs the BEST? And Thai peanut sauce too! It sounds like we have VERY similar taste in food 🙂 Girls World Cup? Soccer?
Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know you loved it! (PS And not only do these have no extra fat, there’s even reduced fat because around 2 1/2 oz of fat melts off the chicken so the calories are reduced about an extra 15% because of this!)
Hi there! I’m so excited to try this recipe but I have a few questions and hope you can help…I’m using a wet marinade and drying them out and then off in the same style you recommend and doing all your steps for the ultimate crispy wings but with one alteration…I was planning on doing step 7 then finishing them on a grill at a friends house. Will I sacrifice any quality in doing this??
Hi Gillian or Alex! You won’t get the same crispiness on a grill I’m afraid. However, they DO reheat really well in the oven, they crisp up again perfectly, just blast them in a hot oven for 10 minutes. Can you do that instead??
I don’t eat chicken wings, but have a family full of wing lovers — and they are picky! Tonight I made these and they raved — a few said they were the best wings they’d ever had. I get good wings from the butcher — they are nice and meaty — and doubled the sauce because they like them gooey. They were a huge hit and I love that there is no added fat. And couldn’t be simpler!
Hi Barbara! Wow, I am so flattered that your wing-loving-family enjoyed these! 🙂 They really are amazing. And not only are the no added fat, they are extra fat reduced because so much of the fat renders out when they are baking! I weight it one and calculated that it’s about 2 1/2 oz / 75g of fat which equates to about a 15% reduction in calories. Insane, isn’t it?! Thank you for taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it! N x