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??
Just wondering if 2 tbsps. of baking powder is enough to cover 4 lbs of chicken wings.
Hi Angel! It sure is. You’ll be surprised! You only need a very light dusting and if you use any more, you will be able to taste the baking powder which is not nice. 🙂 Hope you try it! It really is incredible!! 🙂
I have made this tonight and I got a “It’s epic!!” from my husband!
And to think that there’s no added oil and the fat is drained too! I’m very happy I found this recipe!
One question: do you think you could use the same technique for pork belly skin to make crackling?
Hi Laura! I’m SO glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for coming back to let me know 🙂
That is such an interesting thought, I never thought of that! I will try it and if it works, I’ll post it!! 🙂
So my wings were slightly wet, and the baking powder/salt mixture created somewhat of a thin paste on the wings. I put them on the rack, and ground black pepper on them before putting them in. After the 30 minute low temp bake, I had my doubts as it didn’t look like much had happened, but I moved them to the upper part and set the timer for 30 min to remember to rotate the pan. After 30, I noticed that there were a few spots that looks like dry baking powder, and the underside was completely soft and lacking in color. So I gave the tops a quick spray with olive oil cooking spray, then turned the wings over, ground pepper on that side of the wings, and put the pan back in for another 25 minutes. What came out was as close to thin-breaded southern fried chicken as I’ve ever been able to create in the oven – crispy, juicy, with the baking power creating the breading texture, and the pepper and salt creating the perfect southern-fried seasoning. Even though I had set out to create buffalo wings, I was so happy with the “fried chicken” wings that no sauce was needed, and after years of trying every possible “oven fried chicken” recipe to disappointing results, I am quite happy that I now have it with out trying, Thanks!
Hi Bill! I’m SO glad you enjoyed it!! It’s truly incredible, isn’t it? I was blown away the first time I made it.
If you ensure that your wings are dry – even patting them with a paper towel – it really makes a difference because the baking powder will coat the wings evenly all over, a very light dusting. Whereas if they are wet, it ends up like a paste, as you described. It still works – as you discovered! Just that you end up with those small spots like you had.
OH and also by drying them and getting the even dusting, you won’t need to turn them because the underside will crisp up too 🙂
THANK YOU for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it! And I do have a crispy baked Buffalo Wings recipe on my blog now – the latest recipe I shared! Here -> https://salesdock.info/truly-crispy-oven-baked-buffalo-wings-my-wings-cookbook/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Question: in one part of the recipe it says baking POWDER in another it says baking SODA. I know they are 2 different ingredients. I suspect it is the Soda since that would be a drying agent like salt. Can you clarify? I’d love to make these but I don’t want to mess up the recipe. Thanks!
Hi Janet! I just checked the recipe again – it definitely stresses to use baking POWDER!! I refer to baking soda to say DO NOT use Baking Soda! Phew, you had me worried for a moment there. 🙂 Baking soda will not work and it will be inedible. It must be baking powder!
Thanks so ooo much!!!
Baking POWDER it is!!!
Hi Nagi,
First time leaving a comment. I LOVE your site. Your AP stir-fry sauce saved many dinners for this family. ^^
My oven’s heat source is at the bottom of the oven in the drawer section (official term would be the broiler compartment). It looks like a long gas furnace when I look into it and the heat rises to the oven section from this.
Does this change the positioning of wings for me or should I just follow the direction on the recipe?
I am a self-proclaimed wings-snob who would rather fry the wings at home to my liking and scrub the whole kitchen afterward, then eat sub-par wings. I’ve been craving wings for weeks now, but try to forget wings b/c of dreaded kitchen clean-up.
I so want to nail this on the first shot. HELP!!
Thank you~~
Thank you for “coming out” to leave a comment!! I’m glad you enjoy the stir fry sauce. I always have a jar of it in the fridge!! 🙂
My mother’s gas oven heat source is at the back on the floor of the oven too. Like a strip of fire along the back wall floor of the oven 🙂 Does that make sense? I just tried to google for an image but couldn’t find one! So if yours is like that then yes, follow the directions per the recipe for where to put the oven shelves.
I promise you, you will be FLOORED when you try this! It is ridiculously crispy. You don’t even need a sauce (and you will also be surprised how just the small amount of salt used is enough!). Biggest tip: Line the tray with foil and spray the rack lots with oil. Do that, and cleaning up is effortless!
Hope you enjoy!! It’s really easy – as long as you make sure to use baking POWDER and not baking SODA / bicarb soda!! 🙂
Thank you so much Nagi,
I’m heading out to my butcher shop today! I can’t wait to make it.
Did I say I get excited coming to your site? Your beautiful pictures and through instuction gets me pumped!
I have my go-to recipe handed down from my mom, but I’ve been trying at least 20 different wings recipe… So many of them ended up in trash can. T.T
I only wish you live next door to me. T.T I’ll have so so much to learn hands on. *You can imagine me never leaving your kitchen like a squatter!
My mom used to teach cooking & baking for about 20 yrs… since I was a wee little girl. So there’s my reasoning for what my husband calls ‘sky high standard of foodie-ness’.
You and Marc from norecipes.com are my go-to teachers when I’m in a bind.
Thank you again for sharing your lovely site!
Ooh! I love Marc! He’s a legend 🙂 And HOW LUCKY are you to have a mum who is such a great cook!! And your hubby is certainly one lucky guy!! 🙂
Does this process work with other cuts of chicken?
Hi Leslie! It sure does, as long as there is skin. And the cooking time needs to be adjusted, but not by much, I was quite surprised. I made bone in thigh cutlets the other day and I baked it on low for 40 minutes then high for around 50 minutes. 🙂
Hi! First time here! Was looking for a good chicken wing recipe and it looks like i’ve found it! I’m planning on trying this recipe this evening however after I toss them in the baking powder/salt mixture i am going to sprinkle Season All on them when they are already on the trays. I’ve read your comments about the crispness maybe not being the same but it will be a very light dusting (both sides) so we will see. I’ll be back to share my results. I’m hungry already!
Oooh! I wait in anticipation!! Hope you love them!! 🙂
I’ve been making wings for a long time and this is best receipe I’ve tasted for making crispy tasty wings without frying.
High praise, thank you Ed! You made my day 🙂 I am nuts about these wings. I toss them in so many different types of sauces!! 🙂
I’ve always baked my wings with a combo of baking powder and old bay (Maryland girl here). I have my old bay/baking powder wings and your recipe (wings coated with baking powder and salt) in the fridge drying out a bit. I made a few homemade sauces of my own and can’t wait to try your cooking method. I usually do 45 minutes on 425. Tonight, I’m tying your low heat then high heat method. As a wing fanatic, I’m so excited!
Hello fellow wing fanatic!! I do hope you love it – I was blown away when I discovered this method. Since then, I’ve made it countless times and it works every single time!! Old Bay is a great classic seasoning for wings. I love it with ranch dipping sauce! Do you use a dipping sauce too? Thanks for your message Brooke! Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend – N x
Simply incredible. although i did mix up the technique a little…. for the last several years i’ve been ‘steaming’ my wings in order to render the fat, then allowing them to cool completely before baking. I followed the rest of the recipe word for word, starting with cool, pre-steamed wings, worked like a charm, crispy and super juicy. For others considering this method, don’t do it with small wings, since they are likely to dry out.
Thanks for sharing, you’ve got something special here!
Hi Leigh – that’s really interesting! I’ve never made baked wings before steaming them first, I’ll have to give it a go 🙂 If you get a chance, try these without steaming them, see if you think it makes a difference. Because (being the food nerd I am) I actually measured the amount of fat that gets rendered out using this method of baking and for 4lb/2kg of wings, 2 oz / 60g of fat ends up on the tray. That’s A LOT! I wonder how that compares to steaming first? Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend! N x
These are incredible. I can’t believe how much they taste like deep-fried wings. My whole family is grateful! Thank you!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!! And there’s even LESS fat in them that ordinary baked wings because so much of it is rendered out due to this method of baking! Thank you for coming back to tell me you loved them 🙂 N x
Came across this recipe thanks to google, I can’t stop eating them. Wings are so crispy and delicious and that sauce is everything. I added some dry seasoning before the baking powder (almost used baking soda by accident too). I was worried about tasting the baking powder after reading other comments but you can’t taste it at all!!! Thanks for posting. Will be checking out your other recipes.
So, I wanted to add to the baking powder and salt mix, perhaps onion/garlic powder and cayenne?
Would that be okay?
Hi Duyen! Yes, you can definitely add flavourings but the crispness isn’t quite the same. But it is still MUCH crispier than not using baking powder. Toss the wings in baking powder + salt, as per the recipe. Then toss in the flavourings you want. There is only a bit of baking powder so it doesn’t coat the wings thickly which means there is plenty of moisture left so your other flavourings will stick. 🙂 Hope you love it!!
Hurrah! I am SO GLAD you enjoyed it!! I have done some more research and I think that old / expired baking powder might be the problem. It can produce a slightly metallic taste. Also if it is not tossed evenly! Clumps of baking powder would not be nice 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for coming back to share your feedback! (PS I’m sharing buffalo wings soon…oh my, they are INCREDIBLE!!!)
Oh my…. The Chrispyness on those wings were out of bounds. Fantastic, truly enjoyed. Will be preparing my wings more often in this matter, when frying is not a option or just don’t feel like frying.
Thank you.
P.S.
Loved the sauce also.
Tina! Thank you SO MUCH for coming to share your feedback! I am so glad you enjoyed it. It’s insane how crispy they wings are, isn’t it?? Insane insane. Cook’s Illustrated is the best!! Hope you are having a lovely weekend – Nagi x
I’m starting to prep these right now! Well, as soon as I get off the internet 😉
Yay! Love to hear what you think!! N x
uh. i’m still licking my fingers. praying for one last little taste.
Oooh, you are making me jealous, it has been a while since I had some of these!!
Due to the ingredients in baking powder, we usually make our own. 2 parts baking soda to 1 part cream of tartar. It does the job in baking. But I wanted to see your thoughts about this and if that would work. thanks!
Hi Amanda – I am so sorry, I don’t know! I don’t know enough about the exact make up of baking powder to know if that would work. I didn’t know that though, I am fascinated! 🙂 If you try it, I would love to know if this works for you!
How does using frozen wings affect the recipe? Would you defrost the wings and dry them out first?
Anxious to try the baking powder but concerned about too much water in the frozen wings.
Hi Liuise! Defrosted wings is fine, just make sure you pat them dry with with paper towels. 🙂
How can I make these if I don’t have a baker’s rack
how else can I elevate the wings??
Hi TJ! I can’t think of an alternative 🙁 However, they are fine to bake straight on the tray. Just that they will be sitting in the fat that renders. But the bottom of the wing doesn’t get super crispy anyway, even when baked on a rack, because it is mainly the skin that gets crispy, most of which is on the surface of the chicken. It is better to use a rack but definitely doesn’t not ruin it if you don’t use one! 🙂
I don’t have any baking Power on hand can I substitute flour or cornstarch instead?
Hi Gina! Unfortunately you won’t get the same result 🙂 But if I had to choose one, I would go with flour. Honestly, try this with baking powder when you get a chance, you will be SHOCKED how crispy it is!
Hey so I’m making the wings right now, I added some dry spices to the baking powder, they are about to go in ! I’m excited, I have made boneless before, but never on the bone! Let’s see what happens!
5 stars right now! I’ll posta again when I am done!
Ooooh, yay yay!! Just so you know, adding the dry spices will impact the crispiness of the skin a bit. It’s still really crispy – much crispier than NOT using this method. But it isn’t quite as crispy. 🙂 Looking forward to hearing what you think!!
OMG, this is the BEST crispy baked wing recipe ever! LOVE making these, but I tend to use a lemon pepper sauce to dip (the honey one is good too though).
Oh… and I find it super easy to use the pyramid silicone baking mat when making them (http://www.asseenontvofficialsite.com/v/vspfiles/assets/images/110584-dd.jpg) – makes clean up super easy!
Baking mat is a great tip! And I am SO GLAD you enjoyed it!! Never tried a lemon pepper sauce dip but I’m pff to find one now!!
Thank you so much for your answer Nagi! I love your recipes! I made the no washing up ham, egg and cheese bread bowls and it was a big hit, very pleased =) Have a nice day Nagi!
Hi Nagi,
If I marinated the wings with shrimp paste overnight and then use the baking powder, would the chicken be as crispy? Actually would they be edible the mixture of baking powder and the marinated chicken pieces? Thank you!
Hi Chia-Yi! I’m sorry, I do not think that will work, it will impact the “science” that creates the crispy skin. Because even when I use dry spices on the skin, it makes it less crispy so using a wet paste will make it even less crispy. 🙂