Crispy Chicken Wings

Last Updated April 16th, 2024 at 12:10 pm by Lisa

Today I am sharing all the secrets in this ultimate guide to chicken wings, the famous bar snack, and big game day food! A perfect chicken wing appetizer is totally possible that tastes deep-fried, but is oven baked.

When it comes to party wings, we want tons of flavor. Tender juicy meat inside, and a crispy texture fried coating.

Gather your party guests and throw a legendary football game party during the season. And host a spectacular Super Bowl event with delicious snack foods for the biggest game day of the year. Spicy chicken wings are an easy appetizer and winning party food. These are crispy perfection, and no deep frying...

Chicken Wings Recipe

To make the best wings start with good fresh ingredients. Replace any older spices before you mix your dry spice rub. And if you buy a bag of frozen pieces, they will need to be fully defrosted for these crispy baked chicken wings. This recipe will work with boneless wings, but reduce the cooking time.

Step 1: Prepare The Chicken Pieces

• 4 lbs party chicken wings - approximately 24 cut drumettes and flats aka fresh chicken wings
• 3 tablespoons baking powder aluminum free < this is key! (and not baking soda, not corn starch!)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

PRO TIP: You can buy whole chicken wings, and use a good sharp knife to cut into drumettes and flats, and remove the tips. Freeze the leftovers and wing tips to make homemade chicken stock, another one of my easy chicken recipes!

If you buy a bag of frozen meat, it will need to be fully defrosted for this easy dry rub chicken wings recipe.

Ideally, the day before dry the chicken pieces overnight. This step pulls the excess moisture and helps them crisp up better while cooking. The night before, lay a large piece of aluminum foil onto a rimmed baking sheet or large sheet pan (for easier cleanup) and then set a wire baking rack on top. This helps hot air circulate all around. Lay the uncooked raw chicken in a single layer, and place the sheet pan in the fridge uncovered overnight.

If you don't have time to dry them overnight, simply dab off the moisture really well with paper towels.

Put a shelf in the lower part of the oven and one in the top part of the oven. Preheat oven to 275 degrees f oven temperature.

Next, place them in a large bowl or in a large zip lock freezer bag. Sprinkle on the baking powder and sea salt, and toss with tongs or shake the bag until you have coated them evenly. There will be some mix left over in the bottom of the bowl or bag, discard the remaining baking powder salt mixture.

Step 2: First Bake!

Lay them skin side up on a baking rack over a foil lined sheet pan baking and bake for 30 minutes on the lower shelf. This is an important step in the cooking process. it pulls the moisture from the skin, and helps get crispy oven chicken without frying!

Step 3: Make The Dry Rub Seasoning

While the wings are in their first bake, in a small bowl whisk the garlic powder, dried parsley, brown sugar, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, and chili powder.

This homemade dry rub recipe is made in minutes and is the perfect combination of spices. It makes ½ cup of chicken wing dry rub seasoning, all the ingredients might be in your pantry right now and all of these dry rub ingredients can be found in any local grocery store.

• garlic powder
• dried parsley
• brown sugar
• onion powder
• smoked or sweet paprika (not hot paprika)
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• ground cumin
• chili powder
• cooking spray (coconut oil spray, vegetable oil spray, or olive oil spray)

You can mix up this amazing crispy dry rub recipe or make your own. Then adjust the spicy flavors as you prefer like leaving out the cayenne pepper.

Step 4: Second Bake With Seasoning

Turn the oven up to 425 degrees high heat. Using tongs, add the chicken pieces to the bowl a few at a time, spray them very well with coconut spray, and sprinkle the dry rub well to coat them, add more pieces and sprinkle the seasoning, and repeat spraying until all are well coated. The coconut oil spray helps bind the dry rub to the skin, and helps crisp them in the oven!

Using clean tongs, put the dry rub seasoned chicken back on the rack on the baking sheet lined with foil.

Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake 30 more minutes at 425 degrees, rotate pan the half way through. They are done when they have dark golden brown and crispy skin, and an internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Wing Recipe Top Tips

So why does this recipe work and how do you make delicious chicken wings? The good news is, with simple ingredients and a couple steps, you will master the best way to make your favorite chicken wing recipes.

True confession, for a long time. I have never really liked most chicken wings. It's a texture thing for me. So I set out to make my best dang version of this famous fried food that was easy, tasty, and crisp, and no frying!

How To Eat Wings

• Make or buy the favorite wing sauce of your choice. Simply whisk the ingredients over low heat in this recipe to create your own recipe. Toss warm sauce on cooked wings in a bowl.
• Serve with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and other dipping sauces like Blue Cheese Dip or classic buffalo wings sauce!
• To make a Buffalo Wing Sauce: In a small saucepan, mix Franks's buffalo sauce, butter, brown sugar, and sea salt for a wing sauce. You can dip or toss your in, so much fun!

With just 5 simple ingredients, this Blue Cheese Dressing is an easy recipe made in minutes. It also works great as a dip for hot buffalo wings or a chip dip.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing from scratch uses real fresh ingredients, and it tastes so much better than bottled products. Get the secret mixing tip with 20+ creative ways to use it in recipes all week long. But the fun part is dipping crispy baked wings in it!

Then drizzle, dip, and pour your own ranch dressing on everything in sight, like crispy wings!

Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe

Classic Buffalo wing sauce is so easy to make, and one of my new favorites.

The full recipe instructions for the classic buffalo sauce recipe are at the bottom of the post, in the printable recipe card.

A crispy baked buffalo wings recipe is easy. Just make this recipe and toss them into their sauce. Eat right away while hot...

• Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• melted butter
• brown sugar
• sea salt (not table salt)

In a small saucepan, mix Franks Buffalo sauce, butter, brown sugar, and sea salt for a quick homemade wing sauce.

How To Get Crispy Chicken Skin

There are lots of reasons soggy, flabby chicken skin happens. It can be a thick gloppy flour coating called for in most recipes. When the chicken pieces are not dried well first, or the fat isn't fully rendered out while oven roasting, frying, or baking.

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Dry Wings Are Key!

First, it is a good idea to dab the chicken pieces off with a paper towel to remove excess moisture from the skin. Then lay the wings on a sheet pan over a baking rack in the refrigerator, and let them dry overnight. This really helps the skin crisp up and is one less thing to do the day of your party.

Use A Sheet Pan Rack

After seasoning, place the wings on a wire rack over a sheet pan so it can circulate all around them to dry faster while cooking. Aluminum foil (not parchment paper) helps catch the drips for faster cleanup from the chicken fat rendering off the chicken meat roasts.

Baking Powder Trick ~ The Secret Ingredient!

The winning technique 🏆 I learned from Americas Test Kitchen (ATK) Cooks Illustrated is to toss the wings in a mixture of non aluminum baking powder and sea salt to first coat the chicken lightly. As they explain, "It helps break down the proteins within the skin, as well as aids in browning." And it is true. So the next time you make wings, try this!

Oven Cooking

Wings are typically deep fried, shallow pan fried, oven baked, or roasted to get them cooked and crispy. This recipe oven bakes them at a lower oven temperature first, then half way through cranks up the heat to finish them off roasting with the coating of perfect seasoning. And one of my favorite things about this recipe is no dirty stovetop to clean and hot oil to deal with!

Chicken Wing Flavors

Make delicious wings for a snack or as one of your main courses. There are lots of ways to change up the flavors!

Mix up a Cajun Dry Rub spice blend, and reduce the paprika so it doesn't burn in the heat of the oven.

Mix your own best homemade spice blend, and leave out the sugar for a low carb keto version.

After your wings are cooked, toss them in a well-seasoned sauce in a large bowl. Or dip them into your favorite flavorful dips, and gobble these right up with your favorite sauces!

• buffalo wing sauce
• cajun wing sauce
• honey bbq sauce
• spicy garlic ginger
• parmesan wings (garlic parmesan)

Air Frying Wings

To make an air fryer chicken wings recipe, set the air frier at 425 degrees. Cook for 20-25 minutes using an oil-spray on the wings and the basket. Place them into the air fryer basket. Then turn them over halfway through using tongs and air fry until golden brown and crispy at 165 f internal temperature.

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