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You're going to love these crispy baked chicken wings! Just a few simple ingredients, 10 minutes of prep, and baked to golden perfection in under an hour. They’re just as crispy as fried - perfect for parties or any night in!
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What could be better than a big stack of homemade crispy wings? My whole family is obsessed with them. When football season comes around every year, I know I'll be cutting whole wings and baking them weekly. That's fine with me - I love crispy baked wings, too!
What could be better than a big stack of crispy homemade wings, hot out of the oven? Honestly, not much. My whole family is completely obsessed with this chicken wings recipe, and I can't blame them - there's something irresistible about that crispy skin, tender meat, and bold flavor!
And, of course, I love crispy baked wings just as much as they do. Making them from scratch is satisfying, and so is knowing you don't need a deep fryer to get that same crunchy bite you love in a fried wing.
Love this recipe! Crispy BAKED wings! Love that these are baked and not deep fat fried! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂 - Victoria
See more reviews here→ or keep scrolling to the comments section below!
Ingredients for Baking Chicken Wings
- Chicken Wings: You can buy them pre-cut, or cut whole wings yourself. I prefer to cut whole wings when I have the chance because it saves money and is great for meal prep. You can use all parts of the wings, from the drumettes to the wingettes.
- Baking Powder: Make sure to get baking powder, and not baking soda. This is what's used to crisp up the wings in the oven.
- Seasoning: For seasoning, I use garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, kosher salt (or sea salt flakes, my favorite), and black pepper. You can use any wings seasoning you prefer. For example, I love Lemon Pepper Seasoning when I'm making these wings with Parmesan sauce!
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce: You will need butter, hot sauce, and honey to make my buffalo sauce from scratch (which I recommend); or, you can use your favorite brand of buffalo sauce. Definitely pair it with some blue cheese dressing on the side.
- Celery Sticks (optional): Optional, but celery sticks are the perfect pairing with hot buffalo wings!
Note: The sauce is added after baking. Feel free to use any sauce you want - this chicken wing recipe works for more than just buffalo sauce.
How to Bake Buffalo Wings Step-by-Step
- Heat oven to 400°F. Thaw chicken wings and cut them into wingettes and drumettes if necessary (see above). Lay the wingettes and drumettes out on a flat surface and dry them with a paper towel.
- Combine baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine the wing seasoning completely.
- Once the chicken wings have been patted dry, place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle half of the baking powder mixture over the wings and toss to coat. Repeat with the second half of the mixture.
- Line the bottom portion of a wire rack with foil. Fit the top portion of the wire baking rack firmly in the bottom portion. Place the chicken wings on the wire baking rack, making sure not to over-crowd. Finally, place in the oven and bake chicken wings for 45 minutes.
- Remove the pan once the chicken wings are fully baked. Place the chicken wings in a large bowl. Toss with the desired amount of buffalo sauce to coat completely. Repeat with more sauce if desired.
- Optional: Return the coated chicken wings to the pan and place them in the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes. This will crisp them up more and be optimal if you like the wings less saucy, it's a great alternative to deep frying.
Air frying wings: If you prefer, you can bake chicken wings in the air fryer. Air fry for approximately 15 minutes at a low temperature to start with (250°F), then flip and air fry at 400 to 430°F for 15-20 minutes.
The internal temperature should reach 165°F when they are done, and they should be crispy on the outside. Make sure to cook them all in one layer without any overlapping pieces.
Isabel's Top Tips for Baked Chicken Wings Recipes
- Bake the wings on a wire baking rack or a raised roasting pan. This allows the air to flow around the wings as they cook, making them crispy.
- Wrap the bottom portion of the baking sheet in tin foil. The tinfoil will catch any juices that drip as they bake, making it easy to clean up afterward.
- Don't overcrowd the rack. Evenly, space the chicken wings so they can bake evenly.
- For all chicken wings, having a good wings seasoning already mixed up saves so much time!
- Use a meat thermometer and my Chicken Temperature chart for a quick reference on chicken wing temps.
Dipping Sauces for Wings
- I make our homemade wing sauce with this chicken wings recipe. It's so easy to whip up in 10 minutes using three simple ingredients and tastes incredible. Try my Homemade Buffalo Sauce!
- My favorite Blue Cheese Dressing Recipe is perfect for dipping these wings in! It cools down the wings' tangy, mildly spicy flavor and is so easy to make at home.
- Homemade Ranch Dressing is also a favorite with my kids! It's easy and so flavorful - much better than what you can buy in a bottle. You won't want to go back to store-bought!
- Try my honey sriracha sauce! It's so good on wings!
Every year when football season rolls around, I know exactly what I'm making on game days. It doesn't take long before I'm cutting up whole chicken wings and popping trays into the oven on a weekly basis!
This chicken wings recipe is a game-day must, but honestly, my family and I enjoy them all year long! Movie nights, casual dinners, or anytime you're craving something flavorful and fun to eat with your hands. Once you try these chicken wings, you'll want to keep a batch in your dinner rotation too!
How to Make Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. chicken wings - pre-cut or whole wings
- 1 Tbsp. baking powder - NOT baking soda
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- ⅛ tsp. salt and pepper
- homemade buffalo sauce - roughly 1 cup
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400°F. Thaw 3 lbs. of chicken wings. If chicken wings are whole, they will need to be cut into wingettes and drumettes. Lay the wingettes and drumettes out on a flat surface and dry them with a paper towel.3 lbs. chicken wings
- Combine 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, and ⅛ tsp. salt and pepper in a small bowl. Stir to combine completely.1 Tbsp. baking powder,1 tsp. garlic powder,1 tsp. onion powder,1 tsp. smoked paprika,⅛ tsp. salt and pepper
- Once the chicken wings have been patted dry, place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle half of the baking powder mixture over the wings and toss to coat. Repeat with the second half of the mixture.
- Line the bottom portion of a wire baking rack with foil. Fit the top portion of the wire baking rack firmly in the bottom portion. Place the chicken wings on the wire baking rack, making sure not to over-crowd the wings on the rack. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Place the chicken wings in a large bowl. Toss with desired amount of buffalo sauce to coat completely. Repeat with more sauce if desired.homemade buffalo sauce
- Optional: Return the coated chicken wings to the pan and place in the oven for an additional 2-3 minutes. This will crisp them up more and is optimal if you like the wings less saucy. Enjoy!
Notes
- Bake the wings on a wire baking rack or a raised roasting pan. This allows the air to flow around the wings as they cook, which is what makes them crispy.
- Wrap the bottom portion of the baking sheet in tin foil. The tinfoil will catch any juices that drip as they bake and make it easy to clean up after.
- Don't overcrowd the rack. Evenly space the chicken wings so they can bake evenly.
ROBERT HEATHMAN says
I can only review the cooking aspect of these chicken wings as I used a prepared sauce and dressing. The spice blend for cooking and cooking times where good tho. I was a little skeptical when it said baking powder but no flour but just go with it. It left them crispy and fall off the bone style. PERFECT! Having mommy blogger's burn me before, this one is good to go. Safe to use.
Isabel Laessig says
So glad you enjoyed it, Robert! Thank you for your review!
Victoria says
Love this recipe! Crispy BAKED wings! Love that these are baked and not deep fat fried! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Isabel Laessig says
Thanks so much, Victoria! So glad you enjoy them!