Crispy oven Baked Chicken Wings are so easy to prepare and you don’t have to bother with all the grease from frying! A healthier yet delicious way to enjoy wings!
Baked chicken wings fit in the party category in my mind and I love to bake them alongside some vegetable dip, BBQ Meatballs, and a Classic Cheeseball!
It’s football season and what appetizer is better with game-day then crispy baked chicken wings?! Seriously, these little guys are the bomb.com! They’re baked to crispy perfection, and then tossed in the most delicious sweet and spicy buffalo sauce. They’re totally addicting and perfect for game day! Make them ASAP, and then thank me later! 🙂
What I LOVE about these Baked Wings:
- Healthier- without the deep frying, you get wings that are lower in fat and total calories!
- Crispy- I’ve got tips to help you ensure you still get that nice crispy chicken wing texture.
- 5 minute prep!
How to make Baked Chicken Wings:
- Dry the wings well with paper towels. This is essential to getting a crispy coating.
- Toss with dry spice rub. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking powder in a small bowl. Then sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing to evenly coat.
- Bake. Arrange wings, skin side up and bake, turning every 20 minutes until wings are crispy and browned. The total cook time will depend on the size of the wings but may take up to 1 hour.
- Toss in sauce. Remove from oven allow to rest for 5 minutes before tossing in desired sauce. I made a quick buffalo sauce with Franks hot sauce, sugar and water.
For Crispy Wings, DO THIS:
- Dry them well! After removing your wings from the packaging, be sure to dry them REALLY well. Use paper towels to blot away any moisture, pressing firmly on the wings. The less moisture left in the skin, the more crispy your wings will be!
- Use Baking Powder. Baking powder will help ensure that your wings brown nicely and it also helps create that desired crispy coating.
Baking Temperature Matters!
We all want our oven baked chicken wings to taste like they were fried, right? Or at least have that delicious crispy texture. Aside from the tricks listed above, it’s also important to get the correct oven temperature! The ideal oven temperature for crispy baked wings is 425°F.
Sauce for Chicken Wings:
This is the fun part…We love to have several different sauces available to try, including:
- Buffalo sauce (recipe below)
- Honey BBQ sauce
- Ranch
- BBQ sauce
- or any other favorite sauce!
Serve wings with:
- Fresh veggies and dip
- Any game-day appetizer!
Consider trying these popular finger foods:
- Southwest Egg Rolls
- Slow Cooker Cranberry BBQ Meatballs
- BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos
- Baked Popcorn Chicken
- Cheesy Bean Dip
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Recipe
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings , halved at joints, wingtips discarded
- 2 Tablespoons baking powder* , aluminum free
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cracker black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Buffalo sauce:
- 1/3 cup Frank's Wings Hot Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon water
Other Sauce ideas: honey BBQ sauce, ranch, honey garlic sauce, BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Adjust your oven rack to the upper-middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack (I use a cooling rack) on top. Spray the rack with non-stick spray.
- Use paper towels to pat the wings dry and place them in a large bowl. It's important to dry them REALLY well!
- Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking powder in a small bowl. Then sprinkle the seasoning over the wings, tossing to evenly coat.
- Arrange wings, skin side up, in single layer on prepared wire rack.
- Bake on the upper middle oven rack, turning every 20 minutes until wings are crispy and browned. The total cook time will depend on the size of the wings but may take up to 1 hour.
- Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer wings to bowl and toss with sauce.
For Buffalo sauce:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat stir together all sauce ingredients. Mix well until sugar has dissolved.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature before adding to wings (or prepare the sauce ahead of time and refrigerate).
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe?!
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.
I originally shared this recipe September 2014. Updated January 2020 with process photos and instructions.
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These were the best chicken wings my family and I have ever eaten!!! I’ll never make them any other way again!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
I made these for dinner and both my husband and I LOVED THEM! This is the best chicken wings have ever turned out for us, and I’ve tried so many methods — Instantpot + air fryer, air fryer, oven, etc. And the fact there is no oil for baking is wonderful. Highly recommend this recipe.
What is cracker black pepper?
Thanks for finding that typo! It is meant to say “cracked black pepper”.
I used to cook professionally so this recipe felt off. Well, that’s because it is. The baking powder made the wings taste terrible, use cornstarch instead. I didn’t bother making the sauce, I could tell it would be nasty. Instead I made my tried and true buffalo sauce recipe – 2 parts hot sauce and 1 part butter.
Hi Sarah, you have to use aluminum free baking powder–as stated in the recipe. It will not taste right with a baking powder that has aluminum.
Turns out perfect everytime!
Can confirm their greatness…my husband said these are the best wings he’s ever had. I didn’t have the full amount of brown sugar (ran out) so they had more heat, and I added ~TBSP of butter. Amazing!
This was just awful. I followed it exactly and someone must have made a transcription error with the ingredients. Baking POWDER? Did you mean soda? Perhaps corn starch? Five pounds of wings unsalvageable. Had to order pizza for the family.
Hi Karen, baking powder is a common ingredient for chicken wings, especially when they aren’t fried. It helps draw moisture out of the skin so we still get that delicious, crispy texture without frying. Did you by chance use baking powder that had aluminum in it? We recommend only using aluminum-free baking powder so you aren’t stuck with a metallic taste.
I just made these for a Buffalo Bill’s game. They were disgusting. I don’t know why you used baking soda instead of cornstarch ( I should have gone with my gut feeling with that) and the sugar in the sauce made it inedible. The baking soda made the wings crispy yes but inedible for sure. Thanks but mo thanks
Oh no, I’m so sorry they didn’t turn out how you expected! The recipe actually calls for baking powder, not baking soda—that little swap can definitely lead to a strong, off taste.
-Stacy
I agree. I did the recipe and yuck! My kids would not eat.
Hi Cheryl, you have to use aluminum free baking powder**, otherwise you’re right, it wont taste right.
Baking Powder, not baking soda…
Tried this recipe. WORST EVER !! You taste the backing powder which is discusting!! Threw out 5 lbs of wings..
Did you by chance use baking powder with aluminum in it? We recommend using only aluminum-free baking powder so you aren’t stuck with a metallic taste.
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar to 1/3 cup of hot sauce is a terrible ratio for Buffalo sauce would you not agree? This has to be a mistake or a typo.
Feel free to cut down on the sugar to adjust to your own preferences.
I tried your baked chicken wings and they are “out of sight” good. My wife took 1 bite and said “May I have a small plate of these, please.” The ultimate compliment!!!!
I’ve made a lot of different wing recipes. This one if the very best and I’m not going to look for any other recipe. My husband absolutely loved these! Thank you!