Baked chicken wings recipe
These oven baked chicken wings are seriously crispy, and incredibly easy. Tossed in a spicy buffalo sauce, they are the perfect addition to your game day snacks.
For more game day food, try my Island Spice Popcorn or crunchy and sweet corn fritters. Check out my snack recipes for both sweet and savory ideas.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
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Baked Wings
Baked buffalo chicken wings are a slightly healthier way to enjoy your favorite pub snack at home. They are crispy and juicy, without the mess of frying.
For another tasty baked wing recipe, check out my recipe for copycat Anthony’s Coal Fired Wings. It’s a dead ringer for the wings at the restaurant.
What you need to know
If you’ve been wondering how to bake BBQ chicken wings, you’re in the right place! Oven baked wings are a healthier alternative to deep frying, with the added bonus of not having to babysit a pot full of oil.
There are a few steps to ensure getting REALLY crispy wings. The first one is making sure the skin is dry before you start. Second, a bit of baking powder (not baking soda) will help get them crispy. Lastly, a very hot oven will give us the crispy wings we crave.
Ingredients
To make baked chicken wings, you’ll need a handful of spices and of course, some wings. We’re using party wings here, they are split into drummies and flats. Full wings will need to be split, wingtips discarded, or saved for stock.
- Chicken wings – Split wings (drummies and flats), wingtips discarded.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, baking powder.
- Frank’s Buffalo sauce
- Substitutions: Frank’s RedHot sauce will too, or your favorite sauce for wings.
- Butter – Makes the wings delicious and glossy.
- Brown Sugar – Helps to balance the heat a bit, and makes the wings a little sticky, just like your favorite restaurant wings.
- Dill pickle brine – Optional, but delicious. It gives the sauce a little zing.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make baked chicken wings. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Prep – Dry wings with paper towels and set aside.
- Mix ingredients for seasoning in a medium bowl, then add dried wings and toss to combine.
- Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C.
- Bake wings until golden brown and crispy! Then toss in sauce and enjoy.
These wings were great! I used the convection setting on my oven and put the wings on cooling racks on baking sheets as directed. The baking powder coating made them nice and crispy. We added a little of our own spice mix in the coating as well. Didn’t sauce all of them because they were really good without sauce. My husband is very picky about his wings and said they were just about perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!
-Reader Rebecca
Frank’s wing sauce recipe
To make the simple wing sauce: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Add buffalo sauce, brown sugar, salt & pepper, and pickle brine, whisk to combine, then set aside.
Baked chicken wings FAQ’s
It will take approximately 40 – 45 minutes, depending on your oven to get crispy baked chicken wings at 425°.
Make sure to lay the wings out in a single layer, with space between them. If the wings are crowded together, you won’t get golden brown, crispy skin.
To ensure really crispy wings: place them on a rack to allow the fat the drip off, and the air to circulate, and bake in a hot oven.
Best BBQ sauce for baked chicken wings
I served these baked chicken wings with buffalo sauce, but here are a few of our favorite homemade BBQ sauce recipes for some variety.
- Blueberry BBQ sauce for blueberry wings
- Bourbon BBQ sauce
- Peach bourbon BBQ sauce
- Apple BBQ sauce for wings
- Pineapple mango BBQ sauce for chicken wings
- Loquat BBQ sauce
Variations and substitutions
- Whiskey BBQ wings – Swap your favorite whiskey for the bourbon in any of the recipes above.
- Naked wings – For fans of plain baked wings, serve without sauce, but plenty of seasoning.
Serving suggestions
The classic celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese dressing are all you need, but if you really want to make it a party, try my buttermilk herb dip for dunking your wings.
Helpful tools and equipment
- Heavy duty sheet pans that hold up to high temps without warping.
- Parchment paper sheets are MUCH easier to use than tearing pieces off of a roll.
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Baked chicken wings with buffalo sauce
Equipment
- Sheet pan *a heavy duty sheet pan is best
Ingredients
Baked chicken wings
- 3 pounds Chicken wings, split drummies and flats, wing tips discarded
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Baking powder, aluminum free NOT baking soda *see notes
Buffalo sauce
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- ½ cup Frank's buffalo wing sauce or Frank's RedHot
- 2 tablespoons Brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dill pickle brine (juice) from the jar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C. Place rack in middle/upper middle position in the oven. *See notes.
- Pat wings completely dry with paper towels, then set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and baking powder.
- Place wings in a medium bowl, then sprinkle seasoning over them, tossing to thoroughly coat the wings.
- Spray a cooling rack with non-stick spray, and place it inside of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, or foil.Place wings in a single layer on the rack, leaving a little space between them so they aren't touching.
- Bake for 40 – 45 minutes (check them around 35 minutes if your oven runs hot), rotating the baking sheet halfway though baking time. *It could take up to an hour, depending on your oven.
- While the wings are baking, place butter in a microwave-safe dish, like a glass measuring cup, and melt in the microwave. (You can also do this in a small pot on the stove.)Add the buffalo sauce, brown sugar, pickle brine and a pinch of salt and pepper to the melted butter. Whisk to combine.
- Remove the wings from the oven, let them rest for 5 minutes, then transfer to a medium bowl.Pour the sauce over the wings, and toss until wings are evenly coated. Serve immediately with carrots, celery, and your favorite ranch or bleu cheese dressing for dipping, if desired.
Notes
- I’ve made wings without baking powder plenty of times, and they are still crispy. If you prefer to leave it out, the wings will still be good!
- If you have a fan in the back of your oven (convection), use it, and lower the temperature to 400°F / 200°C. The circulating air will help the wings to get crispy, and it helps ensure even cooking.
Nutrition
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These wings were great! I used the convection setting on my oven and put the wings on cooling racks on baking sheets as directed. The baking powder coating made them nice and crispy. We added a little of our own spice mix in the coating as well. Didn’t sauce all of them because they were really good without sauce. My husband is very picky about his wings and said they were just about perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much, Rebecca!!! I’m so happy that they were a hit! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating, I appreciate that sooo much!