Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings – The Secret To Making Crispy Wings

There is nothing better than taking a bite into a crispy oven baked chicken wing that has been tossed in your favorite wing sauce. And there is nothing more disappointing than biting into a chicken wing where the skin is rubbery, even if the meat is nice and tender.

Although you never have to worry about getting crispy skin when they are cooked in a deep fryer, we all know that this isn’t the healthiest option. Instead many of us, especially on Super Bowl Sunday, will try to find other methods to cook wings.

Chicken wings are the most popular food consumed during tailgate or game watching parties. And the Super Bowl is no exception.

Although many of us enjoy making and eating Smoked Chicken Wings not everyone has a smoker in their back yard. In addition, in some areas during this time of the year, it may be too cold or snowy to do so.

Instead, you may opt to make Air Fryer Chicken Wings. This is a great way to get crispy wings, however, if you are wanting to make a large batch of wings, using an air fryer might not be the best option.

When Not To Use An Air Fryer When Cooking Wings

Many air fryers are too small to cook 3 or 4 pounds of chicken wings at the same time. Therefore, if you are having a few people over to watch the game or if you are feeding a crowd, you are most likely going to need to bake the wings in the oven.

So how do you make sure that the wings are cooked properly? With just a few ingredients and a few key tips and tricks you will have no problem making them perfectly crispy on the outside and fall apart tender on the inside.

The Secret Ingredient To Make Crispy Chicken Wings

Although you could place chicken wings and drummettes directly into the oven and hope that they come out crispy simply from the heat of the oven, there is one ingredient that will guarantee that this will happen.

And that one ingredient is Baking Powder. Yes, the same baking powder that you use to make baked goods rise.

Baking powder is a slightly alkaline mixture which raises the skin’s pH levels. This allows proteins in the skin to break down more efficiently, resulting in crispy baked chicken wings.

In addition, when mixed with salt the moisture is drawn out of the skin, allowing it to crisp up nicely. However there is one slight catch.

It is best to use aluminum free baking powder. This is because that when it is used on the skins surface and put in the oven there is a residual metallic taste that some people find unappealing.

Unfortunately many of the baking powder brands located in grocery stores contain aluminum. However, there are a few brands that will label their baking powder as aluminum free or no added aluminum.

Bob’s Red Mill, Gefen, Baker’s Choice, and Rumford are all brands that have aluminum free baking powder available for purchase.

Although, if you are not extremely sensitive to certain tastes you may not notice the metallic taste at all. Especially if you toss the wings in your favorite sauce after they have been baked.

Other Important Tips

In the recipe below I take you step by step for making the best crispy oven baked chicken wings. However, I want to reiterate here that you must follow the methods below to make sure that they turn out perfect every time.

1. Be sure to pat the wings completely dry before they are seasoned and go into the oven. If there is moisture on the skin the wings will steam and remain soggy.

2. Place the uncooked seasoned wings in the refrigerator to allow them to dry out even more. As much as you are going to want to skip this step, don’t! It is vital that the skin is dried out as much as possible. .

3. Place the wings on a metal rack inside the baking sheet to allow air to circulate all around the wings. The rack will also allow the wings to not sit in the residual juices during the cooking process.

4. For an extra-crispy wings place the cooked wings under a broiler for a couple of minutes. Although this isn’t necessary to get crispy wings, some people like them extra crispy.

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds chicken wings
• 2 Tablespoons baking powder, *aluminum free
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracker black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Use paper towels to pat the wings completely dry. *Keep patting them dry until the paper towels no longer absorb any liquid. Place the wings in a large bowl.

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. Place the wings in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Place an oven rack in the middle-upper position of the oven. Then preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire baking rack inside the baking sheet. Spray the rack with non-stick spray. Arrange wings, skin side up, in single layer on prepared wire rack.

Bake the chicken wings for 40 minutes – 1 hour, turning the wings every 20 minutes. Continue to cook until the wings are crispy and browned.

*Bake time will depend on the size of the wings. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 180°F when put in the thickest part of the wing/drummettes, being sure to stay away from the bone.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. If desired place the wings in a bowl and toss with your favorite wing sauce.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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