Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
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These crispy baked chicken wings come out beautifully browned and crisp without deep-frying. The secret is a quick parboil before they go into the oven.
If you’re looking for a baked chicken wings recipe that actually gets crispy, this is the one I swear by. I’ve tried the baking powder method that many recipes use, but I’ve never been happy with the results. My trick is to parboil the wings before they go into the oven. The brief simmer renders some of the excess fat from the skin, helping the wings brown and crisp beautifully as they bake.
Before baking, I toss the wings with a smoky spice rub that gives them plenty of flavor on their own. You can serve them just as they are or with Buffalo sauce, plus blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
“Super crispy…My husband, who is a wing nut, loved these. This is the only way I will be making my wings from now on.”
What You’ll Need To Make Baked Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings: Look for wings that are already split into drumettes and flats to save yourself some prep. If you buy whole wings, cut them at the joints and discard the tips or save them for stock.
- Vegetable oil: A neutral, high-heat oil is best for coating the wings before baking.
- Smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper: This simple spice blend gives the wings a smoky, savory flavor and plenty of seasoning even without sauce.
- Frank’s RedHot and butter: For Buffalo-style wings, toss the baked wings with melted butter and Frank’s RedHot Original. Frank’s is my go-to here for that classic Buffalo flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Boil the wings: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the wings, and boil briefly. This renders some of the fat from the skin, helping the wings crisp up in the oven. Drain the wings thoroughly.
Dry and season the wings: Transfer the wings to a baking sheet and blot them as dry as possible with paper towels, wiping away any moisture on the baking sheet, too. This is important—moisture will cause them to steam rather than crisp up. Drizzle with vegetable oil, sprinkle with the salt and spices, and toss until evenly coated.
Bake until crisp: Bake the wings in a hot oven, then flip and continue baking until browned and crispy all over.
Make the Buffalo sauce, if you like: Whisk together the melted butter and Frank’s RedHot. Serve the sauce on the side with the crispy wings.
Video Tutorial
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Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the Chicken Wings
- Salt
- 3 pounds chicken wings, split into drummettes and wings (tips discarded)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the Buffalo Sauce (optional)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 6 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce (or similar brand)
Instructions
For the Chicken Wings
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (235°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- In a large pot, bring 4 qts (4L) of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a rapid boil. Add the chicken wings, return to a boil, and boil them for 7 minutes. Drain the wings thoroughly in a colander.
- Place the wings on a 13 x 18-in (33 x 46-cm) baking sheet. Using a wad of paper towels, blot the wings as dry as possible (wipe off any moisture from the baking sheet, too). Drizzle the oil over the wings and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, the chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Toss with a rubber spatula until the wings are evenly coated. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and, using tongs, flip the wings over. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes more, or until the wings are crispy all over. Transfer the wings to a serving platter and serve with the Buffalo sauce on the side, if desired.
For the Buffalo Sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk together the butter and hot sauce. The sauce will solidify as it cools; reheat if necessary.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Can I make these without separating the wings into pieces?
I want to serve them with the tips on as whole wings to make it easier to hold.
I’ve made these before and used parchment paper to prevent sticking. Wings always come out crispy and juicy.
Glad they’ve come out well for you! Yes, you can serve them with the tips on.
Another 5 star chicken winner! My daughter’s comment, “mom these are better than what I have eaten in restaurants “. My grandson ate 7! I made the hot sauce and ranch dressing. A total hit . I did not expect them to be that brown, crispy and well received since it was first attempt at wings. Thank you kindly for giving me another way to make chicken that my family loved. The marinated and fried tenderloins strips have always been one of my family’s fav recipe of yours. I’ve shared your recipes with so many friends and family and always give credit to you. *for those who said they stuck to pan, I used the new heavy duty foil that says “non-stick”. It’s in the longer package which is needed to cover the larger pans . I had no issue with them sticking .
Great way to make baked wings! And the seasonings made them great on their own, although I am going to try to turn the leftovers into Buffalo style wings. I will admit that mine were not crispy after baking for 25 minutes, so I turned on the broiler, and they were crispy in a couple of minutes. And the water that was used to boil the wings – that’s the start of great chicken broth! Once I removed the wings, I added in the cut-off wing tips, plus some carrots, celery, garlic and onions (all can be sautéed if you like) plus some peppercorns. I let it simmer for a couple of hours and I had bonus chicken broth!
Delicious! I have a prep suggestion: blot the boiled wings in the colander with paper towels; get them dry per the instructions. THEN place them in a large bowl to add the oil and spices. It’s much easier to mix this way versus doing it on a baking sheet … and you get a more uniform coverage. Then transfer to the baking sheet and have it!
I did that! Let’s see how they taste – they are baking now.
When my family moved five years ago, my husband could no longer eat his favorite wings. I made these today and he said they were as delicious as the ones he used to enjoy so much. He’s tried so many restaurants’ wings and nothing came close. Thank you so much, Jen. I just ordered your cookbook, it’s the least I could do!
would like wngs that are not hot How should I change the spices
Hi Carol, assuming you use regular chili powder, the wings really won’t be spicy with the seasonings in the recipe; they’ll have more of a smoky flavor. I’d skip the optional buffalo sauce – you could use this blue cheese dressing for dipping instead if you’d like.
those were damn good! I’ve never had a recipe go sideways from you! I do wish there were more seafood recipes…but i have another outlet for that so I’ll let it be!!! thank you
Hi Jenn, I have a bag of frozen wings, should I thaw them before par boiling? Thanks you, and thanks for all your recipes. Dave
Yes, I’d thaw them first. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn. I love your recipes and look forward to making the crispy baked chicken wings. Can I substitute olive oil for the vegetable oil?
So glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can use olive oil here. Enjoy!
These wings were fabulous!! They were gobbled up at a tailgate party. Thanks for another great recipe!