Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
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Skip the fryer and discover the secret to super crispy baked chicken wings! With a simple parboil trick, these wings will become your new go-to for game day or casual gatherings.
I love crispy chicken wings but not always the thought of deep-frying. Grilled chicken wings are a great option in the summertime, but what about rest of the year? Baked chicken wings are a popular alternative, but if you’ve tried other recipes, you know they rarely turn out crispy as promised. I have a solution for that! Instead of relying on baking powder, which many recipes use with mediocre results, I parboil the wings before roasting. This step melts away excess fat, ensuring the wings crisp up beautifully in the oven—no frying needed.
To amp up the flavor, I coat the wings in a bold spice rub before baking. They’re good on their own, but if you’re in the mood for classic Buffalo wings, I’ve got you covered with an easy Buffalo sauce. And, of course, no wings are complete without a side of 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: Feel free to choose between drummettes, wingettes (flats), or a combination of both, often referred to as “party wings” in stores.
- Vegetable Oil: Helps to crisp the skin in the oven and allows the spices to adhere to the wings evenly.
- Spices (Chili Powder, Cumin, Smoked Paprika): Lend a rich, smoky, and slightly spicy flavor.
- Butter: Combines with the hot sauce to create a rich, flavorful coating that adds depth and mellows the heat.
- Frank’s Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce: Gives the wings their classic hot and tangy flavor, essential for achieving that signature buffalo wing taste.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Bring a big pot of water (about 4 quarts) to a rolling boil, then toss in a tablespoon of salt. Add the chicken wings, let the water come back to a boil, and cook them for 7 minutes.
Drain the wings well in a colander—keep in mind that they’re only partially cooked at this stage.
Spread the wings out on a 13 x 18-inch baking sheet. Grab a wad of paper towels and blot them as dry as possible—this helps them crisp up in the oven. Drizzle with oil, then sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Use a rubber spatula to toss everything together until the wings are evenly coated.
Bake for 15 minutes, then take the pan out of the oven and flip the wings over with tongs. Pop them back in and bake for another 10 minutes, or until they’re crispy all over.
To make the Buffalo sauce, whisk together the butter and hot sauce in a small bowl until smooth. If it starts to solidify as it cools, just warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop to bring it back to a pourable consistency.
Transfer the baked wings to a serving platter and serve with Buffalo sauce, if you like. And if you’re planning ahead—baked wings reheat nicely! Once they’re fully cooled, store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to dig in, just pop them back in the oven until they’re hot and crispy again.
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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Hi Jenn,
I made these this weekend, and had an issue with the wings I sauced. I followed the recipe, except that I tossed some of the wings in the sauce, and put back in the oven for about 3 min. The sauced wings were not crispy at all, but the wings that I did not sauce were crispy. Where did I go wrong? Is it because I put them back in the oven after saucing, and should have just dipped in the sauce, rather than tossing in sauce and back in the 450 degree oven? The flavour was great though, and loved the crispyness of the unsauced wings!
Hi Debbie, With baked wings it is best to serve the sauce on the side for dipping, as coating them in the sauce will cause them to get soggy. Hope that helps!
Surprisingly crispy. I made these for Super Bowl Sunday yesterday and we were all surprised at how crispy they turned out. They were a nice and healthy alternative to the usual Wing Stop. I will definitely make them again. The sauce wasn’t as much as a hit. My family prefers spicy wings. However, I thought the sauce was simple and good.
Thank you for sharing.
I made these last night for Super Bowl, we loved them and easy to make. The key is to make sure you start with good, meaty wings. Another great recipe from Jenn. Thank you.
Benna
Great flavor and perfectly crisp. Wish I had made double!
I’ve never made a more perfect wing! So so good.
Ok! I’m weighing in at halftime of the Super Bowl tonight……..
We loved the wings!!
Very good!
Enjoyed the spices and they were very easy to put together. Love the baking as opposed to frying. We used our favorite bottled hickory/brown sugar bbq sauce cuz that’s what we like.
Another super recipe Jenn!
Thanks for sharing. 😋
I made these for today’s Super Bowl game and they tasted great. Thanks for yet another excellent recipe. Unfortunately, my home smoke detector alarms were going non-stop for 40 minutes. Very curious if others had this same smoke issue. I should have known better….a 450F oven and that much oil is going to produce enough smoke that high quality smoke detectors will alarm. (My oven was clean prior to baking the wings in case you were wondering if that was the source of the smoke). I live in Wisconsin and when I was baking these today it was 1 degree F; however, we had to open windows and doors to silence the alarms. We were making these for the Super Bowl today….ended up missing the first quarter.
Oh no! I’m so sorry you had smoke. I’ve never had that issue. Did you by chance use the convection setting? Next time, I would reduce the oven temp to 425; they may just take a bit longer.
I am the pickiest wing lover ever so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I definitely got the unexpected because these are the best wings Ive ever had. Fried or otherwise. The rendered fat before cooking it so brilliant. Who needs fried wings when these exist? Absolutely amazing. I’m going to make them at least once a week. Thank you 😊
The wings got stuck to the pan. Great thinking here. Well done.
So sorry you had trouble, Marty. It might be time to replace your sheet pans. These are the ones I use.
Jenn,
Thanks for this tasty recipe! My husband loves crispy wings, but I’d never made them until today. They turned out great! (Splitting the wing joints was the hardest part.) I don’t do much frying, so was impressed to get that crispy texture by baking them on the oven.
Hi Jenn,
I’m so happy that you posted this recipe in your email. Usually, when I am thinking of a recipe for chicken wings it’s too late in the day by the time I actually get home and remember to look one up, and as I always save your emails to try out different great sounding dishes, it was there… at hand, and all the ingredients I had anyway. My wife and I were not disappointed. Crispy, delicious hot wings, although my wife has asked me to use mild chili powder next time as opposed to the hot chili powder. Great recipe Jenn, followed it to the letter and it turned out perfect and in my opinion, and for me at least… no tweaking required.