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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Will definitely try this next football game, also need to make milder wings, like honey or plain. What would the in ingredients for those? Thanks.
Hi Laura, you could just use paprika on the wings and omit the optional Buffalo sauce. For the ones with honey, you could go the same route but just drizzle them with honey when they’re done cooking. Hope that helps!
Will definitely try this recipe. Love the idea of preboiling. I do that with sausages before my husnad grills them.
Was just thinking – couldn’t I, after boiling and drying the wings, put them in a large bowl and then add the oil and spices. Might be easier to mix and get them all coated. True, it’s another thing to wash, but heck, that’s what my dishwasher is for-:).
Thanks again for all your recipes.
Sunny
Sure, Sunny, that’s perfectly fine — hope you enjoy! 🙂
Made these wings to accompany Sunday football watching. Followed the recipe to a T and they came out so crispy and tasty. Superbowl worthy!
This recipe is phenomenal!! I’ve made this a few times and it is a HUGE hit. I give it a 10+ on a rating scale. It was just as good, if not, better than restaurant wings. Not to mention, you save a bundle of money vs ordering wings. This is the best wing recipe and I share with everyone who loves wings.
Thank you!!
Hi Jennifer,
Greetings from Ontario, Canada. Thanks to you I’m a better cook than ever before. So far every recipe that I’ve tried has turned out so deliciously that my hubby says it’s restaurant quality food! You are my “go to” for preparing my meals. I have your cookbook too and look forward to your second one. 🙂
I have a question on this recipe- can I grill the wings on the bbq? And if so, how long for? Much thanks again & God bless you!
Patricia
So glad you like the recipes and they’ve given you more confidence in the kitchen! Sure, you can grill the wings. I’d follow the cooking guidance from this recipe. Please LMK how they turn out!
Thx Jenn. Hoping to try this weekend and will let you know.
Grilled the wings and they turned out perfect. A keeper for sure!!! Thanks again, Jenn!
So glad – thanks for the follow-up!
My family’s a little obsessed with fried chicken and I’m a little exhausted by the process of the traditional route; this is the next best thing. Fast, flavorful, moist. So good! I choose to cook mine on a cooling rack set on a foiled baking sheet, convection setting, 25 degrees lower than whatever she has posted. Perfect. Every. Time. I’m hoping to using this cooking method with Alton Brown’s Thai Chili Wing recipe izzz gonna be tasty.
Delicious but you need to use non-stick foil! Mine stuck badly to foil, pulling off most of the skin. Will make again with that modification!
These are fabulous! We are huge buffalo chicken wing fans and these did not disappoint. I broiled them for just a few minutes skin side up at the end of the baking time to crisp up the skin a bit more. We will definitely have these again. I loved that they were spicy, crispy, and not fried. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Hey Jenn,
The wings were a big hit! I just didn’t make enough!!!! I had a bit of an issue with sticking.
How far in advance do you think I can par-boil, so I can make more? Also any thoughts on the sticking, a rack/grate maybe?
Hi Shellie, So glad you enjoyed the wings! From a food safety standpoint, I wouldn’t recommend parboiling them without baking them right after. As for the sticking, it may be time for a new nonstick sheet pan — I like these.
I use these same exact pans and I love them. I always spray some Olive oil cooking spray and my wings didn’t stick. The pans are well worth it and they are easy to care for. No dishwasher, just hand-wash.
try Reynolds Wrap non stick foil…I can’t live without it
Well, the searching for a GREAT chicken wing recipe is over!! Made these for our Friday night dinner and they were beyond delicious. The ‘par-boil’ is key! No changes or additions needed…perfection. Thank you, Jenn 🙂