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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I’d like to take these to a picnic. Can these be served at room temp or would they be better if I put them in an open crockpot to keep warm? Love your recipes!!
They will be fine either way, but keep in mind that they will lose their crispiness if served either room temp or out of the crockpot.
These wings were delicious! My husband generally doesn’t like wings but he said they were so good. I baked them for 15 minutes and then turned them and baked for an additional 1/2 hour. I will definitely be making these again.
My family loved these wings! The technique was so easy. I have always avoided making wings at home but am so happy I tried this recipe.
These are the best wings I’ve ever made! My family ate them so fast I couldn’t get a picture!
Made these today for my grandson since adults were havimg your “pasta e fagioli”. He is 14 and has not acquired a liking for soups yet. Doesn t know what he’s missing….this soup is delicious. About the wings….one of your easiest recipes and it delivers ! I made ranch and bq sauce for dipping. Grandson was enjoying them so much that the adults had to check them out too!
I made 3 1/2 #. There are 4 left ! I truly enjoy your cooking site. I can always depend on each recipe. I thank you for helping me receive the accolades from your talent and hard work.
Made these today with drumsticks for the second time and they were very good! My daughter and husband loved them when I made them Super Bowl Sunday but I had neither sense of smell nor taste, so the perfect crunch and tender meat were just complete torture as my family raved about the flavor while I couldn’t even detect the pungent Buffalo sauce. Lol.
Today after we enjoyed this recipe for lunch I pulled all the meat off the remaining drumsticks to make my daughter and I two servings of your chicken curry salad to have for dinner.
The bones are now in my instant pot with the water from the parboil and all the scraps of onions, Shallots and garlic I have been stowing away in my freezer per your cookbook recommendation. I feel so efficient at the moment and look forward to having some bone broth to sip on/cook with this coming week! =)
Made these for Super Bowl and they didn’t last long. A hit with my family!
Dear Jen,
I made these last night for the Big Game and they turned out super great! I was a little worried about the spices- that they might lead to a more Mexican-style chicken wing but I think the smoked paprika tempered all the flavors! Not sure but they were delicious, crunchy, and so easy! I even received a second compliment from my husband this morning, saying, “Those wings were really great last night.” (Code-speak for “Make them again” LOL)
This was the first time I ever made wings. They were delicious! Very easy to follow the recipe, although I made 5 lbs, but plenty of flavor with the spice amount given. I have made many of Jenn’s recipes and they all have been really good!
I love this recipe, though I overcooked the wings. Subtle crunch and lovely taste.