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Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings are simple to make as a deliciously satisfying appetizer or meal. Chicken wings are seasoned and then baked for an addictively crispy skin with no greasy frying!

baked chicken wings in a red basket with carrot and celery stiskc

This chicken wings recipe is truly a family favorite. We serve them at parties, on game day or for family movie nights. With lots of different flavors to choose from, like Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parmesan, Salt and Pepper Wings or BBQ Chicken Wings, baked chicken wings are as easy choice that’s budget friendly and easy to prepare.

Crispy Chicken Wings are delicious, but the messy frying doesn’t thrill me. That’s why I love this baked chicken wings recipe. It’s healthier and easier than frying, because they bake up crispy in the oven with hardly any effort!

Don’t want to mess with the bone? Try my Boneless Chicken Wings!

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The Best Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

We love finger foods for game day or just a fun family movie night! Baked Chicken Wings are almost always on the menu, and we love to serve them with some of our other favorite appetizers, like French Bread Pizza, Jalapeno Popper Dip, chips and homemade Guacamole, and Fried Ravioli.

Chicken wings are somewhat of a guilty pleasure, but I can enjoy these guilt free because they are baked instead of fried. Plus I can make buffalo wings and control the heat or customize for everyone with one of my favorite sauces. Honey glazed is one of my favorites!

buffalo chicken wings on a baking sheet

Ingredients

  • Chicken Wings – Use a combo of flats and drumettes, or separate out and only use drumettes if you prefer. If frozen, you need to thaw first.
  • Flour – Helps form a crispy coating around the chicken.
  • Baking Powder – Forms a reaction with the skin and helps dry it out, which is crucial to a crispy skin.
  • Cayenne Sauce – Frank’s Red Hot or something similar. This is not a wing sauce, although that can be used.
  • Butter – Use real butter, not margarine, for the best flavor.
  • Seasoning – Chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper

How to Bake Chicken Wings in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 450℉. Preheating and roasting at a high heat will help attain the crispy skin you’re looking for.

chicken wings with flour in a bowl

Dry and Coat: Pat wings dry with paper towels and toss them with the flour, baking powder and seasoning. It’s very important to shake off excess flour or there may be some residual flour after baking.

baked crispy wings on a baking sheet

Roast: You have 2 options for baking – flat on a baking sheet or on a baking rack. If you have a rack, you’ll get better air flow and a crispier result. If you don’t, just cover a baking sheet with foil and you’re wings will still get crispy. Either way, make sure to spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for about 30 minutes, flipping them about halfway through.

Saucing Your Wings

If you’re making the buffalo sauce, you can do that while the chicken is in the oven. It’s basically just hot sauce and butter, melted together. You can make it as spicy or mild as you like. You can also leave your wings unsauced – they have a great flavor already.

chicken wings in a bowl with buffalo sauce

Toss baked wings in the buffalo sauce or any sauce of your choosing.

FAQs

How Long does it Take to Bake Chicken Wings?

Using my foolproof method, wings take about 30-40 minutes to bake at 450℉, or until they are golden brown and crispy. Flipping them halfway through helps them to brown evenly.

How does baking powder make chicken crispy?

The baking powder (not to be confused with baking soda) is really what makes all the difference for crispy chicken wings. When you coat the chicken it dries out the skin leaving it crispy and crunchy when baked. The more sciency explanation is that there is a reaction when the salt and baking soda combine that changes the PH of the chicken skin.

Will this work with chicken drumsticks?

A lot of readers have asked if this recipe works with chicken drumsticks. Spoiler alert – it does! Check out my easy Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks.

Expert Tips for Crispy Wings

  • Pat them dry. When you take them out of the packaging, you need to pat them dry really well. The dry they are the crispier they will be.
  • Flour + Baking Powder. Some recipes don’t use baking powder but it really does help with the crispy skin.
  • Tap off excess flour. Be sure to tap off any excess flour mixture before placing these on the rack. This will keep your wings from tasting bitter from the baking powder.
  • Use the rack. If you don’t have one, get one. They are really inexpensive and super useful in the kitchen.
  • Don’t crowd the pan. Space your wings far enough apart so they aren’t touching and the air can circulate around them for even cooking.
  • Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
buffalo chicken wings on a large baking sheet with carrots and celery and ranch

Serving Suggestions

Of course you’ll want to make sure you have carrot and celery sticks to help cleanse the palette, as well as some creamy Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing for dipping. I actually like to mix the two together for a great flavor.

If you’re looking to make these wings a meal, add some of these yummy sides:

hand dipping a chicken wing in ranch dressing
Recipe

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

4.71 from 130 votes
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings have a crispy texture without messy frying! Customizable flavors and simple prep for crowd-pleasing baked wings!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pounds chicken wings or drumettes thawed or fresh (about 3 dozen pieces)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoon baking powder
  • Bottled Cayenne Hot Sauce like Frank’s Red Hot
  • Butter not margarine

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Rinse chicken wings and trim any excess skin. Do not remove the skin or you will lose the crispiness. Pat chicken dry.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and seasonings. Add chicken and coat with the flour mixture. Shake off excess.
  • Prepare a large cookie sheet by covering with foil and spraying with cooking spray.
  • Arrange chicken on the cookie sheet, at least an inch apart.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes, turning once after about 20 minutes.
  • While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Add about a ½ cup of the bottled cayenne hot sauce and a stick of butter to a small saucepan. Heat on low and stir until butter is melted and sauce begins to bubble. Taste. If the sauce needs more heat go ahead and add some in batches, or add a few dashes of Tabasco.
  • Transfer wings into a large bowl. Pour the sauce over the wings and toss to coat.
  • Serve with celery and carrot sticks and a side of ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Notes

I typically do a 1/1 ratio of butter to hot sauce. If you want more heat, add less butter. For less heat, add less hot sauce. The great thing is that you can keep adding one or the other until you have a taste you love.
Nutrition information does not include hot sauce and butter since the amount used is to personal taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 318kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 24gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 492mgPotassium: 625mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 378IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 2mg
Keyword baked chicken wings

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. We love this recipe and have made it many times. Today I am making it for a Super Bowl party. Quick question, I plan on cooking the wings at home, should I wait to sauce the wings until I arrive at the party?

    1. Hi Sherry, Sorry I didn’t see your question sooner. You would probably want to wait and sauce your wings just before serving to make sure they stay crispy. I’d love to hear how they turned out!

  2. Does the baking powder need to be aluminum free? I have baking powder but it does not specify that it is aluminum free.

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