This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
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!
Pin this recipe for later!Table of Contents
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!
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.
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.
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.
Toss baked wings in the buffalo sauce or any sauce of your choosing.
FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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:
- Garlic Bread – crunchy, buttery, and full of garlicky goodness!
- Homemade Baked French Fries – Much easier than you might think and so much better than the drive thru.
- Easy Baked Potato Wedges – Thick strips of potato coated in a homemade seasoning blend and baked until crispy.
- Macaroni Salad – A classic that has been in our family for more than 50 years!
- Simple Carrot Salad – Skip the carrot sticks and make this delicious shredded carrot salad!
- Southern Potato Salad – Tender potatoes with a creamy, tangy dressing.
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
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.
I hope this is true because I forgot baking powder, too. Realized it when I saw it on the counter as I put the wings in the oven! We’ll see how this turns out.
These look wonderful from the pictures but I was wondering since I’ll be making the for an older crowd can they be served without the last sauce step? Aren’t they already crispy at that point? That would avoid adding the dairy and having the chicken wings too spicy. Is the final toss in the hot saucy necessary? Thanks.
You can certainly eat these without the sauce.
Would this recipe still work if you marinated the wings before coating and cooking?
They should be dry before coating, so I’m not sure. I would prefer adding a sauce after baking.
Just made these for supper tonight! Delicious and crispy! I added Frank’s Red Hot kickin’ BBQ sauce to the sauce recipe.
How come you sauce and the wings looks orange color.Cayenne pepper sauce color is red .Did you use any other sauce which is orange in color.
When you mix the sauce with the butter it lightens in color. And the buffalo sauce on it’s own isn’t bright red.
Wow these look delicious. Love that it takes only 40 minutes and it only uses flour and stuff I have in the kitchen. Bought some wings today, will try this now!!
Hi. Was wondering if you had any nutritional info on these wings? Calories and carbs?
Thanks!
Sorry, I’m not able to provide nutritional information. But you can check out tons of free options online, like my fitness pal.
I’m from Texas and we love our chicken wings!! I make my chicken wings outside on our Weber but there are times weather does not permit so in the oven they go! Love this recipe. I use 1 bottle of Franks hot sauce, 1/2 stick REAL butter and 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar!! Try it!! You’ll love it y’all!!
Very excited to be trying out your recipe right now. I can hear it sizzling in the oven! I have never made hot wings before so I was scared, but after all these comments, I’m feeling very good about it. One question tho. I am making the sauce and am doing it just like you said but I used some hot sauce I bought from a local farmers market. Cayenne & Habenero. The sauce isn’t mixing smoothly with the butter. Is that normal? Thanks so much!
Hmm, I’ve only ever used Frank’s Red Hot so I’m not sure why it’s not working. Might be a different formula?
This is just mouth watering. Have to give credit to the pictures . Am sure this must be really delicious
Just made these and may I say… Superb! Very versatile to use with any sauce. Who knew baking powder would help crisp these babies up to perfection. Thanks for the recipe!
Can you re heat these chicken wings and maintain the crispiness ?
I haven’t tried…we just eat them cold! 🙂
Thanks you
You think will be ok if wings or breasts are skinless to be more healthy?
This method wouldn’t work with breasts. You could remove the skin from the wings but that would be a little time intensive.
Hi! Planning to make these in a few hours. I bought frozen chicken wings. Is that ok?? Should I thaw first or how should I do this?
Sorry I just saw your comment – They would definitely need to be defrosted before baking.
Hi! I’d like to marinate my wings for a couple of hours before coating them with flour, baking them, etc. What do you recommend I marinate them in?
Thanks!
Great recipe. Made this for labor day. My family and guest loved it. Instead of doing the sauce with butter, I used store bought hot sauce. Did some with sweet and spicy BBQ sauce. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad you enjoyed them!
This receipe is great! I didnt use buffalo sauce, just a salad dressing I had on shelf. Crispy and juicy!
BEST oven baked crispy chicken wings EVER. I made these today, I was a little sceptical at first, but the result – AMAZING. Seriously, just like fried. I reckon you could swap out the baking powder for rice flour and you’d get the same result, without that ‘waxy’ baking powder feel on your teeth. Congrats and thanks again, great recipe.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G
Hi, can we use barbecue sauce instead of hot sauce? If yes, should it be drizzled straight from the bottle or prepared with butter a short mentioned in this recipe?
YES! You can use barbecue sauce! Here’s how I did it: https://www.yellowblissroad.com/crispy-baked-barbecue-chicken-wings/