Baked chicken wings are the perfect game day food. Drying the meat thoroughly and adding a light baking powder coating ensures crispy bites. Delicious straight from the pan or serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Table of Contents
Crispy oven-baked chicken wings are a tasty appetizer or meal to eat while watching the big game. For this recipe, we will bypass the deep fryer and use the oven instead. All you need is a little bit of oil to grease the rack to prevent sticking. That’s it!
Just because we’re not deep-frying doesn’t mean we can’t recreate a similar crispy texture. I use a simple drying method and just four ingredients that yield a culinary path to crunchiness. There’s also no flour which makes this meal gluten-free as well. So, turn up the dial on your oven, and let’s get cooking!
Chicken selection
When you purchase chicken wings, two parts are included in a package: the meaty drummette (a mini drumstick!) and a wingette or flat. The tips are usually trimmed off. I use two pounds of wings to make a big batch, about 20 pieces. It’s easy to reduce the recipe size or double it since the oven allows for more capacity.
Recipe Resources
Dry the meat thoroughly
Achieving a crispy texture starts even before cooking. Any moisture on the surface of the wings will create steam, which makes the skin soggy instead of crisp. Instead, dry the skin thoroughly with paper towels. This process eliminates the time required for the oven to drive off the moisture and brown the meat.
Flavorful seasonings
I toss the chicken in a seasoning mixture of baking powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. If you’d like, you can add garlic powder or onion powder for a more robust allium flavor, about ¼ teaspoon of each.
The fine powders in the baking powder help to wick up even more moisture. To make them extra crispy, you can dry them on the wire wrack overnight in the refrigerator before baking the next day. I do this for my roast turkey. It’s delicious!
Baking powder helps the crunch-factor
Baking powder may be a surprise, as it’s typically used as a leavening agent in baked goods. For these wings, the baking soda in the powder helps to accelerate browning and forms bubbles as the juices are released from the meat during baking. The bubble mixture hardens on the skin to enhance the crispy sensation.
Set the oven at a high temperature
To kickstart the browning of the chicken skin, bake at 450°F (232°C). The goal is to create deep-fried results using a consistent high oven temperature. Baking above 400 degrees speeds up cooking.
Place the pieces in a single layer on a greased wire rack to ensure the heat freely circulates above and below the meat. The excess fat drips down to the pan and prevents greasiness. Flip the wings two times to ensure even cooking and heat exposure.
Baking time
It takes about 45 to 50 minutes of baking at 450°F (232°C). The wings and drumettes contain white meat covered by skin and fat so it can handle the hot oven temperature. The skin will be super crunchy in just under an hour, and the meat will be fully cooked.
Serve with a dipping sauce
Frequently asked questions
The key to making baked chicken wings crispy is drying as much moisture as possible from the skin, coating it with baking powder, and cooking at a high heat of 450 degrees.
Yes! Flip a few times to ensure even browning on both sides of the drumettes and wingettes. Baking on top of a greased wired rack helps circulate hot air beneath the pieces.
Target 165ºF (74ºC) to thoroughly cook the poultry. Use an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat. Monitoring will prevent drying out in the oven
Baking powder contains alkaline sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and an acid-like cream of tartar or sodium acid pyrophosphate to create a bubbling reaction that hardens for crunch. Cornstarch is typically a drying ingredient in baking powder to prevent caking during storage, which also helps with crispiness. Cornstarch alone is not as effective for crunchy skin unless deep-fried.
Recipe Science
Why baking powder is the key to crispiness
Tossing the wings in a bit of baking powder does two things. First, the alkaline baking soda increases the pH level on the skin’s surface, which breaks down the proteins (peptide bonds) for quicker Maillard browning and flavor development. Second, the sodium bicarbonate reacts with moisture on the chicken—tiny carbon dioxide bubbles form, which dries and hardens. The result is crackly chicken skin.
Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- vegetable oil, as needed for oiling wire rack
- 2 pounds chicken wings, wings and drummettes
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven – Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Preheat to 450°F (232°C).
- Prepare the Baking Sheet – Line a large baking sheet with foil. Add vegetable oil to a folded piece of paper towel, then grease both sides of a wire rack. Alternatively, grease with cooking spray. Set the rack inside of a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet.
- Dry the Surface – Line a separate baking sheet or plate with paper towels. Place the chicken wings and drummettes on top, then thoroughly pat dry with more paper towels.
- Season the Meat – In a large bowl, whisk together baking powder, salt, and black pepper. Add the chicken and mix to lightly and evenly coat the surface.
- Bake – Evenly space the chicken on the wire rack. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip and continue for 15 minutes. Flip again and bake until the skin is golden brown and crisp, and the internal temperature reaches 165ºF (74ºC), about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve – Serve plain or with dipping sauces like buffalo, barbecue, teriyaki, or ranch.
Equipment
Notes
- Serving Size: 1 wing
- For Crispier Texture: Refrigerate the seasoned wings for up to 24 hours, uncovered, on top of a greased wire rack set in a foil-lined sheet pan. Remove from the refrigerator while the oven preheats, then bake in the same pan.
- For Garlic or Onion Flavor: Add ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder or onion powder for a more robust allium taste.
- Substituting Table Salt: Use ¾ teaspoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Baking Directly on a Sheet Pan: You can bake these wings without a wire rack, although they will be more greasy from the rendered fat.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Maria T. says
Made these for 8 year old, who is a big fan of crispy wings. I left out the pepper because he’s not a fan and added paprika instead. He loved them as they are, no sauce of any kind.
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo! Great to hear that he enjoyed the wings!
Laura says
great flavor. smoked paprika is the star here!
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks, Laura!
KRISTA says
I was struggling for a whole year trying to get these wings crispy. Either they came out soft or dry as the desert. I followed recipes from delish.com, epicurious, and many others websites, and I couldn’t replicate the results. I tried to experiment in both low and high altitude and nothing worked.
Until I saw you wrote 450°F which the rest instructed for 400 or 425°F. I just had to try and my goodness, the wings came out crispy, nicely golden brown, not dry, and juicy in the inside. I tested 2 batches, one with 1tbsp of oil and the other without today. Both came out great, but your method yielded crispier wings.
There was nothing left on the plate and I will make this again!!!!
Thank you for posting this!!!
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo! I’m thrilled that my recipe finally helped you achieve crispy baked wings! Did you serve with a sauce?
KRISTA says
I served the wings with teriyaki and ranch sauce. It was a hit! My husband pretty much inhaled the foods.
Jessica Gavin says
Whoo-hoo! I love the teriyaki and ranch sauce combo for the wings. Yum!
Valerie C. says
I’m making these wings for the 3rd time now, this time for my birthday. They have the amazingly crispy skin I’m looking for as well as awesome flavor! I use G. Hughes brand sugar free Thai Chili wing sauce to toss them in and dip in ranch dressing. AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe Jessica!
Jessica Gavin says
Happy birthday, Valerie! I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying the baked wings recipe. I’ll have to try the that chili sauce, sounds delicious!
Carol Walton says
An excellent recipe that I made tonight & my family was delighted with the results. Will repeat soon!!! I’ve already forwarded it to my friends & neighbors.
Thx so much…
Carol Walton,
Mobile AL
Doug says
Just found your site, love it! Am curious to hear your thoughts on something I do with all cuts, or whole, chicken that has the skin on: rinse all pieces, pat dry, season, put on a plate or tray in single layer uncovered in the frig overnight or at least 8hrs to dry the skin out. Bakes up really crispy, or on the grill too.
Jessica Gavin says
Glad you found me! I think it’s a great idea to dry the chicken in the refrigerator overnight for crispier skin. I do this for my dry brined turkey.
Rodney Adams Adams says
WHAT IS CONSIDERED A SERVING SIZE?
Jessica Gavin says
The nutritional information is per wing. Depending on if you are serving other items as an appetizer, it could be 3-5 wings per person.
Dadgrillsout says
Huge fan!! I throw mine on the grill and flip every 5 minutes until done. Usually 20-25 minutes.
Jessica Gavin says
I’ll have to try the grilling method with the wings!
Jennifer says
My son loves chicken wings!!! I just printed this recipe about 2 hours ago and he is eating them like a cave man as we speak. Every few minutes I have to remind him to breathe. They were super easy to make and I’m glad because I am sure he is going to ask for them again in a few days.
Jessica Gavin says
This comment made me smile, Jennifer! So happy to hear that your son is devouring the chicken wings. Great job!
Melanie says
These are a weekly staple in our house. Soo easy to make and so delicious!!
Jessica Gavin says
Amazing! What sauce do you serve the wings with, Melanie?
Maria Terry says
So simple and so good. I did add 1 teaspoon more baking powder to extend the breading. They were crispy and tasty. Sure they take time. I didn’t have to do anything during that time. Husband loved them. I will make these again and again. Love that they have Great result. Another winner, second one of the week. Love that they’re baked without oil, except on the rack. Winner, winner chicken dinner!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you, Maria! Thanks for sharing your adjustments with the baking powder. Did you dip them in any sauce?
Maria Terry says
I used yogurt blue cheese dressing as one option and sweet heat bbq sauce as the other. I ate several with no sauce because they tasted that good and they were crispy.
Jessica Gavin says
Ooohh, those both sound delcious!
geri says
How many pieces are in a single servng? I’m eager to try the baking powder trick.
Thank you!
Jessica Gavin says
The nutrition facts are based on 1 chicken wing.
Catherine says
I am such a fan and followed the recipe exactly but these wings were OVERCOOKED. The spices were perfect but the final result was such a disappointment…crispy yet DRY!!! I will continue to play with the cooking time/heat in hopes of finding a happy medium between crispy skin yet moist wing meat.
Jessica Gavin says
I appreciate your feedback, Catherine! Perhaps you could lower the heat to 350ºF in the last 12-15 minutes to finish the cooking but not have dry meat. Let me know how it goes.
Anne says
I found that the baking powder gave this a really weird taste that overpowered everything else. I followed the recipe to the letter. Will stick to just using plain flour.
Jeanine Howard says
Absolutely the best oven fried wings I have ever had. That skin! It was light and crispy! These are my go to wings from now on. Thank you Jessica!
Susan McNamara says
Do you toss the wings in oil also or just oil the wire rack? How much baking soda do you use? They sound great and can’t wait to try.
Jessica Gavin says
Just use the oil for greasing the wire rack. Use 2 teaspoons of baking powder, not baking soda.
Marcia King says
I would love to be able to do this with bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Is this possible?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Marcia- I feel like this method could work if you bake the chicken first to get the inside cooked, then turn up the heat for the skin to brown and become crispy. You can’t cook it at the high temp the whole time because the outside will burn and the thicker center would be undercooked.
Jacquelin Curry says
I LOVE this wing recipe. In fact, my entire family loves it. I have had to double it every time I make it. To Marcia’s point – do you think it would work with chicken tenders?
Anthony Carosella says
Good afternoon Jessica
I made the baked wings yesterday and they
We’re great I used two different types of pepper black pepper and also used Sichuan pepper corns and sea salt , they turned out great I had blue cheese ? and also I used lemon ? on them as well either way they were great
Beverlyn says
No need to marinate?
Jessica Gavin says
Marination not required, but you can if you’d like.
Steve Myerson says
I made these today. Instead of mixing the baking powder in the rub, I added it on after. So, I coated the chicken in oil, then sprinkled garlic salt, thyme, and black pepper. Then, dusted then with the baking powder and tossed them around a few times. Placed them on a baking sheet with parchment paper (no rack) and tossed them every fifteen min, three times.
They came out AMAZING!!! I saved this recipe in my paprika app. It is more or less a method rather than a recipe, as you can season the wings however you like. The key is to stick to the 450 oven and toss every fifteen minutes. The rack was optional as these came out perfect just on the sheet lined with parchment.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for the helpful tips Steve! You are rocking the wing method!
Scott says
Ok I’ll bite.Big college playoff games today & have 10 lbs of wings to cook.Never heard of baking powder,maybe it will impress a girl I like.
EDDIE says
Mine didnt come out right. I think it’s because I misread the instructions regarding how much baking powder. I coated them heavily and they taste like chalk. 🙁
Jessica Gavin says
How much baking powder did you add?
Jie Jie Oehlman says
This. Was. Delicious! Crispy. Tasty. The recipe is spot on! I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes! Many thanks!
Rupert Northcote-Green says
Thank you for the recipe! First thing I have cooked in years that the kids liked, ate and finished! I was still told that Mum’s cooking is better, but hey, I’ll take it! 🙂
Dolores says
My smoke alarm went off when I opened oven for the first turn. Even though it was very cold outside I had to open all.my windows. I only cooked around a pound and had to use at least four tsp. of baking powder.
Wings did turn out crispy, however.
I have to find a way to stop my smoke alarm if I make these again. My dogs were traumatized…lol.
Heike Grabow says
Oh my goodness. Same here 🙂
I got them in the oven now. Curious to see how they turn out.
Hannah says
My significant other has been bugging me to try making wings, for years, but I never did because I don’t have a fryer. But after he asked again, yesterday. I figured maybe you can bake them, and came across your recipe. 100% set the fire alarm off, but my family says it was 100% worth it haha. I wanted to cook some baby potatoes at the same time, so I set one oven rack a little higher than the middle, and one a little lower, planning to switch them halfway through.
Started the chicken on the lower part, and the fat dripping from the chicken burned on the foil lined pan, which I didn’t notice until I opened the oven. Opening the oven, fat smoke billowed out and set off the fire alarm. I was 15 minutes from done, so we accepted that I may set the alarm off again, and switched the chicken pan to the top and the potato to the bottom. I’m pleased to say the fire alarm did not go off again haha The chicken skin crisped up beautifully.
My significant other said these wings were better than Buffalo Wild Wings, which were his go to wings. So much so that he’s currently telling me about all the sauces he wants to buy, to try on these lol. These probably would have been fine with no sauce but I don’t think anyone in the house tried them without. Definitely trying this again. Hopefully I won’t set off the fire alarm next time.
Jessica Gavin says
Hannah, your story made me smile! You can try adding a little water to the bottom of the pan to prevent burning next time but don’t do too much or it won’t be as crispy. I’d love to hear what other sauces you make for the wings. I have a buffalo sauce on my website that would pair perfectly with the baked wings.
Anne Graham says
Would it work to add the baking powder to a dry rub, to give them some extra flavouring?
Pauline says
Yes they were crispy, at least until you dipped them in sauce, then got mushy. Also had a gritty texture to them that I suppose came from the powder.
josh Gannon says
Thanks for the recipe. After the oven I tossed them in butter and hot sauce in a hot pan. Not healthy but just like a restaurant. Everyone loved them thanks again!
Phoebe says
I tried this at lunch and the whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Kari says
I added a sweet and spicy kimchi sauce to mine! So good!
Patty says
Delicious! I almost didn’t believe that they would be…easy, and yes, crispy skin!
Ella says
Ahhhmazing!!! Super simple and….oh miracle…brown crispy skin!!! Thank you!
Erika says
This was amazing! It takes a long time but well worth it. Super crispy! My husband said he preferred it to fried. Thank you!
Apona says
I was confused about the rack part and the pan and can’t I just put the chicken on a pan?
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Apona- When you put the chicken on a rack sitting in a pan it allows the air to circulate under the meat and the fat to drip off into the pan. You can definitely try it directly in a pan, I’d love to hear how that turns out!
Vickye migliaccio says
I put it directly on the pan. I think left enough fat to just make it juicy. I don’t like dried out meat.
Very good recipe. I’m definitely saving it!!
Sheila Clear says
Great recipe made them tonite Thank You
Christine says
Thanks for the easy, healthier baked chicken wings! It turned out crispy and perfect and used bbq sauce to dip but was wondering is there maybe another spice to add that would add more taste to the chicken?
josh Gannon says
Add garlic or make your own dry rub to toss them in afterwards. Maybe coriander and or something sweet.
Judy says
Could I make these in an air fryer Jessica
Jessica Gavin says
I’m sure you could, but I don’t have one yet so I’m not sure how to advise.
Deborah Foley says
Do you oil the both the sheet pan and the rack
Jessica Gavin says
No, just oil both sides of the rack and put foil down on the pan to make it easier to clean up.
Judy Caywood says
Love the tips science here Jessica. I am always learning from the best teacher, YOU!!!
JJ says
Baking powder!! Never, ever learned this! I’m getting some wings today and try this!
Jessica Gavin says
Let me know how it goes JJ!
JJ says
EXCELLENT! I bought cleanly trimmed drumettes at the deli. Washed them, laid them out on a (very) clean tea towel on top of the butcher paper and wrapped them up (chicken, towel, butcher paper) to towel-dry while I prepared “Chinese Lettuce Wraps with Ground Turkey” (also one of your recipes…OMG!). It took more baking powder than the 2 t, and I was generous with kosher sale & pepper…all tossed well inside a zipper bag.
Elevating them on a rack and turning is essential. Your instructions are to cook ~15 min, turn, cook ~15 min and turn again, and that’s when they really started to get crispy. The aroma of baking chicken was amazing; they came out golden brown, succulent, and we enjoyed the skin, (something we’ve avoided eating for decades).
These delicious little drumettes lend themselves to getting dunked in all kind of sauces…a real staple recipe for making chicken that’s tender & juicy on the inside and crispy-crunchy on the outside. Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you so much for your insightful feedback JJ! How much baking powder did you end up using? Maybe increase to 1 tablespoon?
JJ says
I bought 20 drumettes, and admittedly, after the first 2 tsp of baking powder quickly disappeared, I just gave the can a generous sprinkle into the bag and stopped there. I think I may have added a HEAPING Tbsp. and even that only slightly coated them. After adding more salt and more pepper & smooshing well to coat, I just let it rest. I realized the baking powder wasn’t there to cover (as in egg wash-and-flour or panko) but that it’s just to dry the skin slightly. But after 30 min of cooking (with 15 more to go) the baking powder really kicked in and gave me great crispy skin. For once, I actually had something come out that looked EXACTLY like the pics. I was elated!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your helpful feedback! I’m so happy to hear the results were as you expected 🙂
Lucia says
Doesn’t the baking powder give them a weird taste
Lana Modelo says
Love your Chinese receipes. Do you have a book on these recipes? If so, where to buy? Thank you.
JJ says
It’s on Amazon: Easy Culinary Science for Better Cooking
It has great pics & instructions, but the biggest reason I love this book is for the easy-to-understand, brief explanations of the ‘chemistry’ in cooking…why certain elements are used in a recipe for the best results. It has a lot of Chinese-influenced recipes (first time I used Hoisin sauce was through one of her chicken recipes) but her focus is very healthy, fresh recipes with easy-to-find ingredients. It’s one of the best cookbooks I have…because I actually use it! Highly recommended.
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you SO much JJ, you made my day! So happy that you are experimenting in the kitchen and enjoying the results 🙂 Happy cooking!
Felix says
Jessica, I recently purchase the Power AirFryer Pro Plus. It has been staring at it for 3 weeks. Did I mention it’s a virgin. So I asked Google for air fried recipes for chicken wings. And your site came up in third ranking placement for baked chicken wings.
What would need to be changed for a airfryer wings. My unit is automated with 1 button presets for the basic and most common foods to prepare in the airfryer.
Von says
Felix, I too, use an air fryer. You will want to select the preset that has the highest temperature. The booklet that came with your unit should specify what the time and temperature is for each preset. It may be that the highest temperature preset does not have enough time so you may need to go through the preset cycle more than one time cutting short the the last time through the preset. I do chickent wings and thighs regularly. We love the very crispy skin that results, even without using the baking poweder (but will try that). I do use baking soda on crispy pork belly, which has the skin on it.
Wishing you great success.
Regina kegg says
baking soda and baking powder are mentioned in this article. Just wondering if this is a misprint.
Jessica Gavin says
Hi Regina- No, that is correct. There is baking soda in the baking powder, but I updated the content to make that more clear. Thanks 🙂