Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
These crispy baked chicken wings come out perfectly golden and crunchy without any deep frying! They’re seasoned with a simple blend of spices and a little baking powder—the secret ingredient that helps chicken wings get extra crispy in the oven.
These are such an easy appetizer for football season, game day, parties, or even a fun family dinner. You can serve them straight from the oven with ranch or blue cheese for dipping, or toss them in the sweet and spicy Buffalo sauce included below.
Best of all, you only need a handful of simple ingredients and your oven does most of the work. No messy frying oil required!
If you’re looking for more easy appetizers, try my Bacon Wrapped Smokies, Pizza Dip, Chicken Caesar Salad Skewers, or Stromboli next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Extra crispy: Baking powder helps create that crispy chicken wing skin without frying.
- Easy to make: Season the wings and let the oven do the rest.
- No deep frying: You get crispy wings without dealing with a pot of hot oil.
- Perfect for entertaining: These are great for football season, game day, parties, and casual get-togethers.
- Easy to customize: Toss them in Buffalo sauce, BBQ sauce, honey garlic sauce, or whatever your family loves.
- Family-friendly: Leave some wings plain and let everyone choose their own dipping sauce.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these crispy baked chicken wings:
- Chicken wings: Use wings that have been separated at the joints with the wing tips removed. You can also buy them already split to save time.
- Baking powder: The secret to getting crispy wings in the oven! Be sure to use aluminum-free baking powder and not baking soda.
- Salt: Enhances all of the flavors.
- Black pepper: Adds just a little peppery flavor.
- Paprika: Adds flavor and helps give the wings a beautiful golden color.
- Garlic powder: Gives the wings an easy savory garlic flavor.
For the Sweet Buffalo Sauce
- Frank’s Wings Hot Sauce: Gives the sauce its classic Buffalo flavor and heat.
- Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness and turns the Buffalo sauce into a sticky sweet-and-spicy coating.
- Water: Helps everything combine into a smooth sauce.
How to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
1. Prepare the Baking Sheet
Preheat your oven to 425°F with the oven rack positioned in the upper-middle portion of the oven.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place an oven-safe wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Dry the Chicken Wings
Use paper towels to pat the chicken wings really well until they’re as dry as possible.
Don’t skip this step! Removing excess moisture from the skin is one of the keys to getting really crispy baked chicken wings.
3. Season the Wings
Add the chicken wings to a large bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken and toss until every wing is evenly coated.
4. Arrange the Wings
Place the wings skin-side up on the prepared wire rack in a single layer.
Try to leave a little space between the wings so the hot air can circulate around them as they bake.
5. Bake
Bake the chicken wings at 425°F for about 45–60 minutes, turning them approximately every 20 minutes.
The exact cooking time will depend on the size of your wings. They should be beautifully golden and crispy when they’re finished.
6. Add the Sauce
Remove the wings from the oven and allow them to rest for about 5 minutes.
Serve them crispy and plain with dipping sauces or transfer them to a large bowl and toss them with the sweet Buffalo sauce.
How to Make Sweet Buffalo Sauce
Add the Frank’s Wings Hot Sauce, brown sugar, and water to a small saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until the brown sugar has completely dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly before tossing it with your crispy chicken wings.
Expert Tips
- Dry your wings really well. The drier the chicken skin is before baking, the better it will crisp.
- Use baking powder, not baking soda. They aren’t interchangeable in this recipe.
- Use aluminum-free baking powder. This helps prevent a metallic aftertaste.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Leave space between the wings so air can circulate.
- Use a wire rack. Elevating the wings allows hot air to circulate underneath them and helps the entire wing crisp.
- Wait to add the sauce. Bake the wings until they’re completely crispy before tossing them with sauce.
- Serve immediately. Wings are at their crispiest right after baking.
Variations
One of the best things about this crispy baked chicken wing recipe is how easy it is to change up the flavor.
- Classic Buffalo: Toss the wings with your favorite Buffalo sauce.
- Sweet Buffalo: Use the brown sugar Buffalo sauce included in this recipe.
- BBQ Wings: Toss the baked wings in your favorite BBQ sauce.
- Honey BBQ: Mix BBQ sauce with a little honey for sweet and smoky wings.
- Honey Garlic: Toss the wings in a sticky honey garlic sauce.
- Garlic Parmesan: Toss with melted butter, minced garlic, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.
- Plain Crispy Wings: Skip the sauce entirely and serve the seasoned wings with different dipping sauces.
Watch How to Make It
What to Serve with Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
If you’re serving these wings for game day or a party, pair them with easy finger foods like:
- French fries
- Potato wedges
- Mozzarella sticks
- Chips and dip
- Celery and carrot sticks
- Mac and cheese
- Coleslaw
- Ranch dressing
- Blue cheese dressing
- Extra Buffalo sauce
You can also turn them into an easy dinner by serving them with roasted potatoes, mac and cheese, or a simple salad.
Make Ahead & Storage
Make ahead: You can season the wings several hours before baking and keep them uncovered in the refrigerator. This can actually help dry out the chicken skin even more.
Refrigerator: Store leftover chicken wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
Reheating: For the best results, reheat the wings in a 400°F oven until they’re hot and crispy again. You can also reheat them in an air fryer.
I don’t recommend microwaving them if you want to keep the skin crispy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secret to crispy baked chicken wings?
The combination of thoroughly drying the chicken, coating it with a little baking powder, baking it on a wire rack, and using a high oven temperature helps create crispy skin without frying.
Can I make baked chicken wings without a wire rack?
Yes. You can bake the wings directly on a foil or parchment-lined baking sheet, but they may not get quite as crispy underneath. Be sure to turn them throughout the baking time so both sides can brown.
Can I use baking soda instead of baking powder for chicken wings?
No. Do not substitute baking soda for baking powder. Baking soda is much stronger and can give the wings an unpleasant flavor. Use aluminum-free baking powder for this recipe.
You’ll Also Love
If you love easy game day recipes, try these next:
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings halved at the joints and wing tips discarded
- 2 tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Sweet Buffalo Sauce
- ⅓ cup Frank’s Wings Hot Sauce
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and position the oven rack in the upper-middle portion of the oven.
- Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe wire rack on top and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pat the chicken wings very dry with paper towels and place them in a large bowl. Removing as much moisture as possible will help the wings get extra crispy.
- In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken wings and toss until all of the wings are evenly coated.
- Arrange the wings skin-side up in a single layer on the prepared wire rack, leaving a little space between each wing.
- Bake for 45–60 minutes, turning the wings approximately every 20 minutes, until they’re golden brown, crispy, and cooked through. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the wings.
- Remove the wings from the oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve the wings immediately as-is with your favorite dipping sauces or transfer them to a large bowl and toss with the sweet Buffalo sauce.
- To make the sweet Buffalo sauce, combine the Frank’s Wings Hot Sauce, brown sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly before tossing with the wings.
Video
Notes
- Baking powder: Use aluminum-free baking powder and do not substitute baking soda.
- For extra crispy wings: Make sure the wings are very dry before adding the seasoning.
- Don’t overcrowd: Leave space between the wings on the rack so the hot air can circulate.
- Sauce after baking: Don’t add sauce until the wings are fully baked and crispy.
- Other sauce options: Try BBQ, honey BBQ, honey garlic, garlic Parmesan, or your favorite bottled wing sauce.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days.
- Reheating: Reheat at 400°F in the oven or use an air fryer until warmed through and crispy.
