Chicken wings are the ultimate crowd-pleaser! Crispy on the outside and tender and juicy inside - this ultimate guide to oven-baked chicken wings will make you forget all about the greasy mess from frying!
These baked chicken wings are healthier, super easy to make, and even better than the fried ones! Try it yourself!
You will obviously need chicken wings, to begin with, but let’s break it down.
Patting the chicken wings completely dry before baking is essential! This is the secret to making the wings crispy and evenly baked.
If you have time, you can even leave them in the fridge unwrapped for a couple of hours or overnight before baking them. That ensures you have a super dry coating that won’t get soggy.
When you think about wings, you’re probably thinking about two different kinds. First is the so-called ‘naked’ wings - crispy on the outside and perfect for eating on their own. And the flour-coated wings that stick to sauces nicely.
Both of them are great! Since people love to enjoy their wings in so many different ways, we’ve come up with a basic dry rub that you can use to combine with other spices to make chicken wings that will satisfy any type of wing fanatic!
When it comes to seasoning all types of meat, nothing beats a dry rub if you want to get an exceptionally textured exterior.
2 tablespoons mix for 1 pound chicken wings
Adding baking powder raises the pH of the wings and thus gives it that beautiful extra browning. This is perfect for a variety of dry rub flavors. It creates a crunchier skin and a juicier, more tender meat.
Adding both baking powder and flour, the crunchier texture and brown color from the baking powder, the added flour creates a thin coating that is ideal for grabbing on sauces! So this variation is perfect for when you want to make baked buffalo wings, for example. If you’re not a fan of battered wings, you may like these better than deep-fried wings.
Take a look at how these three dry rub mixes work.
You should keep a jar of the basic rub at home at all times; it is a life-saver!
There’s nothing difficult about baking wings to crispy perfection, and that’s another reason we absolutely love it!
After you patted your wings dry and made one of the dry rubs, it’s time to season your wings. Make sure every nook and cranny gets a little bit of the rub.
Lay a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of the tray for an easier clean-up, and lay the wings on top of the roasting rack.
If you don't have a roasting tray with a rack, you can bake the wings on a baking sheet. But having the wings on a rack helps with air circulation and makes for crispier, evenly baked wings.
If you want your chicken wings to be as crispy as if you deep-fried them, you need to bake them at a high temperature.
The ideal temperature is 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). The baking time may vary depending on the size of your wings; it might take around 30-40 minutes.
Make sure to check on the wings and turn them over after 15 minutes of baking.
And there you have it - the most delicious crispy chicken wings without the greasy oil! Enjoy!
