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These Oven Baked Chicken Wings have perfectly crispy skin and juicy meat inside. Baked wings are healthy and so easy to make, without all the grease from deep frying. They taste delicious with BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce and your favorite dips for game day or as a main.
If you’re looking for easy party snacks, try making chicken wings in the oven. After just 40 minutes at 400°F, they come out crispy and delicious — so much so that you won’t believe they’re baked, not fried. With no grease, no excess oil, and no fuss, there are plenty of reasons to love this recipe.
My two favorite cooking methods for chicken are baking and air frying. Just like air fryer chicken tenders and air fryer chicken wings, cooking wings in oven gives you the same result of deep frying. But in a healthy, low calorie and low fat way. So you can finally dip crispy wings in your favorite sauce, also if you are on a weight loss diet!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
This recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients, no flour or baking powder. Here are some details about what you’ll need. For the precise quantities, check out the recipe card at the end of this blog post.
- Chicken wings. I recommend chicken wings that are already split into flats and drums (also known as “party wings”), but you can get regular wings and divide them yourself. If you bake frozen wings, allow them to thaw completely before seasoning.
- Olive oil. Coating wings with olive oil helps the skin crisp up and improves all flavors. You can replace it with melted butter, avocado oil, or vegetable oil. But don’t skip it.
- Salt. Adjust the amount of salt to your own preferences, I used 1 1/2 teaspoons.
- Seasonings. Garlic powder, smoked paprika and ground black pepper give your wings a burst of flavors.
How to choose chicken wings?
The best chicken wings for baking are either “party wings” or whole wings that you can split yourself. Party wings are pre-cut into drumettes and wingettes, which makes them so convenient. If you choose whole wings, you will need to split them into drumettes (the parts that look like small drumsticks), and wingettes, (the flatter part with two bones).
How to make baked chicken wings
STEP 1 – Prepare the oven. Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place a wire over it. Lightly grease the baking rack with cooking spray or oil.
If you don’t have a rack, you can line the seasoned wings over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. In this case you will need to flip the wings halfway through, approximately after 20 minutes.
Baking chicken on top of an oven safe baking rack allows the hot air of the oven to circulate freely and bake wings crispy all around. If you don’t have a wire rack, you can line the seasoned wings over a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. In this case you will need to flip them halfway through, approximately after 20 minutes.
STEP 2 – Prepare the chicken. Split chicken wings into flats and drumettes, if you haven’t already. Once you are done, use a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel to pat dry the chicken completely. Make sure you pat it dry very well, as this ensures the crispiest texture.
Here’s how to split chicken wings into flats and drummetes!
First of all, find the joints where the wing bends. Using a sharp knife, cut through the joint between the drumette (the thicker part) and the flat (the middle part). Then, cut through the joint between the flat and the wing tip (the small end).
STEP 3 – Season the wings. Add chicken wings to a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper into the bowl. Toss to coat all pieces with the seasonings.
STEP 4 – Prepare for baking. Arrange the seasoned wings on top of the prepared rack, spacing them apart without overlapping.
STEP 5 – Bake chicken wings. Bake wings at 400 °F (200 °C) in hot oven for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. To check for doneness, you can measure the inner temperature with an instant thermometer. It should read 165°F (74°C).
Recipe variations
- Change up the seasonings. Add your unique touch by tossing the wings with lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, Everything but the Bagel seasoning, cayenne pepper, onion powder, or garlic Parmesan.
- Brush with sauces. About 5 minutes before they’re done baking, remove the wings from the oven and brush them with BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, hot sauce, or honey mustard. Then finish baking for about 5 minutes.
- Use frozen wings. Thaw the wings overnight in the fridge. The next day, pat them dry, season, and bake until crispy.
Success tips
Pro tip for making baked chicken wings crispy, extra crispy. Before seasoning, pat the raw or thawed wings very well with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. This step is important for making the skin crispy. We want them to be coated with a little oil, salt, and seasonings — not water.
- Toss the chicken pieces with olive oil before adding the seasonings. The oil helps the seasoning stick better, making the wings extra crispy and delicious.
- To make crispy chicken wings in the oven, bake them on a rack coated with cooking spray. This allows hot air to circulate and make them crispy all around.
- Pay attention to the baking temperature. The best chicken wings oven temperature is 400 degree Fahrenheit (or 200 degrees Celsius), it makes them super crispy outside and tender inside.
- Serve oven baked wings warm, with your favorite dipping sauces. Recommended sauces are BBQ, hot sauce, Buffalo, honey mustard, avocado dip, guacamole, and garlic mayo.
How to store and freeze baked chicken wings
How to store leftovers. Before storing, allow the baked chicken wings to cool completely to room temperature. Once cool, place them into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in hot oven at 350°F for 10 – 15 minutes, until they are warm and crispy.
How to freeze chicken wings. Let cool first, then transfer the wings into zipper bags. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Before serving, take them out of the freezer, line over a prepared sheet and bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until they are warm and crispy.
Serving ideas
These baked crispy wings are perfect for game-day snacks, as party foods, or as a main course for dinner. They taste delicious with a variety of dipping sauces such as barbecue sauce, keto BBQ sauce, Buffalo sauce, honey mustard and mayo. As a main, they perfectly complement salads and pasta dishes like Mexican street corn salad, Caprese salad, Italian pasta salad, cottage cheese Alfredo pasta and spinach pasta.
As a snack, the best way to serve baked wings is alongside crispy air fryer sweet potato fries, carrot fries, or low calorie fries. Dipping them in ketchup, BBQ sauce, Ranch sauce, blue cheese sauce, homemade Big Mac sauce, or mayonnaise makes them irresistible for both kids and adults!
Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 lb (1.3 kg) chicken wings, divided into flats and drums
- 2 tbsp olive oil, or melted butter
- 1 ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place a wire over of the sheet (see notes*). Lightly grease the baking rack with cooking spray or oil.
- Split chicken wings into flats and drumettes, if you haven't already.Once you are done, use a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel to pat dry the wings completely.
- Add chicken wings to a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and black pepper into the bowl. Toss to coat all pieces with the seasonings.
- Arrange the seasoned wings on top of the prepared rack, spacing them apart without overlapping
- Bake chicken wings in hot oven at 400°F (200°C) for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden brown. To check for doneness, you can measure the internal temperature with a food thermometer. It should read 165°F (74°C).
Notes
Why baking wings on top of a rack?
- I recommend baking chicken wings on top of an oven safe baking rack. This allows the hot air of the oven to circulate freely and bake wings crispy all around.
- Place the rack over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. This will make the cleaning much faster because the sheet will capture any oil or grease coming from the chicken.
- If you don’t have a wire rack, you can line the seasoned wings over a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. In this case you will need to flip them halfway through, approximately after 20 minutes.
