For baked chicken wings that are perfectly crispy, you need our three-step method that’s loved by hundreds of thousands of cooks, cooks who come back here over and over again to make them. It’s the best chicken wing recipe ever!
Good news! You don’t have to deep fry wings in order to end up with deliciously crispy chicken. You can easily make trays of wings for game day in the oven with my crispy baked chicken wings recipe. A little bit of baking powder and a two-step baking method gives you delicious wings without a lot of effort.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
- Video: How To Make Crispy Oven Baked Wings
- Why Bake Chicken Wings?
- Why These Baked Wings Are SO Crispy
- Why Use Baking Powder?
- Can You Use Baking Soda Or Cornstarch?
- Time and Temperature for Baked Chicken Wings
- How To Bake Chicken Wings So They’re Extra Crispy
- Seasoning The Wings
- Sauce For Baked Wings
- Even Better Crispy Chicken Wings?
- More Chicken Wing Recipes
- Podcast Episode: Baking Chicken Wings
- Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
Video: How To Make Crispy Oven Baked Wings
Here’s a short video showing the three-step baking powder method for making crispy baked chicken wings. You’ll see the three steps in our process: (1) baking powder, (2) low temperature, (3) high temperature.
Why Bake Chicken Wings?
There are several factors that influence how you might choose to cook your wings. Here are the reasons that you might want to bake yours.
- You want a lot of wings. You can fit a lot more wings on a pan in the oven than you can in an air fryer or in a pot for deep frying. This means you can make a lot at once without working in batches!
- You want a hands-off process. Once they are in the oven, you don’t need to move them around or flip, making it super easy.
- You want crispy skin! With my baking method, you get wonderfully crispy chicken skin with very little fuss.
You can see in this How to Cook Chicken Wings post that we compared different ways of cooking chicken wings and baking is best for cooking for a crowd and the best option for crispy skin other than deep fried chicken wings.
Why These Baked Wings Are SO Crispy
These chicken wings are seriously so crispy, you’d think they were deep-fried. There are three reasons why they give you that crunch:
- They use a small amount of baking powder which helps crisp the skin, see more about why this happens below.
- They are baked at a low temperature first to really dry the skin out and to give the baking powder time to start working.
- High heat at the end to finish cooking the wings and to really brown and crisp the skin.
“My son says they’re as good as from his fave wing shop!”
Melody, TheCookful reader
Why Use Baking Powder?
Baking powder is a leavening agent usually used in baked goods such as cookies and cakes. It’s a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. But interestingly, when mixed with salt and dusted on chicken, after cooking, the chicken skin is extra crispy. Why does this happen?
It happens because baking powder is alkaline (the opposite of acidic). The addition of the baking powder therefore raises the pH level in the chicken, allowing the peptide bonds in the skin to break down, which in turn lets the skin get more crisp and brown.
You can also use this method with other cuts of chicken, like these amazingly crispy Baked Chicken Drumsticks. And, I’m going to tell you below how adding baking powder to a wet brine mixture can also get your crispy chicken skin.
Use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder
Note that while most of the comments below this post are very positive (people seriously love this method of baking crispy wings!) a couple of commenters noted a bitter taste on their wings. I at first thought that they were using baking soda instead of baking powder. Doing so would definitely lead to a terrible taste. However, they claimed that they were really using baking powder for sure. I was stymied until another helpful commenter posted this link showing that some people are sensitive to a flavor that is found in some brands of baking powder.
Baking powder that contains “sodium aluminum sulfate” has a bitter taste to some people. If you notice this flavor, you’ll want to try a different brand of baking powder. The Rumford Brand is aluminum-free, so that’s one to try. And note that Rumford is not a sponsor of this post or anything like that. We just know for sure that they are an aluminum-free brand.
Can You Use Baking Soda Or Cornstarch?
Baking soda is NOT a good substitute for baking powder. While baking powder does contain baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking soda alone is stronger and has a very metallic taste if used without being neutralized with an acid. The cream or tartar found in baking soda is acidic and neutralizes that taste.
In the comments below this recipe, several people have asked if they can use cornstarch instead of baking powder. While people do use cornstarch on their wings to make them crispy, it works in a different way. Baking powder changes the pH of the skin so that the skin itself gets crispier. On the other hand, when you put cornstarch on wings, it’s the cornstarch coating itself that is toasting and crisping.
Therefore, my answer is that you can use cornstarch on wings, but not as a substitute for the baking powder in this recipe – it won’t work the same way and the amounts would not be equivalent.
Time and Temperature for Baked Chicken Wings
We start at the low temperature of 250°F for 30 minutes to dry out the wings.
Then, without removing the wings from the oven, increase the temperature to 425°F and bake for 40-50 minutes more. This cooks the chicken through and browns the wings to crispy perfection. If your wings are smaller than average, you will likely only need to cook them for 30 minutes at this step.
How To Bake Chicken Wings So They’re Extra Crispy
Prep and Season
If you have whole wings, you can learn how to cut chicken wings here. (When you cut ten wings, you end up with 30 wing pieces. That’s 10 drumettes, 10 flaps and 10 wing tips. You’ll either discard the wing tips or save them for another use. That leaves 20 wing pieces that you’re using here.)
Note: You can leave the wings whole if you prefer and it won’t affect the cooking time. I think they area little more awkward to eat though. You also can leave the wing tips attached to the flap, but there’s so little meat on there that they aren’t the best to eat.
Once they’re all cut up, put them into a big bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of aluminum-free baking powder (and NOT baking soda!). It doesn’t seem like much but you’re not trying to make a coating for the wings here. You’re trying to change their pH level so that they will crisp up better. Mix it up, I usually just toss it around or get in there with my hands.
I’ll also say that I am somewhat of a perfectionist and so to get a really even coatingthat is dispersed well on the wings, what I usually do is to put half of the wings into the bowl, sprinkle with half of the salt and baking powder, then add the other half of the wings and sprinkle with remaining salt and powder, and then I mix them with my hands. That just reduces the likelihood that the salt and baking powder will be overly concentrated on some wings.
Use A Wire Rack
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to make clean up easier. Then set an oven-safe metal rack onto the baking sheet. Spray the rack with cooking spray or lightly oil it to help prevent the chicken from sticking. Place the wings on the rack.
The rack is really helpful for crisping the wings because it allows air to circulate all around the chicken pieces so that they get evenly crisp. It also lets the fat drip away from the chicken so they’re not sitting in pools of fat, which will also reduce crispiness.
Start at a Low Temp
Place the chicken in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes. This gets some of the fat rendered from under the skin and starts that drying out process. Here’s how they look after 30 minutes. These are not cooked. Do not eat them yet.
Finish with High Heat
Leave them in the oven and crank the heat up to 425°F and cook 40-50 minutes more, until golden brown and so crispy. If your wings are smaller, skinnier ones, you will likely only need to cook them for 30 minutes at this step. If they’re crispy on the outside and their internal temperature on an instant read thermometer is 165°F, they’re done.
Note that a lot of people’s ovens aren’t calibrated well and usually run a bit lower than is displayed. If your wings are not browned well after 40 minutes, increase the heat to 450°F or even 475°F to get a final bit of browning on them.
In general, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer that sits in your oven and tells you the actual internal temperature. They’re inexpensive and very useful if you’re trying to perfect your cooking. They sell them at a lot of grocery stores, and you can also get one on Amazon here.
Seasoning The Wings
You can season them before baking, but sometimes some spices burn from the high heat. I therefore prefer to toss them with just the salt and baking powder for baking and then add flavor with a spice blend and/or sauce after.
Having said that, this wing dry rub contains baking powder and great seasonings and works beautifully – these spices don’t burn.
After baking, my favorite is really just adding more salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Use regular fine salt, which is more likely to stick to the wings, not kosher or anything thick here. A bit of tajin seasoning thrown in is always good too! Or try these seasoning blends that are great on wings. And yes, pizza seasoning is one of them and is my kids’ favorite on crispy baked wings!
Sauce For Baked Wings
These wings are so crispy that I find it a shame to add moisture to them and lose any of the crispiness with a sauce, but if you must toss them with a sauce…
This easy decadent homemade Buffalo sauce will blow your mind or grab some BBQ sauce.
And then you’ll need a great dip, like ranch or blue cheese dressing. I prefer ranch dressing. You can grab a bottle at the store, make your own with fresh herbs like this, or make homemade ranch seasoning with ingredients from your pantry and stir together 1 cup of sour cream with 1 tablespoon of the seasoning. It’s so fresh-tasting and delicious!
Even Better Crispy Chicken Wings?
I have to tell you something. So it is absolutely true that the recipe below, the one I’ve been telling you about so far, is the one I’ve been using for over 15 years and is the one that everybody raves about it. I love it and my readers keep coming back and making it over and over. I still stand by it and it is still the same recipe down there that it has always been.
However, recently, I’ve started doing things a little differently at my house. I’ve started brining the wings in a mixture of water, salt, and you guessed it, baking powder. Why?
- The baking powder flavor is undetectable with the brine method.
- The chicken wing meat gets nicely seasoned right though from the salt brine, so much flavor.
- I swear, the skin is even crispier! It even kind of bubbles up in places as though it’s deep fried.
So, if you want to try something new, head over to my new crispy baked brined chicken wing recipe.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
If you haven’t guessed it already, I’m obsessed with chicken wings. Here are all of my chicken wing recipes for you to browse through. If you specifically want to bake wings but with a different flavor, try our Zesty Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings! They are baked with baking powder, salt, and lemon pepper seasoning, and then have fresh lemon zest and cracked pepper added at the end, which is so crazy-good! Or, if I haven’t convinced you that baking is the way to go, here are some other ways to cook your wings:
Podcast Episode: Baking Chicken Wings
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
For perfectly crispy baked chicken wings, you need our trusted three-step baking powder method loved by hundreds of thousands of cooks.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 20 wings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 10 whole chicken wings, cut into flats and drumettes (here’s how to do it). Discard tips or use for a stock. That leaves you with 20 wing pieces total
- 1 Tbsp. aluminum-free* baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- Sauce or dry rub
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place an oven-safe rack on top of cookie sheet. Spray rack with cooking spray or lightly oil it.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to toss the flats and drumettes with the baking powder and salt until chicken is evenly coated. But do not add extra baking powder, just mix them so they all have some.
- Place wings on the prepared rack in single layer. Transfer rack with the cookie sheet under it to oven and cook for 30 minutes. This baking at a low temperature dries the wings out and allows the baking powder to penetrate.
- After 30 minutes, leave the wings in the oven but raise the heat to 425°F. Continue to cook until brown and crispy, 40-50 minutes.**
- Take wings out and let rest 5 minutes. Toss in a delicious sauce like this one and serve.
Love this recipe? I’d appreciate it if you could scroll down and add a *5 star rating* to help others know they’ll love it as well!
Notes
This post originally appeared in January 2016 and was revised and republished in December 2024.
Amazing recipe… if you prefer a flavour you can add any dry rub…. like jerk or peri peri. i mixed 1 tbsp of dry peri peri rub, 1 tsp of black pepper. Some dry rubs already have salt so you don’t need it if you’re using a jerk or peri peri rub.
Hi Christine,
Thank you so much! I’ve used this recipe many times and my wings are so crispy! I’ve seen so many recipes but none compare to this one.
I’m going to make me some low carb General Tso’s Chicken today with this method.
Naomi, Tell me how the General Tso’s works out. What a great idea! Are you using wings or other kinds of chicken pieces? I’m intrigued.
Best stumbled upon recipe ever! Turned out as if it was from a deep fryer. I can’t wait to make it again.
Cheryl, So so happy you liked the wings. Thanks for letting us know!
I made them today. I didnt read entire recipe so the time needed didnt fit my sched. I also didnt use a rack. I know. Why bother reading the recipe, huh? So i tossed some of the wings in aluminum-free baking powder (from Trader Joe’s!!!), Salt, garlic powder, & pepper. I put in at 400 for 30 mins. Bingo! Perfect. Tiny bit oily cuz sitting on pan. Next time ill allow yr time allotment & use a rack.
Total fail. 25 minutes at 250° and then over an hour at 425°. NOT CRISPY. Not worthy of my wing sauce. There is no substitution for deep frying chicken wings. It was a nice try but total waste of money. Wings were well done and had no crisp or crunch.
I tried this recipe today and followed the directions as stated. I DID NOT add baking powder and the wings were crispy and was the best wings I have made. Never would have thought to try the low to high temp change. Thanks for this. This will be the way I make wings from now on.
Hi Christine! I love chicken wings; however, I have always been intimidated by them. I have considered making them in my crock pot, but I am not impressed with the recipes. I want my wings crispy! I have decided to go for it and use your recipe. I just have one question. I want to make them before the Superbowl game this Sunday. If I make them, say, mid afternoon, will they maintain their crispiness when we eat later? If not, do you have any suggestions for when I should start them? Many thanks.
LaWanda, They are best cooked right before you want to eat them. They won’t stay crisp for hours after that. I have had success re-crisping wings in the oven the next day. But if you’re going to have to re-cook them to do that, why not just cook them at the correct time? Note that once they go into the oven they’re really hands-off and you don’t have to worry about them. 1 hour and 15 minutes before you want to eat, mix the wings with the baking powder and salt and then put them into the 250F oven for 30 minutes. Then increase the heat and cook them for the extra 45 minutes. Toss with sauce if desired and serve. Enjoy!
The wings I’m making are frozen. don’t have time for them to be completely thawed. Does that matter? Also, I don’t have a rack can I bake them with a broiler pan? thank you..
I bought some wings and gonna cook em your way. I followed instructions like two years ago and loved them, so I’m sure they’ll turn out great.
Thank you!
i really wanted to make these wings tonight but did not have any aluminum free baking powder so I made my own. I looked it up as to how to . for those of you who do not have the correct baking powder or if you can’t find it, it is made as follows: 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
thanks you for mentioning not to use the baking powder with aluminum. I found the recipe on
allrecipes.com
Paula, That’s great information. Thank you!
Hey, don’t be discouraged by the negative comments about this being an original recipe or whatever. I search for new recipes online often, this is a new one for me and I appreciate you posting it! I am trying it tonight and expect sensational results. Happy Cooking!
Most amazing wing recipe ever! No more $30 trips to the wing place!
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
I grew up in Buffalo, but don’t live there anymore. I used to cook wings in the bar I work at (in Buffalo). If you like your wings as they make them in Bflo, you probably like a crispier skin, and a wing that soaks up most of the sauce so that they are not dripping in the stuff. If you don’t live in Bflo, you probably can’t get wings like that in a restaurant. Well, now you can make them at home, this freaking recipe is awesome. Follow it just like it says (if you want to substitute things and make modifications, go back to the food network site), Once the wings are cooked toss them with sauce in a plastic bowl with a tight fitting lid, and ‘viola’ you’re back at Duff’s/Anchor Bar/Bar Bill/Gabriels Gate…
If you are unsure on how to make sauce, just buy regular old Franks hot sauce, and add it to melted butter in a saucepan, about 1/3 butter to 2/3 sauce will make a nice medium heat. I don’t think margarine, or olive oil or soy based, vegan, lactose free, non-GMO bread flavoring from Whole Foods will work, stick with butter.
So glad I found this recipe!
Thank you, Chris. I’m glad you found it too! Thanks for the tips!
I am going to try this weekend but wanted to sous vide the wings first. My thought was to sv them so they were fully cooked, dry them and then coat with salt and baking powder. I will have time to let them rest overnight before baking.Any input on this change? Time and temp different?
Matthew, I’m really not sure. I mean, they’re in the oven for such a long time. I’m worried that if they go in there fully cooked, they’ll end up dry. But I’m not postiive of that. The wing meat is so moist and the sous vide method is gentle. Good luck and let me know how they turn out, please.
I must have a “delicate palate” because I found the baking powder to have an off taste. I did brush them when finished with sauce and this masked the off taste. Next time I will just leave them naked and use the sauce at the end.
Rose, it seems (if you read above) that some people do detect the baking powder while most people don’t. It’s such a strange thing. Sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Wow, wickedly good! Thanks for sharing this tip.
I want to try this on drumsticks and chicken thighs next.
I love it when wings are crispy. What a great tip!