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.
It seems that this whole confusion started because certain manufacturers have labeled their product as “aluminum-free baking soda.” That would lead one to believe that there IS indeed varieties of baking soda that do contain aluminum, however, that is not the case.
We are talking about baking powder, not baking soda. Baking powder does sometimes (often?) contain aluminum. Here is some more info about it https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/why-aluminum-free-baking-powder-is-better-article
Sorry but have to say these were not as crunchy, crispy as everyone is saying. Followed the recipe exactly and the skin was chewy – not crisp. Also, very pale skin. I will try this again but will first dry my wings, coat with olive oil and then use the baking powder. I did like the sauce although I did not use as much hot sauce. The lemon garlic flavor was fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
Mary, I’m not sure what happened for yours. You might want to try getting an oven thermometer to make sure that your oven is at the correct temperature. Sometimes ovens are off. I have two ovens and have a thermometer in each one because they are not the same. The skin should have definitely been brown. Even the taste test we did with some wings that had the baking powder versus wings that did not, resulted in browning. You can see that here https://thecookful.com/par-cooking-wings-comparison-lyndsay/ . Sorry this didn’t work out for you.
Absolutely fantastic! So crunchy. The best homemade chicken wings ever! Just in time for the Super Bowl. My husband even likes them and he is picky about his wings! Thank you sooooo much.
Fantastic! Thanks for letting us know, Lisa!
Totally awesome. Best I have ever made. Just wish there was a Face Book button to share.
There is a facebook button at the top of the post and right under the recipe. Thanks!
I made these before in the oven and they came out great.
So now I’ve bought a nifty air frying toaster oven. What would you recommend I cook these on in the air fry oven? Same times/temps?
thanks!
Katie, I haven’t tried these in the air fryer yet. There is a post on our site for crispy air fryer wings that doesn’t use the baking powder process though. I Think it’s because the air fryer gets them crispy without needing that. Here it is https://thecookful.com/air-fryer-crispy-chicken-wings/ If you want to do the baking powder method though, yes, i would guess that the same temps and times will work. I wonder if they will cook and brown more quickly though. I’d watch them carefully.
Want to let you know I really loves your recipe for chicken wings. I use Costco’s Kirkland organic chicken party wing. It has the 1st and 2nd sections and ready to bake. I also use the Power Air Fryer Oven because it comes with a rotisserie basket that fits 2 packages of the Costco wings that’s about almost 4 lbs. I follow your instructions but cook it at 400 degree on the AirFryer oven for 40 minutes then check the temperature and normally have to cook it for another 20 minutes total 60 minutes. It comes out very crispy. About to make it again 4th time in a few minutes for tonight’s dinner.
Richard, That’s fantastic. Thanks for the info about the air fryer ofen. I have an air fryer but it doesn’t fit that much in it so I tend to stick with my regular oven for this. But I bet others will love knowing that they can do this!
I’m so confused. I was excited to try this out for the Colts playoff game. I thawed the chicken wings, patted them dry, added the baking powder and salt, cooked them on a rack like I always do, on the temps and times written above, and they came out LESS crispy than the way I normally bake them. Normally I arrange the frozen wings on a rack, bake at 500 degrees for 35 minutes, flip all the wings, then cook another 30 minutes. I do not drain the liquid as I believe it helps keep the chicken moist. They come out crispy and no prep work—straight from frozen to oven. So I’m not understanding what this recipe does for all the work involved. And why I’m not getting the expected results.
I don’t know what happened. These turn out really crispy usually. And we did a taste test between using the baking powder and not using it and there was a definite difference https://thecookful.com/par-cooking-wings-comparison-lyndsay/ I’m interested to try your method though. 500F for an hour, straight from frozen? And these are plain wings, correct? They haven’t been pre-sauced or pre-fried or anything like that? An hour at 500F would certainly make them very crisp though. I get that.
These were unbelievably delicious and crispy. The only change I made was I added Splenda to the sauce so it had a sweeter taste. My husband was totally blown away and is miserably full right now! Now, I am wondering if I should change the times if using my air fryer oven. It does cook a little bit faster. Any thoughts on that? Thanks!
Angela, We just posted an air fryer chicken wings recipe on the site here https://thecookful.com/air-fryer-crispy-chicken-wings/ but it doesn’t use the baking powder method. I should totally test that out. My best guess would be that the lower temperature part of the cooking would be the same, or close, and then that the high heat cooking would be less long.
HIt post too quick. LOoking for ideas on how to make the crispy wings and bring them to a party -not at my house. Keep warm in slo cooker? Warm up in oven at party? Best way to keep the mind crispy and not dry out
Michele, You would need to finish them at your friends. I think you could just do the last half an hour there and it should work.
Would like to bring exec to a party’s. An is i make th3 ha of duke keep warm? Or could I make and heat back up in oven at heck party. LOOKing for suggestions. THanks
Hi Christine! I stumbled upon your recipe, and followed the instructions. I failed and used the wrong baking powder and just wanted to ask if you might be able to put a bright yellow warning box on the top of the recipe to specify the type? I realize it’s within the body of your article but it’s not enough of a warning. It is really upsetting to waste a whole batch of perfectly good meat. 🙁
Hi Penelope, I’ve edited the recipe by putting “aluminum-free” in bold and added an asterisk with a note at the bottom of the recipe that explains about the baking powder. I hope this helps. I’m sorry you had trouble with your wings. I hope you try them again with great success! Best of luck, Christine
Amazingly good! Skin was crispy and the meat fell off the bone like a pork rib. I pretty much followed the recipe but added some cayenne pepper, garlic salt instead of plain salt and cajun spices to the baking powder and tossed in a maple chipotle BBQ sauce to finish. I like more heat so next batch will be mango habanero.
That sounds delicious, Rick. So happy you liked them!
Darn! Have these in the oven now and just reading all the comments… I went just by the steps in the beginning of the article and all is says is baking powder, mine has aluminum in it 🙁 have a feeling they might not taste so great.
Becky, I’m curious how they turned out. There was already a discussion at the top of the article about using aluminum-free baking powder, and it said that in the recipe itself at the bottom. However, I have also added it to step #1 so that others won’t make that mistake. I’m so sorry. However, I hope they turned out ok for you. The aluminum taste only seems to be noticeable to a small minority of people. I made this recipe with regular baking powder for ages before finding out that some people tasted that. Fingers crossed!
Hi I am making these tomorrow for a tailgate at the stadium. Can I heat up the sauce at the stadium and add it to the wings to heat them up.
Not sure how some people could hate this recipe. I doubled the recipe, cus I had about 40 wings, and it came out amazing. Crispy outside, tender juicy inside. I tossed half in buffalo sauce and half in bbq, they went very quick. Thanks for the great recipe.
You’re welcome, Alex. So happy you liked it. Thanks for letting me know!
So glad I picked your post! Thanks, these were terrific!