How To Bake Crispy Chicken Wings

This is how to bake crispy chicken wings in the oven that you will absolutely love! We make these all the time as an appetizer or dinner and they come out crunchy every time. Here’s the trick to baking fresh or frozen chicken wings in the oven.

Crispy oven baked chicken wings

THIS is a great recipe when people come over to watch a game. Literally the PERFECT thing to cook where people will ask you for how you did it, and you can share. 😉 Just mix up a few different sauces and you’ve got the perfect appetizer or meal that is cheap for a large crowd (or just for fun at dinnertime).

They MUST be crispy baked wings though, soggy is no good! There’s an easy way to do that and I promise you you’ll never make them another way again after making crispy wings like these! You just need one ingredient in your pantry that is usually used for baking sweets.

Baked Baking Powder Chicken Wings

I know you love dry rub wings as an appetizer, they are such a hit. We’ve eaten these and our teriyaki chicken drumsticks for dinner before since we all love them so much! Sometimes finger foods can make your things think you are a real hero with a cape, and that can’t hurt anyone’s ego. 😉

I’m not a fan of frying anything in a bunch of oil so this crispy baked chicken wings recipe is amazing, as well as making this air fryer wings dry rub style too! You know how I do love my small countertop appliances but realize not everyone has them so “old fashioned” methods needs to be shared too. 😉

You only need a few items which is totally my style. Get the kids involved with this one too, they can help you make these and have fun with it! They come out as crispy as deep frying but NO oil is needed believe it or not. Once you try this kitchen hack you’ll likely never go back.

How to bake crispy chicken wings in oven

Let’s talk about how to prep everything before you get going. Once you have everything set and done you can get to shaking, literally. I will suggest just that, using a bag to shake. You can sprinkle on, flip and coat the other sides too but really you’ll get a more even coat if you do it MY WAY. J/K, ok not really.

1. Start off by preheating your oven to 250 degrees F.
2. Line your cookie sheet with tinfoil
3. Place your cooling / baking racks on top of your foil
4. Rinse your chicken wings
5. Dry wings off with paper towels
6. Put 1 tbsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt in your freezer bag and shake

How long to cook chicken wings in oven

Put half your rinsed and dried chicken wings inside your bag and shake until all are coated lightly (this recipe is for 20 wings total). It is better to do half at a time so you can ensure each piece has a nice dusting on the outside.

1. Spray nonstick spray on your wire cooling rack
2. Place wings in a single layer on cooling rack with skin side up
3. Add 1 more tbsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt in your bag + other half of wings and shake
4. Place wings on cooling rack with others
5. Oven directions and cook times are in recipe card below

The answer of how to bake crispy chicken wings looks like a lot of steps but really after you do it once or twice you just remember the steps by heart.

• We make them pretty often using different sauces or just sprinkling on seasonings like: salt and pepper, garlic powder, Sriracha.

Baking Powder Chicken Wings in Oven

The kids love chicken wings or even baked turkey wings for dinner because they’re finger food. They’re also one of my favorite appetizers to bring or serve because they’re everyone’s favorite. We made these while watching a few college basketball games…

I will be using a spicier sauce for this occasion because most of the guests will be my husband’s friends and I’m thinking that it will go over well, but you can dip them in just about anything and they’re great!

Sweet Sriracha chicken wings (seen above) are one of our very favorite ways to serve them if you like them nice and sauced. You can adjust the heat if you like by toning it down with a ranch dip to serve it with or just less Japanese sauce when you mix it up. Without a sauce you could add some red pepper flakes to the baking soda when tossing.

Crispy chicken wings

Now let’s talk about the things you may not have at home and will need to pick up at the grocery store next time you go. You can even find the first three there if you don’t have them, in the baking aisle. I mean they are cheaper online or at Walmart but making a separate trip is not my style.

• Tinfoil
• A cookie sheet
• Cooling rack like you see above is handy
• Baking powder
• Salt
• Gallon freezer bag or large bowl (but bag is better)
• Your meat, grab an entire tray full, I prefer organic and cage free but you do you
• Sauce if you want to coat the wings when they’re done

Make sure you remember the day before to defrost your chicken wings if they are frozen too…duhhh. 😉 If you want to know how to cook turkey wings we have a great method here too. Those are without baking powder but get just as browned when done.

How to Cook Frozen Chicken Wings

Above we have instructions on using your oven, like this one. Since they are rock hard you will have to follow different methods but can get them crisped, just in an alternate way.

If you’re looking for other football party appetizers, try these others too: if you are forgetful you can save the day by following our Pressure cooker frozen wings or make perfectly crispy frozen chicken wings in air fryer too. Game changer for “those days” when you just haven’t pulled it together.

Best Finger Foods

Ok so you are hosting a bunch of people for the holidays, or Super Bowl and you want to have a TON of options to snack all day long. Let’s talk about a few other items that have always been a real hit in my house for adults and kids too. First, make a bunch of frozen meatballs.

This is the easiest and cheapest idea of all because you can toss with a bunch of sauces but the base is the same. Just grab a few bags and start with that, a great choice for a bunch of guests. Here are a few others that make everyone go crazy!

• Loaded tater tot skewers are fun and done in under 30 minutes. Kids love these and are an easy finger food that people can grab and walk around with.
• Teriyaki chicken drumsticks turn out golden brown and delicious on a rimmed baking sheet.

Think of your occasion. If there are lots of people in a small space you want items that aren’t too much of a mess and just can be grabbed and enjoyed while talking to others. Without a sauce this one is a winner for sure. I hope you enjoy my tips on how to bake crispy chicken wings and try them yourself!

Printable recipe card with nutritional information such as calories, saturated fat etc. listed below. Keep in mind this will vary depending on the size of your chicken pieces and how lean they are.

How to make crispy baked chicken wings

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line your cookie sheet with tinfoil. Place your cooling rack on your foil.
2. Rinse your chicken wings. Dry them off with paper towels
3. Put 1 tbsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt in your freezer bag and shake.
4. Put half your rinsed and dried chicken wings inside your bag and shake until all are coated lightly.
5. Spray nonstick spray on your cooling rack. Place wings on cooling rack with skin side up once they are coated, not overlapping them.
6. Add 1 more tbsp. baking powder + 1/4 tsp. salt in your bag + other half of wings and shake. Place these wings on cooling rack with others. Should fit 20 perfectly.
7. Place pan full of wings on lowest rack for 30 minutes. Then increase temperature to 425 and rotate your pan 180 degrees. 
8. Move pan full of wings to the rack that is the middle/higher level of your oven. Bake for 15 additional minutes
9. Rotate your pan 180 degrees again on the middle rack, and cook for an additional 20 minutes (check at 15 to see if they’re brown enough or if you want them crispier)
10. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then toss or brush sauce on wings!

There’s a printable version of this below as well. You can use so many things as chicken wing sauces. Buffalo or bbq are probably the most popular. Use things like Sriracha or hot sauce to make spicy wings, those are probably our favorite!!