How to Make Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
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Easy step by step guide on how to make crispy oven baked chicken wings at home, without frying them! Simply baked in the oven, without any flour coating or batter!
Crispy Chicken Wings
You want to make wings that are healthy, moist on the inside but with extra crispy skin, and without deep-frying them ?
The secret to crispy wings is getting rid of the moisture!
Then simply bake them at high temperature on an oven safe Cooling Rack! (<-amazon)
By roasting the wings on a cooling rack they will get even crisper, as all the moisture and fat will drip away into the bottom of the pan, so much so that you won’t even need to drain them on paper towels when done. They will be perfectly ready to be dunked in your favorite sauce. The cooling rack is everything! (<-amazon)
No flour, no breading, and no baking powder needed.
Whatever you do, don’t even think of marinading! Not if you want them super crisp anyways. Wait till the end to add your favorite sauces on top:
- chili-lime butter
- best chimichurri sauce
- sweet chili sauce
- peanut sauce
- blackberry sauce
- honey soy garlic sauce
- teriyaki
- mango basil sauce
- walnut pesto sauce
- Moroccan red harissa
- brown butter sage
- arrabiata sauce
How To Make Baked Crispy Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 15 Chicken Wings organic (tips discarded)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp Spanish paprika (sweet or smoked)
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat the chicken wings dry very well with paper towels. Arrange them on a tray, preferably in a single layer and place them in the refrigerator to air dry overnight, or at least for a few hours. (This step is crucial to get rid of the extra moisture and obtain that crispy wings exterior we are after.)
- Preheat your oven to 450”F for at least 20 minutes. Makes sure the oven temperature actually reached 450”F before baking the wings.
- Bring the wings to room temperature and let them rest on the kitchen counter while your oven is heating up, for at least 20 minutes. Pat the wings dry again with paper towels to remove any extra moisture.
- Line your largest roasting pan with aluminum foil. Place an oven proof cooling rack on top.
- In a mixing bowl combine the olive oil, black pepper, sea salt and paprika. Toss the wings to coat well in the oil and spice mix, then place them skin side down on the cooling rack without touching each other.
- Bake the wings for 15 minutes at 450”F then flip them over without letting the heat escape from the oven. Bake them an additional 15 minutes until crispy golden brown all over. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauces.
Notes
Just made these Perfect! Crispy exactly what I was hoping for!! Husband absolutely loved then with his favorite dipping sauces. Will make these again!! Thank you for sharing!!
This is the second time I’ve made these and while I love them the olive oil and spices are not enough to coat all the wings. Had to double it to coat the wings
Made these tonight and Icould have eaten them all myself but NOOOOO my DH had to have some too !They we’re fanatic! Can’twait To make them again.
I don’t usually leave reviews, good or bad. But in this case, I couldn’t not say something These are the best wings I’ve ever had. So crunchy and without all the additives. Even my picky husband came back for more. I have found my favorite wing recipe. The only bad thing I can say is that I didn’t make enough.
Thanks for sharing!!
I just made them and they are SO Good!! Didn’t even need the dipping sauce! I made 2 batches, one with smoked paprika and the other with onion & garlic powder. Both delicious. This recipe is a keeperThanks
Woohoo! I’m so happy to hear 🙂
Hi, What rack in the oven do you bake your wings on??
In the middle is fine Janet 🙂
I could have eaten the whole pan in one sitting! But I didn’t. Ha! These were PERFECTION. Thanks for the recipe!
Woohoo! I’m so happy to hear Lori, thanks for stopping by to comment. Those chicken wings are always the winner for us on game day.
Could i bake them and then briefly grill them at the end?
Hi Dina, you sure could If you wanted too. Are you looking to get the grill marks look or are you more after the smoky taste of the grill ? Because you could also just use smoke paprika on the wings to replicate that flavor ~ Florentina
I finally purchased one of those cooling racks you insist baking the wings on. The result is incredible. I can’t believe I can have such tender yet crispy wings that are baked and not fried. The cooling rack really does the job. So happy I listened and finally got one. Best wings I’ve ever had, no kidding !
Woohoo ! I believe in the cooling rack, no other way to make healthy crispy wings !
I like to smoke mine in the smoker first and then crisp them by quickly deep frying – can I put them in the oven after smoking them or put it oven after a stint in the fridge for a day or two? -THANKS
Hi Dan, make sure to dry them really well before and after smoking them, that way you can put them straight in the oven afterwards. Otherwise I’d say a day in the fridge does miracles for extra crispy wings. Enjoy !
i need to make wings one of these days! it looks so good..
Ah, these crispy chicken wings…you are killing me! I never tried making them at home, but this has to change now that I have your recipe 🙂 Thanks for sharing it with us
Gotta change that, make some crispy wings for your Valentine !
Wow – these look good! And, um, have I lost my marbles? I must have b/c I never would have thought NOT to marinade these to keep them crispy! Genius! Thanks for sharing!
Haha Patricia, no way to the marinade. It just ads a bunch of extra moisture that you will need to get rid of in order to get crispy wings. So do yourself a favor and say no to the marinade 😉
I dont eat chicken wings but those look seriously crispy!
YES. Chicken wings need to be crispy – hate it when they’re not! Great recipe!
Where were you when I needed this recipe for the Super Bowl?? I needed to really celebrate — our team WON!! The chicken wings look super delicious and I like the idea of baking rather than frying. Thanks for sharing.
It was always here LOL , now you have it 😉
This is awesome…baking them is so much better. I hate deep frying anything!!
These look so good. I love that they get crispy without all the oil! I’m really simple when it comes to my wings. I like good old fashioned BBQ sauce.
Simple things and simple wings are the best. I like mine crispy and dunked in chimichurri sauce !
During the winter I bake my wings to get them crispy like you do. During the summer I’ve found the grill is a great place to get them crispy! It takes about an hour on the grill on low but they turn out amazing!
I’ve never made them on the grill, but that would be so great during the summer months !
Mine took longer than 30 min, also the oil splattered all over in my oven…. Making a big mess!!! So maybe put some foil down!
Hi Beth, I suspect your wings still had lots of moisture trapped inside, hence the splatter once in the oven. That is why it is so important to air dry them in the fridge the night before, and also blot with paper towels any existing moisture. Also If your wings aren’t room temperature, or simply extra large wings, it might take a little longer than 30 minutes. I definitely suggest lining the baking tray with aluminum foil to collect any of the drippings and make for an easier clean up. Hope you enjoyed the wings still and the little mess was worth it 🙂 Happy Sunday ~ Florentina
I have made this recipe twice now. It is Good! The key is letting the chicken sit before you cook them. Make sure you blot the chicken with a paper towel first. This helps the chicken get crispy. Enjoy!
Yes absolutely , both very important tips. Chicken must be very dry and at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. So glad you enjoyed your crispy wings !