Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (2024)

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These oven baked chicken wings are so crispy and tender. I tested them at every oven temperature to figure out which temp and bake time give you the most crispy outside and tender, moist center. Skip the grease from frying and make these easy chicken wings in the oven! Coat them in your favorite sauce right at the end and broil to bubbly perfection.

You may be wondering, “is it better to bake chicken wings at 350 or 400?” – and I’ve got the answer for you. I tested batches of wings to determine which temperature resulted in crispy skin and tender chicken.

I’m sharing a recipe for everyday baked chicken wings, with sauce options, that stand up alongside some of our other favorite game day recipes like buffalo chicken meatballs and hot honey chicken tenders.

Why You’ll Love these Baked Chicken Wings
What Oven Temperature is Best for Baking Chicken Wings?
Is It Better to Bake Chicken Wings at 350 or 400?
The Secret Ingredient to Crispy Wings
Ingredients You Need
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings
How Long to Bake Chicken Wings
Tips for Crispy Wings
FAQs
How to Serve Chicken Wings
Storing Leftovers
More Finger Foods
Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

Why You’ll Love these Baked Chicken Wings

Baked chicken wings are so popular because they’re a delicious combo of crispy skin, juicy meat, and flavor (sauce options are endless!). Baking the wings makes prep easier and healthier than deep frying.

This simple chicken wings recipe is made with a baking powder mixture and a simple spice mix. Bake them in the oven for under an hour and enjoy plain, with your favorite dips, or toss them in a wing sauce.

Once you learn how to make chicken wings you can add even more flavor with our chicken wing brine and toss them in a delicious sauce like our Asian chicken wings and honey sriracha wings.

I love to serve them as an appetizer, main dish, or snack. The recipe’s simplicity and endless flavor possibilities make baked chicken wings a favorite food in our house.

Keep reading to learn what temperature to bake chicken wings, how to cut chicken wings, the secrets to crispy wings, and more.

What Oven Temperature is Best for Baking Chicken Wings?

425°F is the best temperature to bake chicken wings. This approach gets the chicken wing skin extra crispy and the chicken meat tender and juicy. The high heat creates a crispy crust to lock in the juices quickly while taking less time to bake. It usually takes between 35-45 minutes to bake chicken wings.

Like in my buffalo chicken salad, I love to bake chicken tenders and wings at 425°F.

Is It Better to Bake Chicken Wings at 350 or 400?

I tested baking these chicken wings at 350, 400, and 425 degrees f. Baking at a higher temperature will result in crispy skin in a shorter amount of time—which is why 400 is a better option. However, 425F is the best option.

A 350° F oven will still result in crispy skin, it will just take longer to crisp and cook all the way through. The crispy “crust” happens much faster when the temperature is higher, locking in the juices and making the wings extra juicy and crispy.

The Secret Ingredient to Crispy Wings

Tossing the chicken wings in baking powder is the secret to the most crispy oven baked chicken wings.

Coating the chicken wings in baking powder raises the pH of the skin, which breaks down the proteins and creates a crispier end result. It also draws out excess moisture, resulting in a drier skin crispier skin.

Ingredients You Need

Here are the ingredients you need for crispy chicken wings. Jump to recipe for exact measurements.

Chicken wings: buy them pre-cut into drums and wings, or cut them yourself.
Baking powder: raises the skin’s PH and draws out moisture for ultra crispy skin.
Spices: I love a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
Wing sauce: I love classic buffalo sauce, but you can do asian sauce, Thai sweet chili, garlic parmesan, or bbq sauce. Choose your favorite sauce!

Two Types of Chicken Wings

A lot of the time you can purchase wings pre-cut into the two types of chicken wings: drumettes and wingettes. Our grocery store sells them whole so I have to cut them myself. However, it’s totally acceptable (and delicious) to leave them whole.

How to Make Baked Chicken Wings

This is an overview with step-by-step photos, to make this easy chicken wings recipe. Full printable instructions are in the recipe card below.

Pat them Dry

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and top it with a wire rack. Pat the fresh chicken wings really dry with a paper towel.

Toss with Dry Rub

Place them in a large bowl and toss with a mixture of baking powder (aluminum-free), garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Bake at 425

Place the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Should I flip my wings in the oven? You don’t need to flip chicken wings if you bake them on a wire rack because the air circulates around the entire wing. You can bake these without a wire rack, but I recommend flipping them halfway through.

Toss in Sauce and Broil

Let the chicken wings rest for rest for 5 minutes. Toss in your favorite sauce and broil for 2-3 minutes right before serving. It helps the sauce stick, warms it up, and makes it sticky and bubbly.

How Long to Bake Chicken Wings

It takes 35-45 minutes to bake chicken wings in the oven at 425°F. The cook time varies based on the size of the chicken wings and your oven. Always use an instant read thermometer and remove the chicken wings from the oven when they reach 165°F.

They takes 45-55 minutes at 400 and 55-65 minutes at 350.

Heads up: the wings will cook 20% faster if you use a chicken wing brine, so account for that in your cook time and start to check the wings at 25-30 minutes.

Tips for Crispy Wings

Always use an instant-read thermometer to determine doneness. The size of the wings can vary and so can everyone’s oven temperature, so using a thermometer is ideal. For an accurate reading, insert the meat thermometer into the thickest part of the wing, being careful to avoid the bone
Dry the wings thoroughly: Before cooking, make sure to pat the wings dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Excess moisture on the skin will prevent it from becoming crispy when cooked.
Cook the wings on a wire rack: Placing the wings on a wire rack will allow hot air to circulate around the wings, helping to cook them evenly and create a crispy crust on all sides.
Use baking powder to alkalize the chicken skin and draw out moisture—the secret to the best chicken wings!

FAQs

Do you flip chicken wings when baking?

You do not need to flip wings if you bake them on a wire rack because the air is circulating around them. I still like to turn the baking tray halfway through to avoid any hot spots in the oven, but physically flipping them isn’t necessary.

Only flip the chicken wings halfway through if you’re baking them directly on a baking sheet.

Do you put sauce on before or after baking wings?

Always add sauce towards the end of baking or toss baked chicken wings in the sauce when they’re done. The sugar in a sauce can burn, especially if you’re baking them at a higher heat.

I like to toss wings in the sauce after baking then place them back in the oven to broil for a few minutes before serving to warm the sauce and help it stick to the wings. The sugars in the sauce caramelize and bubble, giving it the best texture.

How do you not overcook chicken wings?

Always use an instant-read thermometer, like we recommend when determining beef doneness. Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the wing, without touching the bone. The chicken wings should reach a target temperature of 165°F. We remove ours around 160°F to account for carryover cooking.

How to Serve Chicken Wings

With dipping sauces: Serve the wings with a variety of dipping sauces, such as ranch dressing, blue cheese, healthy honey mustard, or hot sauce.
Toss them in a sauce: cover baked chicken wings in your favorite sauce like bbq sauce, hot sauce, lemon pepper sauce, the sauce in our asian chicken wings or your favorite buffalo sauce like we did in our buffalo chicken salad.
With vegetables: Serve the wings with a side of vegetables, such as carrots and celery.
In a salad: Chop up the cooked wings and mix with greens, vegetables, and dressing.
As an appetizer: Serve party wings as a tasty starter at parties, game day gatherings or cookouts.
As a main dish: Serve the wings as a main dish, along with a side of rice, potatoes, or vegetables.

Storing Leftovers

Allow the wings to cool to room temperature before storing. Place the cooled wings in an airtight container or plastic storage bag. Store the container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To reheat, preheat the oven or air fryer to 400°F (200°C) and bake the wings for 10-15 minutes, or until they are heated through. Alternatively, you can heat them up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes

More Finger Foods

Steak nachos
Asian chicken wings
Crispy buffalo cauliflower tacos
Hot honey chicken tenders

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5 from 3 votes

Baked Chicken Wings

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

This baked chicken wings recipe is made with a simple, but flavorful spice mixture. Bake them in the oven for under an hour and enjoy plain, with your favorite dips, or toss them in a wing sauce.

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Molly Thompson

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

▢ 4 pounds chicken wings whole or halved at joints for wingettes and drumettes (Note 1)
▢ 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder aluminum-free
▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
▢ Buffalo sauce or other wing sauce for serving (I used Primal Kitchen buffalo sauce)

Instructions

Prep: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper aluminum foil and place a wire cooling rack on top . Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
Toss with dry rub: Pat the chicken wings really dry with a paper towel then place them in a large bowl and toss them well with the spices and baking powder.
Bake: Place the wings in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 35-45 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Rotate the baking sheet in the oven halfway through for even baking.
Toss with sauce and broil: Remove the wings from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes. Dip or toss the wings with sauce then place them back on the baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes until the sauce warms and starts to bubble. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce, like ranch or blue cheese.

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

Notes

Note 1: Wings. You can use whole wings (as seen in these pictures) or cut them at the joint into wingettes and drumettes. See the “types of wings” section in the post to learn how to cut chicken wings.

Note 2: Wire Rack. This helps air circulate around the wings to cook evenly. If you don’t have a wire rack, bake the wings directly on the baking sheet with parchment paper and flip halfway through.

*Nutrition information is for wings and seasoning only. It does not include additional sauces.

Equipment

Large rimmed baking sheet
Wire rack (like a cooling rack)
Parchment paper or aluminum foil

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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