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๐Ÿ Home ยป Recipes ยป Appetizer and Party Recipes

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

Published: Jan 30, 2025 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan ยท 48 Comments

Jump to Recipe
Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Make these extra Crispy Baked Chicken Wings in your convection oven using baking powder and a rack. They're a healthy alternative to fried wings with about half the calories. Add your favorite seasoning for the best Buffalo hot wings you've ever madeโ€”you'll never want to fry again.

๐Ÿ“Ingredients

Chicken wings
Baking powderโ€”aluminum-free
Salt
Garlic powder
Buffalo coatingโ€”hot sauce, butter, molasses

Crispy chicken wings on platter.
Jump To (scroll for more)
  • ๐Ÿ“Ingredients
  • ๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wingsโ€”Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
  • ๐Ÿค”When are chicken wings done?
  • ๐ŸฅฃBuffalo Coating Sauce
  • ๐ŸŽ‰Check out other game day party recipes
  • ๐Ÿฝ๏ธServing
  • โ„๏ธStoring leftover chicken wings
  • ๐Ÿ”ฅReheating Buffalo wings
  • โ“FAQs
  • ๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card
  • Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

quote mark
Featured Comment by Don:
โญโญโญโญโญ
"My wife and I have used your basic recipe for quite some time, and it is "spot on" every time. Wings are crispy, and meat is tender. "

Wings are an All-American favorite and the perfect finger food for game-day parties. However, most Buffalo wing recipes require frying, which results in a greasy mess, making it daunting for many people to make at home.

Make extra crispy chicken wings using baking powder and a rack and bake them in a convection oven. Using two-stage baking, start at 250ยฐ to dry the wings, then at 400ยฐ convection to finish. Easy to prepare with simple step-by-step photo instructions. Serve with your favorite sauce and dips.

Check out some other crispy chicken recipes such as Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs, Oven Baked Chicken Drumsticks, and Crispy Grilled Split Chicken Breasts.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐ŸณHow to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wingsโ€”Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Raw chicken wings with seasoningsโ€”labeled.
Cut off the tips and trim into drummies and flats.

1. Trim chicken wings of loose joint parts and the tip. If you wish, you can cut the wings apart. Then, pat them dry with paper towels.

Coating a baking rack with cooking spray.

2. Prep a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and a wire rack. Spray heavily with PAM.

Shaking the wings in bag to coat with seasoning.

3. Mix aluminum-free baking powder with salt and garlic powder in a food bag. Add chicken wings and shake well to coat.

Raw chicken wings on a rack.

4. Arrange the wings on the tray and bake on a lower rack in a 250ยฐ conventional oven for 30 minutes.

Crispy baked wings on the baking tray.

5. Move the tray to the middle rack and bake at 400ยฐ convection until golden brown and crispy, about 40 minutes, and an internal temperature of 165ยฐ.

Mixing coating sauce in a small glass bowl.

6. While the wings are baking, prepare the Buffalo sauce of butter, hot sauce, and molasses to coat the wings.

Adding coating sauce to baked wings.

7. Allow the wings to cool for 5 minutes, then coat them with the Buffalo sauce or your favorite sauce.

Baked chicken wings on a tray with veggies.l

8. Serve hot with dip of your choice, celery, and carrot sticks.

For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.

๐Ÿค”When are chicken wings done?

Like any chicken, according to the USDA, they must reach 165ยฐ internal temperature.

๐ŸฅฃBuffalo Coating Sauce

I suggest the traditional Buffalo coating sauce, which combines hot sauce, molasses, and melted butter. BBQ seems to be a favorite, but you can choose a different sauce if you like.

Alternate BBQ Coating Sauce

  1. Skip the Buffalo coating.
  2. Mix ยฝ cup of BBQ sauce with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Give the wings a light brushing of the BBQ sauce about 10 minutes before the end of cooking (be sure to flip to get both sides), then a heavier brush when they come out.
  3. It somewhat depends on the amount of sauce you want on the wing. The light brushing gives a base for the second coat to stick.

๐ŸŽ‰Check out other game day party recipes

Don't miss these other party recipes, like Oven Pulled Pork Butt, Chicken for a Crowd, or Oven Baked BBQ Beef Brisket. And for sweet snacks, try Chocolate Cheesecake Bites and Crock Pot Chocolate Peanut Clusters.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

These bacon-wrapped chicken bites are a perfect appetizer. The juicy chicken, crispy bacon, and a spicy brown sugar coating will make them the first finger food to disappear at any party.

Bacon-wrapped chicken bite on a toothpick,

๐Ÿฝ๏ธServing

I serve them with my Homemade Blue Cheese Dip, carrots, and celery sticks. But many other vegetables, such as slices of bell pepper and green onions are commonly added.

Other sauces for dipping include BBQ Sauce, Honey BBQ Sauce, Ranch Dressing, and Blue Cheese Salad Dressing.

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce for Wings

This Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce for Chicken Wings perfectly complements buffalo wings and veggies. A 5-minute dipping sauce recipe that's creamy and irresistible.

image of Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce in a blue bowl

โ„๏ธStoring leftover chicken wings

Store leftover buffalo wings in an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 days or freeze for 4 months. If frozen, be sure to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the oven.

๐Ÿ”ฅReheating Buffalo wings

You can reheat buffalo wings in the oven or air fryer. The oven is best for retaining the wings' original flavor and texture.

Use a preheated 350ยฐ oven, spread them in a single layer, and bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through. An air fryer would be similar.

Using a microwave will result in soggy skin and is not recommended.

โ“FAQs

What does the baking powder do?

Baking powder is used in a coating; it will pull water out of the skin and break down some proteins, leading to crispier skin. Don't buy baking powder with aluminum in itโ€”the aftertaste will ruin this dish for sensitive people.

Why use aluminum-free baking powder?

Baking powder comes both with and without aluminum-based acid that activates with heat and triggers the other ingredients. The without version will have a different acid activator.

A number of people will have a metallic taste from the aluminum, and some people want to avoid the aluminum for health concerns. The two types of baking powder will cost and function the same. We always buy the aluminum-free version for the taste issues.

A note about baking soda. While it can be used to replace the baking powder in this recipe, it will also have metallic taste issues and is not recommended.

How may chicken wings are in a pound?

There will be 4-5 raw, untrimmed chicken wings per pound.

What to do with a smoking oven?

Smoking ovens have been an issue for at least one user due to higher-temperature cooking. I havenโ€™t had the problem, BUT it is probably related to multiple factors.

1. If there is trimmable fat, trim it.
2. Use a pan with some sides to keep any splatter contained.
3. Use the bake mode if your oven has a convection roast and convection bake.
4. You could turn down the oven by 25ยฐ-50ยฐ. This will increase the cooking time and may be prone to drying out some. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
5. Of course, the oven should be clean so the smoke isnโ€™t coming from a previous splatter.
6. Some water in the pan under the rack will prevent most of the smoking issues. It will cool the fat when it drips. But in this recipe where we are working to dry the wings, I do not recommend this solution.

Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

๐Ÿ“–The Recipe Card

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings from 101 Cooking for Two

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

4.94 from 15 votes
From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Make these extra Crispy Baked Chicken Wings in your convection oven using baking powder and a rack. They're a healthy alternative to fried wings with about half the calories. Add your favorite seasoning for the best Buffalo hot wings you've ever madeโ€”you'll never want to fry again.
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings #/Adjust if desired 16 wings

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Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric
  • 2 pounds chicken wings
  • 1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
  • ยฝ teaspoon salt
  • ยฝ teaspoon garlic powder

Buffalo coating

  • ยผ cup hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons butter - melted
  • 1 ยฝ teaspoons molasses

Instructions
 

  • Raw chicken wings with seasoningsโ€”labeled.
    Start by preheating an oven to 250ยฐ conventional. Have a lower and a middle oven rack.
  • Coating a baking rack with cooking spray.
    Prep a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and a wire rack. Spray heavily with PAM.
  • Cut off the tips and trim into drummies and flats.
    Trim about 2 pounds of chicken wings of any loose joint parts. It is OK not to cut the wings apart or just trim off the tip. Pat dry with paper towels, and then pat dry again.
  • Shaking the wings in bag to coat with seasoning.
    Mix 1 tablespoon of aluminum-free baking powder ยฝ teaspoons of salt, and ยฝ teaspoons of garlic powder in a 1-gallon ziplock bag. Add chicken wings and shake well to coat.
  • Raw chicken wings on a rack.
    Arrange the wings on the tray with the biggest pieces in the corner and the thinnest in the middle. Place in the preheated oven on the lower rack and bake for 30 minutes. Then move the tray to the middle rack and increase the oven to 400ยฐ convection (preferred) or 425ยฐ conventional if you don't have convection.
  • Mixing coating sauce in a small glass bowl.
    Prepare the Buffalo sauce to coat the wings. Melt 2 tablespoons butter and combine with ยผ cup hot sauce and 1 ยฝ teaspoon molasses.
  • Crispy baked wings on the baking tray.
    Bake until golden brown and crispy, about 40 minutes, and at 165ยฐ internal temperature.
  • Adding coating sauce to baked wings.
    Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then coat with the Buffalo sauce or sauce of your choice.
  • Baked chicken wings on a tray with veggies.l
    Serve hot with dip of your choice, celery, and carrot sticks.

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips

  1. Trim the joints for bone fragments. You may cut the wings apart, leave them whole, and just trim off the tips.
  2. It is important that the baking powder is aluminum-free. Aluminum leaves a metallic taste that many can taste.
  3. Make sure the wings are very dry after trimming.
  4. Change up the coating if you want.
  5. I suggest Blue Cheese Dip, but everybody has a favorite

Your Own Private Notes

Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 178 kcal (9%)Carbohydrates : 0.5 gProtein : 15 g (30%)Fat : 12 g (18%)Saturated Fat : 4 g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 2 gMonounsaturated Fat : 5 gCholesterol : 52 mg (17%)Sodium : 703 mg (29%)Potassium : 108 mg (3%)Sugar : 0.4 gVitamin A : 300 IU (6%)Calcium : 1 mgIron : 0.7 mg (4%)
Serving size is my estimate of a normal size. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

ยฉ 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors.

The inspiration recipes are  Cooks Country Oven-Fried Chicken Wings (subscription required) and Serious Eat's very long writeup. This recipe is featured in Tailgate Recipes and Game Day Recipes roundups.

Editor Note: Originally published January 30, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

Dogs helping in the kitchen.

More Appetizer and Party Recipes

  • grahic for Big Game Party Recipes
    Smaller Recipes for a Big Game Party
  • Blue cheese dip on celery.
    Blue Cheese Dip for Wings
  • Bacon-wrapped chicken bite on a toothpick,
    Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites
  • Two lemon squares on a gray plate.
    Easy Lemon Bars

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  1. Don K says

    August 03, 2024 at 5:08 pm

    5 stars
    My wife and I have used your basic recipe for quite some time and it is "spot on" every time. Wings are crispy and meat is tender. For convenience we use frozen wing pieces (thawed and "squeezed dry"). We use your basic ingredients and add 1/4 tsp of paprika. Since we like the wings "plain" we don't use sauce but often do use various dips (depending on our moods and whatever we have at our old house). One different thing we do is - after thoroughly drying the thawed wings - we apply the coating as described (plus paprika) and then leave in the lowest refrigerator shelf on the baking pan/rack for about 5 hours. It seems to dry the wings a little more before cooking. As we are part of the older generation, we love your recipes; attention to details, regularly check your emails, and appreciate your devotion to this "art" of "cooking for two". Bless your heart.

    Reply
  2. Bill says

    July 11, 2024 at 7:50 pm

    5 stars
    Nice! First time I've used baking powder to season wings. The skin crisped up nicely without flipping. I added a 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika and a 1/4 tsp of pepper to the seasoning mix, but other wise followed the recipe. I was a bit leery about the differing times and temps, but, contrary to my normal instincts, I went with it. Baked up the wing tips as well and saved them for chicken stock. For the sauce I used honey in place of the molasses. Enjoyed that as well. Went well with crispy cast iron pizza. My wife and I don't usually eat chicken skin, but, with it crisping up and still having tender juicy meat it was a hit.
    Thanks Doc,
    Bill

    Reply
  3. Dea Varner says

    May 01, 2024 at 7:35 pm

    5 stars
    Have been eyeing this recipe for awhile and finally had the pleasure of making these tonight. I made my own dry rub, including the baking powder in it and then followed the directions exactly. These had to have been the most moist yet crispy chicken wings Iโ€™ve ever eaten!! My husband who is picky about his wings, devoured them!! We served with both ranch and BBQ sauces and some cruditรฉs. This is totally a keeper recipe!!!

    Reply
  4. Halfadime7 says

    May 23, 2023 at 5:47 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for supplying the link to the "Serious Eats" article. It was an eye-opener for me. We've been eating your Baked Split Chicken Breasts (Bone-in) recipe for years now and I'm anxious to try these wings. Another good one, Dr. Dan.

    Reply
  5. jon b kraft says

    January 24, 2023 at 11:56 am

    the skin on my wings was like a sheet of plastic. your great so I must have done something wrong-I just used whole wings. help!!!

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      January 24, 2023 at 1:33 pm

      Hi Jon,

      Welcome to the blog.

      I have seen that a on a few wings. I suspect they were a little dehydrated from prolonged freezing in the supply chain. Give then a light spray of PAM cooking spray between the drying and the cooking steps. That should help and it will not change the final results much if you don't need it.

      Dan

  6. Kathy Franklin says

    October 05, 2022 at 9:23 pm

    5 stars
    These wings were excellent! Husband agreed. Best wings I have ever made!
    Thank you for such a quick response to my comment this morning. Cooking time was perfect. Wings were so moist inside.

    Reply
  7. Kathy Franklin says

    October 05, 2022 at 9:47 am

    5 stars
    I am going to make these tonight. Iโ€™m surprised the wings cook an additional 40 minutes at the higher temperature after 30 minutes on low. Hopefully I interpreted the recipe correctly. I love all your recipes. I have made the White Chicken Chile many times. Always enjoyed!

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      October 05, 2022 at 11:25 am

      Hi Kathy,

      The recipe is correct. The initial low temp is to help the baking powder dehydrate the skin. Then turn it up to finish cooking and crisping. So, in a way, it is the secret to the "crispy."

      Dan

      I think I will make some chili this weekend.

  8. Greg B says

    February 14, 2022 at 10:15 am

    The baking soda made the wings unbearably salty. My wife couldnโ€™t finish them. Iโ€™ve got a โ€œsalt toothโ€ and even I found the salt taste overwhelming.

    Reply
    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      February 14, 2022 at 11:50 am

      Hi Greg,
      Welcome to the blog.
      The recipe calls for baking powder, not baking soda. Baking soda has four times as much sodium as baking powder.
      Dan
      (Rating removed due to not following instructions)

  9. Jaime says

    January 21, 2020 at 10:08 am

    5 stars
    These turned out amazing. Definitely going on the super bowl menu. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Erica says

      April 03, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      This is the best crispy wing recipe I have ever had!
      I can't wait to make these again and honestly look at more of your recipes based of how amazing this one was.
      I added a McCormick spice packet (honey habanero to be exact) and they were HANDS DOWN the best wings I've ever had in my life

  10. Mollie Harlow says

    November 23, 2019 at 7:04 pm

    5 stars
    These were amazing! My husband absolutely loves wings, but since I have celiac disease and many times the restaurants share the fryer with breaded items, it makes it tough to go out and find good wings.

    We followed the recipe exactly, and the wings turned out perfectly crispy and perfectly doused in the amount of buffalo sauce that we like. Thank you.

    Reply
  11. Alicia Bland says

    October 26, 2019 at 9:32 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and very crispy! My girls loved them! One of my girls likes to get general tso's wings so I made a batch of your general tso's sauce and used that on some of the wings and it was so good! Now we are looking forward to making the general tso's too.

    Reply
  12. jackiv says

    January 26, 2019 at 1:28 pm

    This method of preparation does indeed make for a crispy wing, however I found that the chicken fat makes one heck of a smoky mess of my oven and kitchen for that matter. That being said, I remedied this by placing a one-sheet layer of paper towels over the aluminum foil to catch the fat. I have done this many many times, and no-it does not catch fire! Problem solved! Thanks for the recipe. I detest Buffalo sauce. I'm like you - just give me the dang wings!

    Reply
    • DrDan says

      January 26, 2019 at 1:54 pm

      Hi Jack,
      Welcome to the blog.
      The cooking of chicken at high temp tends to do that sometimes. Really, I never have had a problem.

      But in my high temperature cooking of chicken thighs, others are having issues occasionally. Here are my suggestions there and I will add it to this recipes. Or the paper towel if it works for you.

        -If there is trimmable fat, trim it.
        -Use a pan with some side on it to keep any splatter contained.
        -If your oven has convection roast and convection bake, use the bake mode.
        -You could turn down the oven by 25-50 degrees. This will increase the cooking time some and may prone to drying out some. Remember to cook to an endpoint, not by time.
        -Of course, the oven should be clean, so the smoke isnโ€™t coming from a previous splatter.
        -Some water in the pan under the rack will prevent the smoking issue. It will cool the fat when it drips.

      Thanks for the note and glad it works well for you.
      Dan

    • Jackie says

      January 11, 2025 at 4:07 pm

      What can I replace the baking powder with since mine has aluminum sulfate.

    • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says

      January 11, 2025 at 5:40 pm

      Hi Jackie,

      Welcome to the blog.

      There is no good substitute. Baking soda will dry the skin but leave an odd taste, so don't do that. You can use the baking powder you have if you (or who you are serving) are not sensitive to the aluminum taste. It is a genetic thing, if I remember correctly, about 10% of the population.

      If you skip it, the wings will still be crispy, just not super crisp.

      Hope that helps some.

      Dan

  13. Cassie says

    November 11, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    30 mins at 250F and then 40 mins at 400F?

    Am I reading this right? Should put 10 mins at 400F, makes it less confusing.

    Reply
    • DrDan says

      November 11, 2018 at 5:47 pm

      Hi Cassie,
      Welcome to the blog.
      The 30 minutes at 250 draws the moisture out of the skin and the 40 minutes at 400 cooks and crisps. I haven't cooked this since last Super Bowl so I want back to the model recipes and Cooks Country is 40-50 minutes at 425. So the recipe is correct. I will re-word it some to clarify.

      Thanks for the note.
      Dan

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