We’re smack dab in the middle of what I like to call “food season.” First, Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and now New Year’s Eve and FOOTBALL! You’ll no doubt need some tasty appetizers to nibble on while you anxiously watch your team play on game day, so I want to offer you some homemade snacks so you’re not tempted to order in. These Baked Chicken Wings are incredibly simple, delightfully crispy, and they can be enjoyed plain or drenched in your favorite sauce.
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How to Make Baked Chicken Wings Crispy
Coating chicken wings with cornstarch helps make them extra crispy when baked. The fat from the chicken wing combines with the cornstarch to create extra-crispy skin. But lately, instead of just doing a dry dusting of cornstarch on the chicken wing, I’ve started adding both cornstarch and a small amount of oil. Adding a little bit of oil helps the chicken wings brown and crisp up a lot more evenly, which is perfect if you plan to serve the chicken wings plain, without a coating of sauce. …And it’s still way less oil and a lot easier than deep frying. ;)
How to Season Chicken Wings
For the recipe below, I created a very basic seasoning that isn’t too heavy so that it is flexible enough to match with whatever sauce or dip you decided to serve with the wings. If you plan to serve the wings without a sauce or dip and want to punch up the seasoning a bit, you can double the spices listed in the recipe below. If you’d like to try a different seasoning all together, try using 1-2 Tbsp of any of the following seasonings:
- Ranch seasoning
- Old bay seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Italian seasoning (with or without Parmesan)
- Steak seasoning
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- Jerk seasoning
Sauces for Chicken Wings
I don’t know about you, but flavorful sauces are probably my favorite part about eating chicken wings. Whether you plan to coat the wings in the sauce or just serve it on the side for dipping, there are so many great options for wing sauce. Here are some sauces you can use for chicken wings:
- Buffalo sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
- Honey mustard sauce
- Sweet chili sauce
- Jerk sauce
- BBQ sauce
- Peanut sauce
What to Serve with Chicken Wings
It’s always nice to have some fresh vegetables alongside your chicken wings because their cold, crunchy, fresh texture is such a nice contrast to the crispy wings. Traditionally that would be fresh celery and carrots, but I think fresh broccoli, cauliflower, or grape tomatoes would also be nice. Plus, vegetables usually taste great dipped in the same sauces as your wings (ranch, honey mustard, etc.).
If you want to fill out your appetizer spread, try adding: Spicy Chex Mix, Hot Corn Dip, Chorizo Cheese Dip, Cowboy Caviar, and Spinach Artichoke Dip.
Baked Chicken Wings
Servings 3 about 4 pieces eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 2.5 lbs. chicken wings or drumettes ($9.98)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, pepper, and salt.
- Pat the wings dry, then place them in a bowl. Drizzle the cooking oil over top, then toss until the wings are coated in oil. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture, then toss to coat again.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup, then place wire cooling racks on top. Place the seasoned chicken wings on the wire racks with space between each wing.
- Bake the wings for 30 minutes, then flip and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the wings have achieved the amount of browning desired (this will depend on the size of your wings).
- Serve hot with your favorite sauce!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Cooling Racks
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and ½ tsp salt.
Pat dry 2.5 lbs. chicken wings or drumettes. Place the dried chicken in a bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp cooking oil, and toss to coat. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture and toss to coat again. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture and toss to coat again.
The wings are now coated in a light mixture of oil, cornstarch, and seasoning which will create a flavorful and crispy exterior once baked.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place two wire cooling racks on top. Add the seasoned chicken on top of the wire racks with some space between each wing (if they’re too close they won’t get as crispy).
Bake the chicken wings in the preheated 400ºF oven for 30 minutes, then flip each wing over. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until they achieve the amount of browning you like.
Serve hot with some fresh vegetables and your favorite sauces for dipping!
Ok so. Only I did drumettes, but 400 for 25 mins almost overcooked them. Iโd recommend temping them throughout so they donโt overcook.
Can drumsticks or thighs be used? Besides longer cooking time, any changes?
You shouldn’t need to make any other changes!
That cook time should work better for drumsticks.
These wings were flavorful, well-seasoned, and a little bit crispy! Not as crunchy as fried wings, of course, but these definitely get my vote for best easy wings. Mine were done before the 50-minute mark according to my meat thermometer.
confused about the nutritional information. How can 4 wings have almost 900 calories and 70 grams of protein. Is this for the whole recipe??
I ran it through a different calorie calculator and it came up with 532 calories for 1/3 of the recipe which sounds a bit more correct! The plugin that we use does it automatically so it may have grabbed an ingredient weird.
U have great recipies / Iโm already a โFoodieโ ( if they say that anymore) lol! They are easy to follow & straight forward & diverse! Thx
Hi Beth, Did you use frozen wings, thawed or fresh for your recipe. I have a bag of frozen chicken wings that I’d like to use. Thanks!
You can use either one, just make sure they’re fully thawed if frozen! :)
Delish !
I don’t have a wire cooling rack that’s oven safe. Will this recipe turn out OK just on a parchment sheet in a cookie sheet?
Hi Ahsley- the wings won’t be as crispy. Without a rack, you will need to turn them multiple times to get even cooking. But they will still taste great! xoxo -Monti
Can you Cook Kapusniak Soup in a Slow Cooker?
Hi, Hans! I’m sure with some tweaking that recipe (https://www.budgetbytes.com/kapusniak/) could work in a slow cooker, but since we have not tested it with that cooking method, I don’t want to give you any specific advice that might not give you successful results. Good luck! ~Marion :)
HANS, just curious? What is Kapusniak soup? Could you share the recipe for this soup?
This is the recipe in question. https://www.budgetbytes.com/kapusniak/ It’s a Ukrainian Sauerkraut Soup!
how can i jerk that salt down to decent amts? …like say, around 100 mg. per serving? i have been on a salt free diet for 60 years, and that 600+ would put my BP into outer space!
Use 1/6th of the salt.
These are so good! I make them without the cornstarch and they are still so yummy. The spice mix is perfection. Thank you! :)
These came out SO GOOD, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to order wings at a restaurant again without being disappointed. I am also scared of deep frying at home but the good news is, baked is my preferred! Perfect light crisp and so juicy! Made them last week and making again this week. Thank you!
Best oven baked chicken wing recipe ever! The wings turned out crispy and flavorful. I forgot to bake them on a rack, but they turned out really well anyway. I served them with Franks hot sauce, celery, carrots, and blue cheese dressing, but my husband liked them with barbecue sauce.
These were yum ! Nice and crispy with juicy flesh. I used your Teriaki sauce as well. Very happy with this recipe as have tried a few .Nice work ๐๐พ
I have all the ingredients and hoping to make tonight but I do not have the wire rack. Will they still turn out ok?
They probably won’t be as crispy on the bottom, but I’m sure they’ll still be tasty. :)
Could this be done in the air fryer as well with the same ingredients and temperature?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with air fryers, so I can’t advise.
These were delicious. I wound up baking for 45 minutes as I have an extremely sensitive smoke detector (even boiling water sets it off). They were perfectly done and even the cold leftovers were tasty. Will definitely make again.
i used to have a smoke detector like that. so i just removed the battery while i was cooking….lol.
I thought you posted a repeat recipe as you sometimes do. Nope! It’s just take I’ve taken the first half of your other baked chicken wings recipes which is essentially what you’ve posted here.
No doubt these are amazing!
This newest version I’ve added just a skosh of oil to the cornstarch coating, which really results in a much better and more even browning and crisping. :)
well Iโll try this as I have some wings in the freezer. ย But basically 1 hour @ 400 seems a terribly long time for such a small piece of meat. ย I would think they would be done to dry boards by that time, so Iโll experiment with the time.
They’ll be fully cooked in 20-25 but flipping and the added time will crisp them the way they should be. I haven’t made this recipe however I’ve cooked many wings in my time. With wings, you don’t have to worry much about the meat drying out. I still prefer baking for 20-25 and then deep frying until crisp.
Wings are all dark meat, plus the bone and skin help keep that moisture in. They’re so juicy and tender when done. :)
Actually wings are white meat not dark meat.
I consider chicken wings a separate food group. I’m going to try this recipe. I’m already salivating.