Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings - The secret to making crispy wings (2023)

There's nothing quite like biting into a crispy oven baked chicken wing tossed in your favorite wing sauce. And there's nothing more disappointing than biting into a chicken wing whose skin is rubbery, even if the meat is nice and tender.

While you don't have to worry about crispy skin if they're cooked in a deep fryer, we all know it's not the healthiest option. Instead, many of us, especially on Super Bowl Sunday, will try to find other ways to cook wings.

Chicken wings are the most popular food consumed at tailgate or game viewing parties. And the Super Bowl is no exception.

Although many of us enjoy preparing and eating smoked chicken wings, not everyone has a smoker in their backyard. Additionally, some areas may be too cold or snowy to do so at this time of year.

Instead, you can choose to do soChicken wings from the air fryer. This is a great way to get crispy wings, but if you want to cook a large batch of wings, using an air fryer may not be the best option.

When not to use an air fryer when cooking wings

Many air fryers are too small to cook 3 or 4 pounds of chicken wings at a time. So if you have a few people to watch the game, or if you're feeding a crowd, you'll most likely need to bake the wings in the oven.

So how do you make sure the wings are cooked properly? With just a few ingredients and a few key tips and tricks, you can easily make them fall apart perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

The secret ingredient for crispy chicken wings

Although you might pop chicken wings and drummette straight into the oven and hope that just the heat of the oven would crisp them up, there's one ingredient that guarantees that will happen.

And that one ingredient is baking soda. Yes, the same baking powder you use to rise baked goods.

Baking soda is a slightly alkaline mixture that raises the pH of the skin. This allows proteins in the skin to be broken down more efficiently, resulting in crispy baked chicken wings.

Plus, mixing it with salt will strip the skin of moisture, giving it a nice crispy texture. However, there is a small catch.

It is best to use aluminum-free baking powder. This is because when used on the surface of the skin and placed in the oven, it leaves a residual metallic taste that some people find unappealing.

Unfortunately, many of the brands of baking powder available in grocery stores contain aluminum. However, there are some brands that label their baking powder as aluminum-free or with no added aluminum.

Bob's Red Mill, Gefen, Baker's Choice, and Rumford are all brands that offer aluminum-free baking powder for purchase.

However, unless you are extremely sensitive to certain tastes, you may not notice the metallic taste at all. Especially if you turn the wings in your favorite sauce after baking.

Other important tips

In the recipe below, I'll show you step-by-step how to make the best crispy oven-baked chicken wings. However, I want to reiterate here that you need to follow the methods below to make sure it turns out. perfect every time.

1. Pay attentionpat the wings completely drybefore they are seasoned and go into the oven. When there is moisture on the skin, the wings steam and remain squishy.

2.Place the uncooked seasoned wings in the refrigeratorso they can dry out even more. As much as you want to skip this step, don't! It is important that the skin is dried out as much as possible. .

3.Place the wings on a metal rackinto the baking sheet to allow air to circulate around the wings. The rack also ensures that the wings don't sit in the residual juices during the cooking process.

4. For extra crispy wingsPlace the cooked wings under a grillfor a few minutes. While this isn't necessary to get crispy wings, some people like them extra crispy.

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings

*Full recipe instructions including specific measurements, cooking temperatures and times are on a printable recipe card at the end of this article. However, be sure to read on for helpful tips and tricks when preparing this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons baking powder, *without aluminum
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracker black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

INSTRUCTIONS

Use paper towels to pat the wings completely dry. *Pat them dry until the paper towels stop absorbing liquid. Place the wings in a large bowl.

Combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and baking soda in a small bowl. Then sprinkle the spices over the wings and distribute evenly. Place the wings in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

Place an oven rack in the middle top position of the oven. Then preheat the oven to 220°C. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack in the baking sheet. Spray the rack with non-stick spray. Lay the wings, skin side up, in a single layer on the prepared grid.

Bake the chicken wings for 40 minutes - 1 hour, turning the wings every 20 minutes. Continue cooking until wings are crispy and browned.

*Cooking time depends on the size of the wings. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 180F when you place it in the thickest part of the wings/drums, being careful to stay away from the bone.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. If desired, place the wings in a bowl and toss with your favorite wing sauce.

Enjoy!

Maria and Jim

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