Anyone who knows me, knows that I am VERY passionate about chicken wings. What started in college as a weekly wing night with friends, continued into my young professional life, and even now my kids know that if wings are on the menu, it’s likely what I’m ordering. All that being said, making them at home always seemed like an intimidating task – most recipes have you fry in small batches which can be time consuming. This recipe uses a baking technique that still gets them crispy.

The first step is to butcher the chicken wings. A wing, generally, comes in three parts – the tip, flat, and drumstick. The first time I made these, this part took a long time. The trick that I’ve discovered is the flatten them out as much as possible and feel around at the joints, find the spot right between the bones to cut. Discard the tips and toss the flats and drumsticks into a bowl.

Part of the science of getting them crispy in the oven comes in this next step. Coating the wings in baking powder helps to get the skin nice and crispy without frying. So, don’t skip this part! I add spices in at this step, as well. If you want a milder wing or are planning on using a different type of sauce at the end, feel free to skip the spices. I use chili powder & paprika. Feel free to play with the spices but keep the total volume the same – a too thick coating is going to impact the texture.

Let them sit in the fridge for a while to dry out and have the rub set in. They can go straight into the fridge in the bowl or after the next step (my preference). About an hour works great, but they can sit for the day or overnight if needed.

The other science of getting this crispy in the oven is baking them on a rack on top of a baking sheet. The airflow around the wing during the baking process helps. Line the baking sheet with tinfoil to help with clean up after. Spray the rack with cooking spray and layer the wings on top.

Preheat oven to 250F and cook wings for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, increase oven temperature to 425F and cook for another 45 minutes.

While they are cooking, make the sauce (if you like saucy wings). I do the standard Frank’s Redhot recipe with a little garlic added. I have also made these with BBQ sauce too.

When the wings are done cooking, toss them in the sauce. If you want the sauce baked in, put them back in the oven for 10 minutes. If you like them saucy, eat right away. Serve these with some fresh veggies, blue cheese sauce.

Chicken Wings

Ready in 2 hour 30 minutes (30 minutes of active time);

Serves 2-4 people makes 28 wings

Ingredients

• 1 package chicken wings (usually 4-5lbs)
• 1 tbsp baking powder (most brands are gluten free these days but double check)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Sauce: 1/2 cup Frank’s Redhot sauce
• Sauce: 1/3 cup butter
• Sauce: spoonful of mince garlic

Preparation

1. Butcher chicken into parts (flats, drumsticks, tips) – discard tips
2. Toss wings in baking powder and spices
3. Let set in fridge for minimum 1 hour
4. Preheat oven to 250F
5. Cover baking sheet with tin foil and set a rack on top
6. Spray rack with cooking spray (PAM) and lay wings on top
7. Bake wings in over for 30 minutes
8. Leaving wings in oven, turn heat to 425F and bake another 45 minutes
9. While wings are baking, in a small saucepan, melt butter. Add Franks Redhot and garlic. Simmer for 20 minutes.
10. Toss wings in sauce
11. Enjoy!

Tips

• Butchering the wings can take some practice. Feel around for the joint bones to cut in between.
• Play around with dry rub spice combinations and with sauces. Wings can be a blank canvass for your favorite flavors.
• Earlier in the day prep the wings all the way through putting them on the rack on the baking sheet. Leave in fridge until ready to eat. This can make the dish easier to make for company. All you are doing then is popping them in the oven about an hour before you want to eat.
• If making a larger quantity, cook in batches. Putting the first batch in a warming dish until the second batch is done.