These baked chicken wings are so easy to make, and they come out of the oven crispy and delicious. Simply bake them in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes. If you want them extra-crispy, leave them in a warm oven for 30-60 more minutes.
Wings are my favorite part of the chicken. The ratio of juicy meat to crispy skin is perfect! I prefer to bake wings in the oven because baking is a hands-off approach, much easier than frying, and the wings are just as good. They have wonderfully crispy skin and delightfully juicy meat.
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Fresh chicken wings: I usually buy them in trays labeled as "party wings." As discussed below, using whole wings in this recipe is fine.
Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. Unsalted butter works, too.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Variations
- Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. I experimented with both versions and liked them equally.
- Add a teaspoon of onion powder.
- Try them with a tablespoon or two of Everything But The Bagel Seasoning! This is my daughter's favorite version.
- Instead of tossing the wings in melted butter, you can arrange them in the pan and spray them with olive oil.
- After baking, dip them in homemade buffalo sauce to make buffalo wings.
Instructions
Here's an overview of the steps for making this recipe. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below.
Toss the wings in melted butter (or liberally spray them with oil) and sprinkle them with spices. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack, or skip the rack and use parchment paper.
Bake the wings until they are cooked through and their skin is browned and crispy, for about 40 minutes.
If you want them extra-crispy, lower the oven temperature to 170°F and keep the wings in the oven for 30-60 more minutes. Here's what they look like after 30 extra minutes in a warm oven:
Serve them immediately, on their own, or with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
Whole Wings vs. Party Wings
I usually buy chicken wings labeled as "party wings," as shown in the photo below. This means the whole wings were split into flats and drumettes, with the tips removed.
But you can use this recipe exactly as written to bake the whole wings shown in the image below:
If using whole wings, the steps for baking them are identical. This is what they look like after those extra 30 minutes in a 170°F oven:
Vered's Tip
In the photo above, you can see a pin feather sticking out of one of the wings. That's completely normal! Simply pull it out with your fingers. It will be easier to pull out with a paper towel or kitchen tweezers.
Recipe FAQs
There's no need for flour. The skin crisps beautifully in the hot oven, especially if you keep the wings in a warm oven for 30-60 extra minutes after they're done.
Absolutely. Oven-baking makes them just as crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside as frying them, and it's a much easier cooking method.
No. As you can see in this buffalo wings recipe, you bake them first, then dip the cooked wings in the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
These wings are the perfect game-day appetizer, but I often serve them as our main course for dinner. Since I bake them in a 400°F oven, I like to serve them with a side dish I can cook in the same oven, such as:
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted carrots
- Broccoli tots
- Cauliflower tots
- Roasted mini peppers
- Roasted cabbage
- Jicama fries
They also pair well with salads, including cucumber salad, tomato salad, and coleslaw - as shown in the photo below:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven to re-crisp the skin.
You can also freeze the leftovers. Place the cooked wings in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then reheat them.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
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Recipe Card
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings - split, tips removed
- 2 tablespoons butter - melted
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or 1 teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika - or smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and fit them with wire racks. You can also use parchment-lined baking sheets and skip the rack.
- In a large bowl, toss the wings with melted butter. Arrange the coated wings in a single layer on the baking sheets, not touching each other. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Bake the wings until they are cooked through and their skin is browned and crispy, about 40 minutes.
- For extra-crispy skin, lower the oven temperature to 170℉ and keep the wings in the oven for 30-60 more minutes.
- Serve immediately. They pair well with blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Notes
- Instead of tossing the wings in melted butter, you can arrange them in the pan and spray them with olive oil.
- I typically use split wings, but you can use this recipe to bake whole wings.
- If your oven runs hot, the wings could be ready after 30 minutes.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven to re-crisp the skin.
- You can also freeze the leftovers. Place the cooked wings in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then reheat them.
Nutrition per Serving
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Linda says
Great!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you enjoyed these wings, Linda!
Dawn M Robertson says
This is a fantastic recipe. I sprinkled some dried ranch dressing on the wings around 1/2 way through baking and it browned them even more beautifully. I’ve only made wings twice in my life and used your recipe both times. Perfectly tender inside and crispy on the outside.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Wonderful, Dawn! I'm so glad you like this recipe. The dried ranch dressing tweak sounds great.
Jennifer Vanderveer says
Perfectly done, easy method with easy cleanup. I left my wings to air dry in the fridge for a few hours, placed on parchment paper lined trays, sprayed with avocado oil and sprinkled with seasoning. Baked as directed and tossed with my favorite homemade Frank's wing sauce. Did some with garlic/butter/rosemary sauce which were good, but my fav is the Buffalo sauce. We make wings maybe twice a year. Thank you for this simple and healthy recipe.
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Jennifer! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
RICHARD SCHINELLA says
Absolutely perfect! Followed the recipe as given and was rewarded with a delicious result. Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Richard! I'm so glad you enjoyed these wings.
Dee says
Very crispy! Delish
Patty says
Why can’t I see all the reviews? Only one shows up.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hey Patty,
Click on "Older Comments" to see more reviews.
The blogging software I use breaks comments into pages in order to speed up page load time.
Ivana says
Loved them! Tip is to use room temperature wings as the melted butter congeals on cold chicken!!