These baked turkey wings are coated in olive oil and spices and cooked in the oven to juicy perfection. They are truly easy to make, and they emerge from the oven gorgeous, browned, juicy, and flavorful!
I rarely roast a whole turkey for Thanksgiving. I much prefer cooking individual parts like turkey breast and turkey legs. Turkey wings are another great option. They are fatty and flavorful, and roasting them in the oven is an effortless method that yields fabulous results.
Ingredients and Variations
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
Turkey wings: If you buy them from your butcher, ask them to split the wings for you. It's not that difficult to do it yourself, but it's a tad challenging. If you get a package of wings at the supermarket, like the one shown in the image below (I got these wings at Kroger), you will likely get whole wings that you'll need to split at home.
Seasoning mix: This mix is inspired by my chicken drumsticks recipe. It contains olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. You can use melted butter instead of olive oil. Enjoy spicy food? Add ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a sharp chef’s knife to split the wings into three parts - drumettes, wingettes, and tips. Pat them dry. Combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika into a seasoning paste. Arrange the wings in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Drizzle them with the seasoning paste and use your hands to coat them all over.
Bake the wings until browned and cooked through, for 60-90 minutes, depending on their size and how hot your oven runs. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a drumette and not touching the bone should register 165°F.
Baste the wings with the pan juices and serve. Look at this perfectly cooked drumette! I wish you could have a bite. It was sooo good.
Recipe Tips
Adjust the Cook Time to the Wings' Size
Turkey wings vary in size depending on the size of the bird. While a 4-pound package of wings will typically contain four medium wings, it can also contain two huge ones, as shown in the photo below. In these wings, each of the drumettes weighed nearly a pound when raw (14 ounces), and the wingettes weighed 10 ounces.
Medium wings need around 60 minutes in the oven. The huge ones will need 75-90 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs. The wings I cooked today needed 75 minutes.
Cutting the Wings
Turkey wings are usually sold whole. As shown in the photo below, they have three parts - drumette, wingette, and tip. Unlike chicken wings that can be cooked whole, these are big, so you'll want to split them. Ideally, your butcher will do it for you, but if you bought a package at the supermarket, the wings are likely whole, and you'll need to split them yourself.
To cut the wings, cut the skin flap between the drumette and wingette, and then locate the joint between them. You’ll want to cut through the joint and cartilage, not through the bones. As you cut, adjust the knife to make sure you’re cutting through the joint and not attempting to cut the bone. The photo below shows that I cut the drumette away from the wingette through cartilage, not through the bone (that would be impossible!).
It's Best to Use a Baking Dish
I experimented with baking the wings on a sheet pan fitted with a rack, as shown in the image below.
While the skin turned out crispier, and we did enjoy the wings, you can see in the photo comparison below that the meat was a bit drier, especially the drumettes.
So, I recommend baking the wings in a baking dish, not on a sheet pan. When you bake them in a baking dish, they're baked in their own juices, which helps keep them moist.
Recipe FAQs
You should bake them uncovered for 45-60 minutes to get them browned. Check their temperature, and if they need more time in the oven but appear deeply browned, loosely cover them with foil and keep baking them. The foil will prevent them from burning.
You can discard them, save them for making stock (put them in the freezer if you don't have immediate plans for that), or do as I do: add them to the pan and roast them. They have very little meat, but it's fun to gnaw on them!
There's no need to flip them. However, after the first 45-60 minutes, you might need to loosely cover them in foil to protect their tops from burning.
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven. However, this is one of those recipes where the freshly cooked dish is far superior to reheated leftovers.
Serving Suggestions
When I serve these wings for Thanksgiving, I serve them with traditional side dishes and trimmings, including cornbread, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sausage stuffing, and (for dessert) pumpkin pie.
When I serve them throughout the year, I like to serve them with a side dish I can bake in the same 400°F oven, such as roasted asparagus, baked shiitake mushrooms, roasted mini peppers, and roasted carrots.
Recipe Card
Easy Baked Turkey Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pounds turkey wings - 2-4 whole wings; see notes
Seasonings paste:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or 1 teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a sharp chef’s knife to split the wings at the joints into three parts - drumettes, wingettes, and tips (see notes). Pat the wings dry with paper towels.
- In a small bowl, combine the seasoning paste ingredients: Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
- Arrange the wings in a 9 X 13-inch rimmed baking dish. Drizzle them with the seasoning paste and use your hands to coat them all over.
- Bake the wings uncovered until browned and cooked through, for 60-90 minutes, depending on their size (see notes below). An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a drumette and not touching the bone should register 165°F. Check the wings after 45-60 minutes and loosely cover them with foil if they are already deeply browned but need more time in the oven. This will protect them from burning.
- Baste the wings with the pan juices and serve.
Notes
- The nutrition info is based on this USDA entry.
- Turkey wings vary in size depending on the size of the bird. While a 4-pound package of wings will typically contain four medium wings, it can also contain two huge ones, as shown in the photos on this page. Each of these drumettes weighed nearly a pound when raw (14 ounces), and the wingettes weighed 10 ounces. Medium wings will need around 60 minutes in the oven. The huge ones will need 75-90 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs.
- To cut the wings, cut the skin flap between the drumette and wingette, and then locate the joint between them. You’ll want to cut through the joint and cartilage, not through the bones. As you cut, adjust the knife to make sure you’re cutting through the joint and not attempting to cut the bone.
- You can keep the wing tips or discard them (or freeze them to use later in soups and stocks). I like to bake them! They have very little meat, but it’s fun to gnaw on them when they’re roasted.
- The wings should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165°F, but it’s OK if their internal temperature is higher, as high as 180°F. They will still be juicy.
- It's best to use a baking dish. This will ensure the wings are baked in their own juices and remain juicy. While a sheet pan would promote skin crispness, it could also dry them out. So, if you need to double the recipe, use two 9 X 13-inch baking dishes.
- There's no need to flip the wings midway. However, after the first 45-60 minutes, you might need to loosely cover them in foil to protect their tops from burning.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven. However, this is one of those recipes where the freshly cooked dish is far superior to reheated leftovers.
Nutrition per Serving
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Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Ryan b says
Perfection! Easy and delicious. We doubled the recipe and used two baking dishes. Can't wait to try the leftovers tomorrow.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked these wings, Ryan! Thanks for the comment.
Jack says
These were very good. Mine were giant like yours, and I left them whole and baked them in a baking dish as per your recommendation. My wife and I finished the entire thing and have already added turkey wings to next week's shopping list.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you and your wife enjoyed these wings, Jack! Thank you for the comment.
Barbara Jones says
My husband and me loved these wings! Mine were smaller and needed an hour in the oven. I decided to roast them on a roasting rack and they weren’t dry at all.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you and your husband enjoyed these wings, Barbara! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Jrb says
Delicious.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment.
Yael says
Great for a two-person Thanksgiving when you don't want leftover turkey for a week!
(I'm Vered's daughter, but this is my honest opinion!)
Vered DeLeeuw says
Exactly! 🙂
Annie says
I'd like to use this recipe with chicken wings. How long do you think I should roast them? Would you turn the smaller chicken pieces over halfway through the baking time? Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Annie,
For chicken wings, I recommend this recipe:
https://healthyrecipesblogs.com/baked-chicken-wings/