Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Y’all. There are very few things that I am intimidated by cooking. I don’t really love meat with bones in it. Honestly, kind of freaks me out. Since chicken wings are like 50% bone, I never made them until Superbowl 2019! I wanted to make some wings since we were having friends over to watch the game but I didn’t even know where to start. I thought about frying them in oil in a pan, then contemplated using the air fryer, but ultimately I wanted the most effective way to cook wings for a crowd, which traditional frying and the air fryer couldn’t give me! After doing some research, I realized it came down to chemistry. You know, when I was taking chemistry in college, I never thought it would help me with chicken wings but here we are!!
When you’re buying chicken wings, buy the whole, unbroken-down wings. This is the most cost effective, and even as as bone hater, I like breaking down my own wings. I don’t have some magical method to make breaking down the whole wings into flats and drums and tips, so I’m gonna direct you to Youtube. I found watching another person’s technique was very helpful. The whole wing has 3 parts: the drumstick, the flat, and the wing tip. Personally, I save my wing tips in a bag in my freezer for when I make broth!
The key to the crispy wings is the dusting of baking powder. Baking powder and baking soda ARE NOT THE SAME THING. If you use baking soda, your chicken wings will be bitter and disgusting. Baking powder is a leavening agent usually used in baking, and it has baking soda, Cream of Tartar, and corn starch in it. It raises the pH of the skin of the chicken wings enabling the perfect crispy crunch without added fat because it lets the skin dry out for maximum crispness. Roughly 10% of the population thinks that baking powder tastes bitter; if you’re part of that 10% then please don’t make these because they’ll taste gross to you LOL. But the other 90% will love them! Ideally, if you use aluminum-free baking powder, 100% will find the wings delicious and perfect. I am lazy and using what I have on hand, so I’m using just normal baking powder, but when I use up what I have, I’ll switch to aluminum-free!
You also will bake these wings twice- once at a lower, slower heat to render the fat, and then you’ll crank the heat up at the end.
You can put the wings on racks on the cookie sheets, but since I like minimal dishes, I use parchment paper. I find it still gives me the finish I’m looking for and it makes cleanup a breeze! Once your crispy wings are done baking, you can sauce them however you please! I personally love traditional buffalo wings (Franks hot sauce, butter, garlic) but you can do lemon pepper, a dry rub, or any store bought sauce. For Superbowl Sunday, I served them with sauces from Buffalo Wild Wings! They were a huge hit.
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
10 whole wings
1 tablespoon (aluminum-free) baking POWDER
1/2 teaspoon salt
parchment paper
Break down the whole chicken wings into flats, drums, and wing tops. These 10 wings will make 10 drums, 10 flats, and 10 tips. Discard (or save for broth!) the wing tips and place the 10 drums and 10 flats in a large bowl. sprinkle the wing pieces with baking powder and salt. Toss to combine. The goal isn’t to coat the wings so don’t be alarmed if it seems more like a dusting. Lay out your flats and drums on parchment-paper lined baking sheets and bake at 250 for 30 minutes. DO NOT EAT THEM YET- they’re still raw. Crank up the heat to 425 and bake another 40-50 minutes; if you have the option on your oven, raise the temperature to 400 convection and bake 30-40 minutes. I have found convection to give me the best crisp, but a regular oven works just as well. Once the wings are fully cooked, toss with the sauce of your choice and serve immediately!
What’s your favorite sauce for chicken wings? Are you a traditionalist like me or an innovator of flavor?
XO,
Han