Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (Master Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient to crispy wings? ›

Make the crispiest chicken wings with this one secret ingredient: baking powder.

Cornstarch: Coating the chicken wings with cornstarch gives them a very light breading and makes them extra crispy! Baking Powder: Be sure to use baking powder, and NOT baking soda. For baked chicken wings, the baking powder works with cornstarch and salt to coat the wings.

This was the easiest of the hacks: Just toss the wings in a teaspoon each of salt and baking powder before baking. The wings came out of the oven quite crisp, and were the only wings that came out matte – with no oil sheen – which seemed to help them absorb the sauce, in both good and bad ways.

Ingredient Tips

My not-so-secret tip to the best fried chicken is a combination of FLOUR, CORNSTARCH, and BAKING POWDER. When mixed with the flour, the cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it that golden brown color! (It has to do with prevention of gluten development.)

Double Dredge

The best way to ensure the breading will stay on the chicken is to double down on the flour. This creates a super thick, extra crispy coating on your chicken. After dredging the chicken in seasoned flour, dip it into an egg wash and place it back into the flour.

Is better to bake wings at 350, 400, or 425? Having experimented with baking my chicken wings at 350°F, 400°F, and 425°F, I can confidently say that 400°F is the best temperature to achieve perfectly cooked wings in a convection oven.

Air-drying the wings overnight helps them crisp up faster when you bake them, which corresponds to juicier meat in the end. Baking powder adds surface area to the chicken wings, intensifying their crunch.

It may sounds unappealing, but coating chicken wings in seasoned baking powder is what makes the skin super crispy. You won't taste it in the end results, so long as you use aluminium-free. To be clear, make sure you use baking powder, NOT baking soda, because there is a big difference!

It involves frying the wings first in lower temperature oil, around 250˚F, to get juicy, tender meat on the inside. Then, you have two options. You can pull them out and let them cool before the second frying, or, as some chefs swear by, you can freeze these wings overnight before frying them again the following day.

Be sure to pat the wings dry before mixing them with the baking powder; you'll create a paste on the wings if they are wet, which means they won't crisp up nicely. Basically, the key is to reduce moisture on the exterior of the wing as much as possible. The other crucial part of this equation is your baking set-up.

How to make chicken skin crispy in oven baking powder? ›

To reap those benefits, simply combine one part baking powder with three to four parts kosher salt (about a teaspoon of baking powder per tablespoon of kosher salt will work), add some black pepper to taste, then sprinkle it evenly over the surface of the skin.

For each pound of wings, you'll need only 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda. I know this sounds crazy, but trust me — it works. While your wings are baking, go ahead and whip up a wing sauce, Buffalo, hoisin, or whatever you like. Be sure to break out the ranch and the blue cheese while you're at it.

All you actually need is a dash of baking soda to make the crispiest wings possible. While that special ingredient will help create the best texture possible, it does come with a slight flavor drawback — too much of it will cause your wings to taste metallic and bitter.

Add the chicken wings to the spice mixture and toss to spread evenly. Once coated, place the wings on a rack over a baking sheet and let them rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. This resting phase allows the baking soda to work its magic, breaking down the proteins in the skin.

velveting in oil. There's a local place with the best wings I've ever had and I asked their process. They dry brine for a day or two and then bake them, and THEN deep fry them before doing the rubs or sauces. The results are so crispy but tender and juicy.

The baking powder raises the pH of the surface, allowing it to crisp better*), and tossing in plain cornstarch to absorb some surface moisture and create a rougher texture for the batter to adhere to. *See more on the science of baking powder and chicken wings in this article on oven-fried buffalo wings.

That trick is a sprinkling of baking powder, and it'll get you the crispiest, crackliest bites of fatty, salty skin imaginable, whether you're cooking just one thigh, a plate of wings, or an entire bird. Baking powder, it turns out, is good for quite a lot more than baking.