We’re smack dab in the middle of what I like to call “food season.” First, Thanksgiving, then Christmas, and now New Year’s Eve and FOOTBALL! You’ll no doubt need some tasty appetizers to nibble on while you anxiously watch your team play on game day, so I want to offer you some homemade snacks so you’re not tempted to order in. These Baked Chicken Wings are incredibly simple, delightfully crispy, and they can be enjoyed plain or drenched in your favorite sauce.
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“These came out SO GOOD, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to order wings at a restaurant again without being disappointed. I am also scared of deep frying at home but the good news is, baked is my preferred! Perfect light crisp and so juicy! Made them last week and making again this week. Thank you!”
Flynn
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these baked chicken wings:
- Chicken Wings or Drumettes: You’ll need 2.5 lbs of chicken wings or drumettes for this recipe. I use both for a nice variety!
- Cooking Oil: Coat your wings with a splash of cooking oil to help the cornstarch/seasoning mix stick AND to help crisp them up in the oven. Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point, like canola, avocado, or vegetable oil.
- Cornstarch: This is the secret to perfectly crispy chicken wings every time. As the wings cook, they release moisture, which is absorbed by the cornstarch and helps create a crispy crust.
- Seasonings: I make my own seasoning blend using paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt. I’m not kidding when I say this blows any store-bought seasoning blends out of the water!
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings Crispy
Coating chicken wings with cornstarch helps make them extra crispy when baked. The fat from the chicken wing combines with the cornstarch to create extra-crispy skin. But lately, instead of just doing a dry dusting of cornstarch on the chicken wing, I’ve started adding both cornstarch and a small amount of oil. Adding a little bit of oil helps the chicken wings brown and crisp up a lot more evenly, which is perfect if you plan to serve the chicken wings plain, without a coating of sauce. …And it’s still way less oil and a lot easier than deep frying. ;)
How to Season Chicken Wings
For the recipe below, I created a very basic seasoning that isn’t too heavy so that it is flexible enough to match with whatever sauce or dip you decided to serve with the wings. If you plan to serve the wings without a sauce or dip and want to punch up the seasoning a bit, you can double the spices listed in the recipe below. If you’d like to try a different seasoning all together, try using 1-2 Tbsp of any of the following seasonings:
- Ranch seasoning
- Old bay seasoning
- Cajun seasoning
- Italian seasoning (with or without Parmesan)
- Steak seasoning
- Lemon pepper seasoning
- Jerk seasoning
Sauces for Chicken Wings
I don’t know about you, but flavorful sauces are probably my favorite part about eating chicken wings. Whether you plan to coat the wings in the sauce or just serve it on the side for dipping, there are so many great options for wing sauce. Here are some sauces you can use for chicken wings:
- Buffalo sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
- Honey mustard sauce
- Sweet chili sauce
- Jerk sauce
- BBQ sauce
- Peanut sauce
Budget-Friendly Tips!
- Buy in bulk where possible. I love it when I find a good deal on ANYTHING at the store, but one of my all-time favorite money-saving tricks is buying meat in bulk and freezing it. Chicken wings are perfect for this! And if you can find a good deal on spices and seasonings that you use often, stock up and save them for future recipes, too.
- Go for frozen chicken wings over fresh. Frozen wings are generally cheaper than fresh ones, and they work just as well in this recipe. I would let them thaw overnight in the fridge before patting them dry and coating them in the oil and seasoning mixture.
- Use what you have to hand. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the seasonings listed in the recipe card! Feel free to mix and match with what you have in your pantry (or refer to my recommendations for alternative seasonings above!)
- Check the discounted section at the store! Sometimes, I can find great deals on chicken wings in the discounted section of my local grocery store. It pays to shop around when you can!
What to Serve with Chicken Wings
It’s always nice to have some fresh vegetables alongside your chicken wings because their cold, crunchy, fresh texture is such a nice contrast to the crispy wings. Traditionally that would be fresh celery and carrots, but I think fresh broccoli, cauliflower, or grape tomatoes would also be nice. Plus, vegetables usually taste great dipped in the same sauces as your wings (ranch, honey mustard, etc.).
If you want to fill out your appetizer spread, I’d add: Spicy Chex Mix, Hot Corn Dip, Chorizo Cheese Dip, Cowboy Caviar, and Spinach Artichoke Dip.
Baked Chicken Wings
Servings 3 about 4 pieces eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp onion powder ($0.03)
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 2.5 lbs. chicken wings or drumettes ($9.98)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, pepper, and salt.
- Pat the wings dry, then place them in a bowl. Drizzle the cooking oil over top, then toss until the wings are coated in oil. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture, then toss to coat again.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup, then place wire cooling racks on top. Place the seasoned chicken wings on the wire racks with space between each wing.
- Bake the wings for 30 minutes, then flip and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the wings have achieved the amount of browning desired (this will depend on the size of your wings).
- Serve hot with your favorite sauce!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Enamelware Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Wire Cooling Racks
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Video
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings – Step by Step Photos
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch, ½ tsp paprika, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper, and ½ tsp salt.
Pat dry 2.5 lbs. chicken wings or drumettes. Place the dried chicken in a bowl, drizzle with 1 Tbsp cooking oil, and toss to coat. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture and toss to coat again. Add the cornstarch-seasoning mixture and toss to coat again.
The wings are now coated in a light mixture of oil, cornstarch, and seasoning which will create a flavorful and crispy exterior once baked.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. Place two wire cooling racks on top. Add the seasoned chicken on top of the wire racks with some space between each wing (if they’re too close they won’t get as crispy).
Bake the chicken wings in the preheated 400ºF oven for 30 minutes, then flip each wing over. Bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until they achieve the amount of browning you like.
Serve hot with some fresh vegetables and your favorite sauces for dipping!
Ok so. Only I did drumettes, but 400 for 25 mins almost overcooked them. I’d recommend temping them throughout so they don’t overcook.
Can drumsticks or thighs be used? Besides longer cooking time, any changes?
You shouldn’t need to make any other changes!
That cook time should work better for drumsticks.
These wings were flavorful, well-seasoned, and a little bit crispy! Not as crunchy as fried wings, of course, but these definitely get my vote for best easy wings. Mine were done before the 50-minute mark according to my meat thermometer.
confused about the nutritional information. How can 4 wings have almost 900 calories and 70 grams of protein. Is this for the whole recipe??
I ran it through a different calorie calculator and it came up with 532 calories for 1/3 of the recipe which sounds a bit more correct! The plugin that we use does it automatically so it may have grabbed an ingredient weird.
U have great recipies / I’m already a “Foodie” ( if they say that anymore) lol! They are easy to follow & straight forward & diverse! Thx