These oven baked chicken wings come out super crispy and spicy without the need for deep frying or an additional sauce that makes them wet and messy to eat. A definite crowd pleaser as an appetizer, or a filling comfort meal at the end of a long day.
It’s almost hard to believe that before Buffalo Wings became a thing in 1964, that chicken wings were typically an undesirable part of the chicken that most people didn’t eat and were mainly used for making stocks. Nowadays chicken wings are about as American as apple pie and baseball, and this one we came up with ourselves. We don’t have a lot of dishes that spun off their own entire restaurant franchises with a menu built around them as the star, but that’s how much we love our chicken wings in America.
A good hot wing at your local bar goes awesome with an ice-cold draft while watching some sports, but sometimes it’s nice to have that same comfort food at home. Baking them in the oven takes longer than deep-frying but is also slightly healthier and much easier and less messy to make. I’ve been making these wings for many years now and they are one of my favorite meals after a long night at work. Once I pop them into the oven, I’m free to plop down on the couch and enjoy some Netflix while getting off my feet and relaxing before dinner. With only a few minutes of prep, these chicken wings require very little hands-on cooking.
Spicy Baked Chicken Wing Ingredients
As I said before, I’ve been making these for many years now, and I spent months tweaking and trying various seasoning combinations until I arrived at this blend being just the right balance of hot, smoky, and full of flavor. I wanted something that was as crispy and moist as a deep-friend wing, but just as hot and spicy as a chicken wing tossed in a buffalo sauce without the mess.
Chicken Wings – I prefer to buy the larger family packs that are uncut because you can save a lot of money per pound that way. They usually have 14-16 whole wings in them, which will yield you 28-32 wings (flats and drums) after cutting them. I also suggest fresh packs of wings as opposed to the large bags that are frozen and pre-cut.
Flour – I use All-Purpose for these. You’re not going to use much; I just find it helps to bind all the seasonings together when tossing with the wings. You only want a light dusting, as these aren’t like fully breaded wings, and you won’t be dredging them in the flour.
Seasoning Blend – The list will seem like a lot, but almost everything I use are standard household seasonings, and if you don’t already have them, I highly recommend them for many recipes.
Butter – Just a small amount of unsalted butter added to the baking sheet helps to brown and crisp the skin, while also keeping the chicken moist in the oven.
How to Bake Chicken Wings
If your chicken wings are uncut, that will need to be your first step. Basically, hold the wing tip and find the gap in the joint between it and the “flat” and slice through. Now hold the wing by the thicker part of the “drum” and bend the wing about 90 degrees and slice through the joint near the base of the drum. If you hit the sweet spot, it should cut straight through. If you feel resistance, then you’re hitting bone. Just move the knife slightly left or right until you can cut through easily. You can either trash the wing tips or freeze them for making a nice chicken stock later. For a more detailed guide with images, check my post on How to Cut Chicken Wings.
Do NOT use paper towels to pat the wings dry. Some recipes call for this step, but you’ll want the natural juices here in order for all of the seasoning to stick.
Using a gallon size zipper lock bag, add the flour and all the seasoning and mix until it’s a light rust color. Place the chicken wings inside the bag and seal it, leaving some air inside. Shake until all the wings are fully coated. If you’d prefer not to use bags, or if you want to omit the flour, then use a large mixing bowl and place all the wings inside. Pour the seasoning mixture over the wings and use your hands to coat them all.
Place the wings on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and break the butter into 4 or more pieces and drop them around the pan. Bake the wings in a 425°F / 220°C oven for 45 minutes, flipping them over after the first 30 minutes.
Serve them with your favorite veggie and dipping sauce and enjoy!
📋 Recipe
Spicy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 10 – 12 chicken wings, drums and flats separated
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon ginger powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon basil
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon hot-Mexican chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, heaping
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon butter, divided
Directions
- Pre-heat your oven to 425°F / 220°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take the flour and all the seasonings and spices and combine them in a gallon-sized zipper lock bag. Shake or mix until it resembles a rust-colored flour. (Check the notes for more information about the measurements of all these ingredients)
- Hold the bag upright so that all the seasoning falls to the bottom of the bag. Lay the bag flat and place the chicken wings just inside the bag and seal it closed. Reopen a small portion and blow some air inside, then seal again. Lift the bag and shake until it appears all the wings are fully coated.
- Using tongs, remove the wings from the bag and arrange them on the baking sheet. Break the butter into 4 or more small pieces and drop in a zigzag pattern over the chicken wings.
- Bake for 30 minutes, take the wings out and flip them over. Continue baking for another 15 minutes or until done. Allow to rest for a few minutes and they should be nice and crisp. Serve with your favorite dip and veggies and enjoy!
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