This really is the best recipe for baked chicken wings that are actually, really, truly crispy!

While many chicken wings recipes come out juicy, we need them to be amazing with crispy skin too! This method originally appeared years ago in a fave Honey Garlic chicken wings recipe and can be enjoyed with ANY sauce (or no sauce at all, the choice is yours)!

plated Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings

The Best Appetizer for Game Day

Chicken wings are the real MVP, no gathering is complete without them!

When making snacks, I honestly do not love deep frying so I try to avoid it. I do love air fryer wings but often can’t fit enough in the air fryer so I needed a way to get actually crispy baked wings.

These are tender and juicy inside while having a super crispy exterior.

The secret is in the light coating they’re given (and the rest time). Once in the oven, the baking powder crisps the skin and puffs it up from the meat making them extra crunchy!

ingredients to make Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings in bowls

Ingredients and Variations

CHICKEN WINGS Purchase wings that are already split to make these extra quick. If your wings aren’t split, cut the drums from the flats and discard the tips.

COATING A simple crispy coating and some salt and pepper are all you need for the basic recipe but feel free to mix in other seasonings to the flour coating. We like powdered ranch dressing, taco seasoning, or a simple combo of garlic and cayenne powder for a little heat.

process of mixing chicken with ingredients and putting on baking dish to make Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings

How to Bake Chicken Wings

  1. Pat wings dry.
  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, & pepper (per recipe below). Toss with wings.
  3. Place on a foil-lined pan & refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
  4. Once wings are chilled & fully coated, toss in olive oil & bake.

Once baked wings can be served as salt & pepper wings or tossed with your favorite sauces from buffalo sauce to homemade bbq sauce.

close up of cooked Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings

 

Tips for the Crispiest Wings

  • Pat the wings dry, moisture makes them steam (not crisp).
  • Don’t skip the resting period, this allows them to dry out and draws moisture from the skin.
  • Toss with olive oil for a little bit of crisp without the deep fry.
  • Place on a rack on your baking pan, this allows air to circulate all around the wings.
  • Line the pan with foil for easy clean up. If the pan begins to smoke from the drippings, add a new sheet of foil on top of the old foil.
  • For an extra-crisp, put the baked wings under the broiler for about 2 minutes until the skins start to become golden brown.

top view of Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings with celery and carrots

More Game Day Goodies

Did you love these Crispy Oven-Baked Wings? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!

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Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings on a baking sheet with celery and carrots and writing
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Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings

These oven-baked wings are perfectly juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients  

  • 1 ½ pounds chicken wings split and tips removed, about 18 wings
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions 

  • Pat wings dry with a paper towel.
  • Prepare a pan by lining with foil and placing a baking rack on it. Spray the rack with cooking spray.
  • Combine flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Toss with wings and place on prepared pan. Refrigerate 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours) uncovered.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Toss wings with olive oil in a bowl (ensuring there are no dry spots of flour) and return back to the prepared pan.
  • Bake wings 20 minutes, flip and bake an additional 15 minutes. If your wings are smoking, remove the foil and add new foil. Cook until crisp and broil 1 minute each side if desired.
  • Toss with sauce or serve with dips.

Notes

  • Pat the wings dry, moisture makes them steam (not crisp).
  • Don't skip the resting period, this allows them to dry out and to draw moisture from the skin.
  • Toss with olive oil for a little bit of crisp without the deep fry.
  • Place on a rack on your baking pan, this allows air to circulate all around the wings.
  • Line the pan with foil for easy clean up. If the pan begins to smoke from the drippings, add a new sheet of foil on top of the old foil.
  • For an extra-crisp, put the baked wings under the broiler for about 2 minutes until the skins start to become golden brown.
4.96 from 188 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 243 | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 250mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 136IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Appetizer, Chicken, Party Food
Cuisine American
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Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings with dip and a title
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Actually Crispy Oven Baked Wings on a baking sheet and plated with a title

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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.96 from 188 votes (157 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I would give this ten stars if I could. It came out crispy and so closed to fried chicken. My husband loved it. I added my own seasonings, but otherwise followed the directions to a T. Really make sure that chicken is dry. This is a winner.5 stars

  2. I followed recipe exactly
    except did not have the extra time to put the wings in the fridge for 30 minutes
    prior to cooking. They came out pale and not crispy. What did I do wrong?

    1. Refrigerating the wings does help them to dry out a bit and helps them to crisp better. If you’d like to crisp them more, you can broil them a bit on each side.

  3. I made these wings exactly as the recipe calls states. My husband is a huge fan of wings and says these are the BEST crispy wings he has ever had. They are actually crispy. My son has requested them this weekend. I think people need to remember that there are so many things that can change the outcome of a recipe….oven temp (they aren’t all calibrated correctly!), oil amount, sauce amount, etc. This recipe worked great for me!5 stars

  4. This wings definitely are not “actually crispy”. I followed the recipe exactly, and made sure to dry the wings and such so they were crispy. They came out of the oven very gooey after the full cooking time. I transferred some to the air fryer and continued the rest in the oven for even longer. They eventually got slightly crispy so that they were edible in the air fryer. Overall, this site has good recipes but I would avoid this one in the future.

  5. Once again, an outstanding and simple recipe that didn’t disappoint! Never made chicken wings before because of the deep frying. Was going to do air fryer but didn’t want to do multiple batches. The flavor, crispiness and appearance was spot on. Your times were perfect and the wings were done to perfection. After completion, I tossed in a few different sauces but have to say that Jean Pierre’s “Amazing Baked Chicken Wing” sauce was my favorite. It is a sweet/spicy Asian inspired and flavorful sauce. I used your dry rub recipe and baking technique with his sauce only. Yum. BTW, is there an easier way to clean up without scrubbing all those racks? Clean up was my least favorite part, but worth it in the end. Thanks again Holly for pumping out these fine recipes!5 stars

    1. So happy you enjoyed this recipe. Unfortunately if there is, we haven’t found it yet. Definitely put down tin foil to help make cleaning up the pan easy but the racks we just let soak and then scrub clean.

  6. Thanks for sharing. Because my wings were roasters and were quite large I added 10 extra min. to the cooking time. Turned out great. 5 stars

  7. Didn’t work. Wings were not crispy at all. I followed the instructions exactly, let them sit in the refrigerator for an hour and they came out soggy. I ended up turning the air fryer on for 8 additional minutes to get a tiny bit of crust.2 stars

    1. I am so sorry this recipe didn’t work as expected for you, Bill! I am not sure if this helps but the wings need to be patted completely dry as the moisture in them will cause them to steam and not crisp up. I am glad you were able to still enjoy them!