These baked chicken wings are so easy to make, and they come out of the oven crispy and delicious. Simply bake them in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes. If you want them extra-crispy, leave them in a warm oven for 30-60 more minutes.
Wings are my favorite part of the chicken. The ratio of juicy meat to crispy skin is perfect! I prefer to bake wings in the oven because baking is a hands-off approach, much easier than frying, and the wings are just as good. They have wonderfully crispy skin and delightfully juicy meat.
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
Fresh chicken wings: I usually buy them in trays labeled as "party wings." As discussed below, using whole wings in this recipe is fine.
Butter: I use salted butter in this recipe. Unsalted butter works, too.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Variations
- Use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. I experimented with both versions and liked them equally.
- Add a teaspoon of onion powder.
- Try them with a tablespoon or two of Everything But The Bagel Seasoning! This is my daughter's favorite version.
- Instead of tossing the wings in melted butter, you can arrange them in the pan and spray them with olive oil.
- After baking, dip them in homemade buffalo sauce to make buffalo wings.
Instructions
Here's an overview of the steps for making this recipe. The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below.
Toss the wings in melted butter (or liberally spray them with oil) and sprinkle them with spices. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a wire rack, or skip the rack and use parchment paper.
Bake the wings until they are cooked through and their skin is browned and crispy, for about 40 minutes.
If you want them extra-crispy, lower the oven temperature to 170°F and keep the wings in the oven for 30-60 more minutes. Here's what they look like after 30 extra minutes in a warm oven:
Serve them immediately, on their own, or with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
Whole Wings vs. Party Wings
I usually buy chicken wings labeled as "party wings," as shown in the photo below. This means the whole wings were split into flats and drumettes, with the tips removed.
But you can use this recipe exactly as written to bake the whole wings shown in the image below:
If using whole wings, the steps for baking them are identical. This is what they look like after those extra 30 minutes in a 170°F oven:
Vered's Tip
In the photo above, you can see a pin feather sticking out of one of the wings. That's completely normal! Simply pull it out with your fingers. It will be easier to pull out with a paper towel or kitchen tweezers.
Recipe FAQs
There's no need for flour. The skin crisps beautifully in the hot oven, especially if you keep the wings in a warm oven for 30-60 extra minutes after they're done.
Absolutely. Oven-baking makes them just as crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside as frying them, and it's a much easier cooking method.
No. As you can see in this buffalo wings recipe, you bake them first, then dip the cooked wings in the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
These wings are the perfect game-day appetizer, but I often serve them as our main course for dinner. Since I bake them in a 400°F oven, I like to serve them with a side dish I can cook in the same oven, such as:
- Roasted asparagus
- Roasted carrots
- Broccoli tots
- Cauliflower tots
- Roasted mini peppers
- Roasted cabbage
- Jicama fries
They also pair well with salads, including cucumber salad, tomato salad, and coleslaw - as shown in the photo below:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven to re-crisp the skin.
You can also freeze the leftovers. Place the cooked wings in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then reheat them.
More Chicken Wing Recipes
Eat Well, Live Well Newsletter
Sign up for weekly meal ideas, cooking tips, and real food recipes straight to your inbox! We won't send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.
Recipe Card
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings - split, tips removed
- 2 tablespoons butter - melted
- 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or 1 teaspoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika - or smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with foil and fit them with wire racks. You can also use parchment-lined baking sheets and skip the rack.
- In a large bowl, toss the wings with melted butter. Arrange the coated wings in a single layer on the baking sheets, not touching each other. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Bake the wings until they are cooked through and their skin is browned and crispy, about 40 minutes.
- For extra-crispy skin, lower the oven temperature to 170℉ and keep the wings in the oven for 30-60 more minutes.
- Serve immediately. They pair well with blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Notes
- Instead of tossing the wings in melted butter, you can arrange them in the pan and spray them with olive oil.
- I typically use split wings, but you can use this recipe to bake whole wings.
- If your oven runs hot, the wings could be ready after 30 minutes.
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat them uncovered in a 350°F oven to re-crisp the skin.
- You can also freeze the leftovers. Place the cooked wings in freezer bags and freeze them for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, then reheat them.
Nutrition per Serving
Save this Recipe!
We'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
We will also add you to our weekly newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime. See healthyrecipesblogs.com/privacy/ to learn how we use your email.
Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Jen says
these are absolutely delicious and my boys go nuts whenever I make them..thank you for an amazing recipe!!!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Jen! Thank you for making this recipe and for taking the time to leave your feedback. I appreciate it!
Mandi says
Seriously so good!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm glad you like these wings, Mandi! Thanks for the comment.
Kay says
The BEST wings ever! I’m not a fan of fried, so I was looking for something baked. Everyone at the Super Bowl party raved about them. This will be my go to recipe from now on. I used oil instead of butter. Tossed with Franks sauce and served with blue cheese dressing. YUM!!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Thanks so much for this comment, Kay! I'm so glad these wings were a success yesterday. ❤️
Kendall says
These were so easy and delicious! Made them exactly as written and served them with a choice of sauces. Crispy and juicy!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kendall! Thank you for the comment.
Steve Windows says
When I look at your other chicken wings recipes I see that the time is 30 minutes at 400 degrees. Why is this one ten minutes longer? I have tried this one once and they came out good. Nice and tasty and I added some Franks Extra Hot Sauce on some when they were done. All the best.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Steve, I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe. The cooking time of 40 minutes ensures the wings are browned and crispy even if you don't keep them in a warm oven for an additional 30-60 minutes. In my other recipes, I recommend baking them for 30 minutes but then keeping them in a warm oven for another 30-60 minutes. Either method works, but they are especially crispy and enjoyable if you bake them for 30-40 minutes and then keep them in a warm oven to crisp up some more.
Jenna says
These are amazing and my pickup kids love them! I add a tiny bit of onion powder and do half paprika and half smoked. Thanks for sharing. I love your recipes!! xx
Vered DeLeeuw says
Thank you, Jenna! Glad you and the kids like these wings. 🙂
Darcy says
Absolutely the best oven cooked wing recipe I have discovered. Thank you for sharing.
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Darcy!
Erika A says
This is the BEST baked chicken wings recipe EVER! The tip of using oil instead of butter and baking them for 30 minutes at 400 degrees and then reducing the temperature to 170 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes was absolutely BRILLIANT! YUM-ME! Thank you.
Vered DeLeeuw says
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Erika! I make it almost every week; everyone here insists I do. 🙂
Andrew says
How would the cook time change if you have frozen wings?
Vered DeLeeuw says
I only tested this recipe with fresh wings.
Debbie Stacho says
We just had these for dinner. This recipe is fantastic! I will never deep-fry chicken wings again. They cooked the same as deep fried and without the mess. I sprayed mine with oil and used Lawry's Season Salt. I did cook for the exta time (50 minutes) at 170°. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
"Winner, winner chicken dinner!"
Vered DeLeeuw says
Yay! I'm so glad this recipe was a success, Debbie! Thank you for leaving a comment.
Eric says
Delicious chicken wings. Of course I modified the recipe with an additional 1 teaspoon of onion powder and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Thank you for sharing.
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you liked these wings, Eric!
What's the point of cooking if you don't alter the recipe to make it your own? 🙂
Odessa Baker says
This is a terrific wings recipe. The only suggestion I would say is to definitely use oil instead of butter. When I tossed the wings in the butter, it turned the butter back to semi-solid, so using oil from now on. Other than that, these are great! The flavor is really good with just those few ingredients; I would even dare say they're good by themselves even though we chose to toss them in buffalo sauce. Of course, the healthy side of me loves that they're baked and not fried. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Odessa!