The options are endless when it comes to chicken wings. Baked, fried, battered, dry, spicy, sweet, smoky, and on and on. And while a ‘healthy-version’ chicken wing might sound limited, if seasoned and cooked appropriately, a baked chicken wing can taste just as good.
In today’s post, I share with you a few tips and tricks to making healthy and yes, crispy baked chicken wings – not of those soft baked wings here, and a basic go-to recipe that will leave you wondering why you never made wings that way before.
Why you’ll love this crispy baked wing recipe…
- deee-lish
- free from top allergens like; grains, gluten, dairy, nuts, eggs, soy
- prep time is only 5 minutes
- the seasoning is versatile and can be adapted based on flavour preference
- only a few simple healthy ingredients needed
- little mess, little cleanup
- cost efficient
- great for any occasion
Tips to getting baked wings crispy…
Nothing’s worse than a soggy baked wing. After a few variations of baking wings, I finally figured out how to get a nice and relatively even crispy layer on the outside. Now don’t get me wrong, these are not pub-style fried tasting crispy wings, but they sure are mighty good considering they weren’t dipped in a deep fryer. So how can baked wings get crispy? Here are a few tips:
- Do not cook from frozen. I can’t emphasize this enough. Go fresh or go home, jk jk. If you go for frozen, make sure they are completely thawed out.
- Whether they’re fresh or thawed from frozen, well them well under cold water and then pat each one dry with a paper towel before putting into a large bowl.
- Drizzle lightly with avocado oil. Not olive, coconut, or vegetable oil. Avocado oil has a high burning temperature, meaning when the wings bake at 425-450F the edges won’t burn, turn black, and dry out.
- Use dry seasonings only, no crushed garlic here.
- Last but not least, baking powder, yes baking powder! Keep this handy , it will give the edges/skin of the wings a smidge of texture without having to add flour. 😉
A few quick notes…
- This is a ‘dry’ wing flavour recipe. Tastes grate as is or tossed in a few spoons of bbq sauce.
- You oven temp/circulation may vary. Follow the cooking instructions until the end, but monitor in the last 5-10 minutes to make sure they’re not burning. Or, alternatively if they need to be cooked 5 or so minutes longer.
- Warning, you will be going back for second.
- If there are any left overs, they warm up nicely in the over/toaster-over the next day too.
Let’s get into it!
Crispy Baked Wings Recipe
Baked Crispy Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Large bowl
- paper towel
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment paper
- write cooling rack (like the one you would use to cool cookies)
Ingredients
- 6 lbs fresh or thawed chicken wings (approx. 20-25 wings)
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp baking powder aluminum and gluten free
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1-2 tsp pink salt depending on how salty you like your wings
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika, whichever you prefer
- 1/4 tsp black ground pepper, or more if you like it spicy
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On top of the parchment paper, place the wire cooling rack so it sits on top of the parchment paper evenly..
- Wash the chicken wings and pat each one dry with paper towel. Make sure to dry, do not skip this step. If your wings are frozen, thaw them out completely, wash, and pat dry. Add wings to a large mixing bowl.
- Drizzle with avocado. Mix well with clean hands to coat.
- Sprinkle with baking powder. Mix to coat.
- Sprinkle on remaining seasonings. Mix with hands to coat.
- Once wings are coated. Lay each one on top of the wire rack, leaving a bit of room between.
- Place in the oven to bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove and with tongs flip wings over. Place back in the over, raise temperature to 450F, and bake for 20 more minutes. The temperature will gradually increase as they cook to help crisp them up. Once they're back in the oven, check on them once or twice after 10-15 minutes. They may be ready 5 minutes sooner or later depending on your oven.
- Enjoy as is, or place them in a bowl and toss with a few spoons of preferred sauce.
Have you tried baking chicken wings before? What’s you favourite wing seasoning or dip flavour? Share with me below!
Helping you put wellness 1st,
Fay