Oven Baked Chicken Wings

Crispy-skinned and irresistible, oven baked chicken wings are great for game days, holidays, parties, and just plain fun.

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: as an appetizer

Calories: 296kcal

Ingredients

Chicken wings

2 pounds chicken wings SEE NOTES BELOW
3 tablespoons your favorite dry rub recipe link for my rub is below
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons neutral high heat oil or avocado oil spray
½ teaspoon salt **if the rub is salt-free

Instructions

Get ready to bake

Pre-heat the oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil, place a wire rack on top.

Trim wings

If you purchased whole wings, trim off the wing tips with poultry shears or kitchen shears, then cut them at the joint to separate. Also trim that that little wing-shaped piece of fat inside the "v". Next, pat wings totally dry with paper towels.

Season wings

Combine the dry rub and the baking soda.m Add salt if the rub does not have salt. Add dry wings to a medium bowl and toss lightly with oil or avocado spray. Toss with the spice mixture. Alternatively add to a zip bag, and toss with the spices to coat. Wings don’t need a heavy coating, just an even one.
Lay wings flat on the wire rack leaving some room for air circulation. Start wings "pretty side" down so they finish skin-side up for the best browning and presentation.

Bake wings

Bake until deeply browned and crisp, 35–50 minutes, turning every 20–25 minutes. Ovens vary, so start checking at 35 minutes. Wings are done when they register 180°F–200°F internally. For a little extra shine at the end, give them a quick, light spray of avocado oil (optional).

To serve wings

Pile wings on a platter and serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks, radishes, and other veggies, plus buffalo sauce and my Buffalo Ranch Dip, or blue cheese dressing.

Notes

For making the wings ahead, they’re best fresh out of the oven, but you can reheat them on a wire rack in a hot oven until crisp again. Avoid the microwave—it softens the skin.

Buying chicken wings: Most stores sell “party wings,” a mix of flats and drumettes, but they’re often on the small side and skimpy on meat. I prefer to buy whole wings and cut them at the joint myself with sturdy kitchen shears (poultry shears). You’ll get larger, meatier pieces this way. Some stores also sell just flats or just drumettes, so choose the style you like and check what’s available at your local market.

Scalable formula per 1 lb wings for a crowd:

1½ tablespoon dry rub
¾ teaspoon baking soda
light oil spray (or ½–1 teaspoon oil)

Nutrition