Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (Easy Oven Method)
These crispy baked chicken wings come out crackly on the outside, juicy inside, and packed with flavor — all without a deep fryer. If you’re wondering how to bake chicken wings and actually get them crispy, this is the method that works. Less fat, less calories, and healthier than deep-fried!
This is one of the most tried-and-true recipes on my site, with nearly 1,000 raving reviews from readers who say it beats anything they’ve had in a restaurant. The secret? Parboiling the chicken wings first to remove excess fat, then baking at high heat for golden, crackly skin.
Whether you’re planning game day snacks, a party appetizer, or just craving crispy oven baked chicken wings without the mess of frying, this method is easy, reliable, and absolutely delicious.
Why My Method is the Best
Crispy without deep frying – For over a decade, this has been the go-to recipe on my site for crackly, crispy chicken wings—no baking powder or flour needed. Parboiling first removes excess fat, and a super hot oven finishes the job beautifully.
Easy to scale – Whether you’re cooking for a party or just a few people, this oven-baked method makes it easy. No fryer to manage, no batches to babysit. Just pop multiple trays in at once and bake.
The healthiest option – These wings get golden and crisp without being deep fried in vegetable oil. They’re lighter, but still satisfy that fried-wing craving.
Make ahead friendly – Parboil the wings in advance, then store them in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you’re ready, bake them straight from the fridge—perfect for parties or meal prep.
I’ve Tested It All – Here’s What Actually Works
I’ve tried every method for baked wings—baking powder, hybrid approaches, deep fryers. But nothing beats parboiling then baking. The skin turns out crispier and lighter, without that leathery feel some other methods give. The results speak for themselves, Look how golden my parboil method is!
Tips for the Best Results
Dry the skin well – Water and moisture are the enemies of crispy, so you will need to make sure to dry the chicken skin thoroughly so they can get supremely crispy.
Flip once during cooking – It’s a little more work to flip the pieces over during cooking, but it really is essential. They won’t get as crispy all over unless you flip them over and give the other side a chance to brown.
Buy “party” cut pieces – It’s true that you can sometimes save a tiny bit of money by cutting the whole wings yourself into wingettes and drumettes (and discarding the wing tips), but pre-cut pieces tend to be more consistent. This consistency in size is essential for even cooking and browning. If you have some larger pieces and some smaller, you’ll have a mix of over and underdone chicken.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Here’s an overview of the game plan.
- Cut the chicken wings into drumettes and wingettes, if needed. If you buy “party wings” at the store instead of whole, they are already prepped for you. I recommend this to save time and hassle.
- Simmer the chicken in salted water for about 7 minutes, to render excess fat.
- Dry them thoroughly.
- Place them face down on a sheet pan and bake, flipping once while cooking.
- Coat in sauce, and serve.
Let’s look at some step by step photos.
Parboil First:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and heavily salt. Add your Chicken wings and reduce to a simmer. Parboil for 7 minutes
I know it feels strange but this renders fat and is the secret to crispy wings.
Drain in a colander
2. Drain your wings into a colander. Really let it sit for a few minutes so the steam can finish burning off.
Dry the wings
3. Lay the chicken pieces out on paper towels and dry very well, giving each one a squeeze.
If you want crispy results, you have to dry thoroughly
It’s REALLY important to dry the pieces well with the towels, because it has a big impact on how crispy they will end up later. In order for the skin to get crispy, all the surface water must evaporate and cook off first, so you want as little there as possible from the start.
Want to add seasoning?
If you’d like to add some sort of seasonings or a dry rub, now is the time to rub it onto the chicken. Popular choices are garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and of course, black pepper and kosher salt. However, because I like to add the flavorings via the sauce, I do not add any spices to the meat here.
Bake in the Oven
4. Lay the wings in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake in a 450F oven for about 25 minutes, until you start to see golden brown bits on the bottom of the wings.
Look closely, and you can see golden bits peeking out from the sides here:
Flip them over
5. Flip all the pieces over, and you can see those caramelized parts starting to develop:
This is what we want! But, we need to cook it more. Most of it is still isn’t crispy yet.
Continue baking for another 5-10 minutes, until much more of the skin has crisped:
6. Once your wings have all developed their crispy skin you can remove from the oven.
Variations on Baking Time: Size Matters
The sizes of chicken wings at grocery stores vary hugely, so the visual cues are incredibly important! Make sure to look at the photos above, and to use the baking times as estimates, but go more by visual cues. If the wings turn out dry, this means they were overcooked. They definitely shouldn’t be dry on the inside.
Toss in your preferred sauce
At this point your crispy baked wings are ready to be tossed in a large bowl with Buffalo Sauce (assuming you want to enjoy these as the classic buffalo wings, but oven baked), and devoured.
Don’t like spicy sauce?
If you prefer something that isn’t spicy, you may like Garlic Parmesan Wings better. I also have sweet and spicy Korean Chicken Wings, Honey Garlic Chicken Wings, or you can toss in BBQ Sauce. Feel free to try out your personal favorite sauces, as this cut of chicken is like a blank canvas that works well with most flavors.
What to Serve with This Recipe:
Serve your delicious wings with a side of Blue Cheese Dip if you’re doing classic Buffalo Sauce, along with celery sticks and carrot sticks. This is one of the most popular and favorite dips on the blog.
You can also do a side of Buffalo Garlic Knots and Buffalo Chicken Dip (or the Crockpot version, Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip) to round out a full spread of tasty appetizers for football or game day snacks!
I also love making Homemade Guacamole and a pot of Ground Turkey Chili.
How to Make Sure The Meat Doesn’t Stick to the Pan
A few people have reported issues with the wings sticking to the pan. This means they were too wet when they went into the oven.
Make sure to:
- Dry the wings very thoroughly after parboiling. As stated in the recipe, let them air dry for a few minutes (you will literally see steam evaporating off the wings as they cool). Then dry them very well with towels, squeezing well.
- If you want extra insurance, you may grease the pan with a high smoke point oil, like ghee, tallow, avocado, vegetable, canola, etc. Just make sure you don’t put parchment paper or a silicone mat underneath the wings, because they won’t crisp up the same.
Tips and FAQs:
I only recommend you bake these fresh. They won’t stay crispy later.
Yes! Parboil and dry the wings, then refrigerate UNCOVERED on a sheet pan for up to 24 hours. Bake them straight from the fridge — just add a few extra minutes to account for the chill.
You’ll need to thaw first. Once thawed, parboil and continue as directed. Never cook chicken wings straight from frozen.
Yes, definitely! Parboiling renders out some of the fat, and the remaining fat is used to crisp the wing naturally. Plus, the vegetable oils most people use for frying are very unhealthy.
Absolutely. Unfortunately, frozen meats lose moisture in the freezing process. This is true not just for chicken but also beef, pork, etc.
Yes — no breading, no flour, no baking powder. These wings are Paleo and Whole30 friendly too.
Bake at 450°F for 25 minutes, flip, then bake 10 more minutes until golden and crispy on both sides.
What Readers Are Saying
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This was the best baked chicken wing recipe I have ever made. The chicken was super crispy. My family enjoyed. I will definitely make this recipe again.” – Victoria
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “By far the BEST oven baked wing recipe out there. They are just as, if not crispier than their fried companion. Could not recommend this recipe more!” – Alicia
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “My favorite way to make wings. I will never make another way again! Super crispy every time!” – J
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
For the Chicken Wings:
- 2 lbs chicken wings "party style" (pre-cut into wingettes and drumettes)
- salt
What to Serve With Them:
- Blue Cheese Dip
- Cut celery and carrot sticks
- Buffalo Sauce
- Buffalo Garlic Knots
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Heat up a big pot of boiling water. Season the water like you would for cooking pasta (taste the water, it should taste a little repulsively salty, like sea water).
- Add the chicken wings to the pot, and reduce the heat slightly to keep them at a simmer for 7 minutes.
- Drain the chicken pieces in a colander, then place them on a wire rack for a couple minutes, letting the steam evaporate from the cooling wings and also letting any excess moisture drip down. Then dry them very well with paper towels or highly absorbent kitchen towels.
- Place the chicken wings directly on a metal sheet pan, with the fattier top side down.
- Bake for 25 minutes on the first side, then flip the pieces over and bake for another 5-10 minutes on the other side, until the skin looks golden and crisp. Make sure to keep your eye on them, particularly if you have smaller wings, to check for doneness. Overcooking risks drying the inside out.
- If serving the wings with sauce, coat them while they're hot out of the oven. Enjoy!
Notes
- Dry the wings very thoroughly after parboiling. As stated in the recipe, let them air dry for a few minutes (you will literally see steam evaporating off the wings as they cool). Then dry them very well with towels, squeezing well.
- If you want extra insurance, you may grease the pan with a high smoke point oil, like ghee, tallow, avocado, vegetable, canola, etc. Just make sure you don’t put parchment paper or a silicone mat underneath the chicken, because the skin won’t crisp up the same.
- Bake on an uncoated sheet pan (affiliate) for best results, and use a turner like this (affiliate) to really get under the pieces and scoop the crispy bits off.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
824 Comments on “Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (Easy Oven Method)”
I just made these. I was hesitant about the boiling, but I did it and then baked in a glass pyrex dish. My husband said they were the best he has ever had and has always been turned off by baked wings in the past. I will never make wings any other way. Thank you for the recipe.
I have never cooked much chicken before but my wife and I have become pretty particular when it comes to the wings we like. I decided to surprise her to these fresh wings when she got done with school last night and these absolutely nailed it! I couldn’t believe how much fat came off these and made them taste so much better! Great recipe!
Oh I love this!!!! My kids enjoyed the wings. Thanks for sharing this. I just love the fact that I don’t have to feel like I am wasting so much oil over deep frying.
I tried your method of cooking, and then dunked them in our favorite teriyaki sauce. They were soooooo onolicious! And so much easier than deep frying! And my house doesn’t smell of grease, just yummy chicken. This was fabulous, thank you so much for sharing this. I would have never ever thought of parboiling before baking. You are a genius.
Wow, thank you for this recipe. I just pulled them out of the oven and had to taste one before putting on the wing sauce. They are so crispy that I probably couldn’t distinguish them from fried. By the way, I bought a giant package of wings at Costco, and this was my third and final attempt at making baked wings. The first attempt was to broil them and then cook in a crockpot, (good flavor, succulent, but not at all crisp). The second attempt was Alton Brown’s steaming then baking recipe. It was ok, but really not all that crisp (especially given the hassle of cleaning the steam basket). Your method was the third and final attempt tonight. I’m so glad I found this recipe; I was very close to giving up on ever trying to make wings at home.
These were impressively crispy! I was only going to make half of the wings because we had so many, but I am glad I just baked them all because my husband devoured them. We won’t order takeout wings again after trying this recipe! Thank you.
YAY! That’s fantastic, Laura. So glad you guys loved them so much!
These look delicious! Wings at 5:00 in the morning?…YES please! I can’t wait to try these.
This is the second one of your recipes that I tried this week, and we have loved them both! These were very good. Nice and crispy. I wanted my 5 yr old to eat them, so I used bbq sauce instead if hot sauce. Who new Open Pit was so good on wings?
Awesome Sheryl! I’m so glad. That’s smart to use BBQ sauce, you can use whatever you’d like here. Happy cooking =)
Watching the Seahawks game and seriously wishing we had some of these. Look fabulous!
I love football days…good excuse to make food like this! haha.
Well, a broken fryer and a bag full of defrosted wings sent me to the internet in search of a baked version. This was a big hit with my family! Instead of the hot sauce and butter, we bought bottles of our favorite Buffalo Wild Wings sauces and everyone got just the heat & flavor they wanted. I was expecting my picky 7 year old to eat only the one bite I required, but after trying them, she ate SEVEN!
Woohoo! Awesome Stephanie =)
Made these wings and used store bought Buffalo Wild Wing shaves. They came out great and you’d never know they weren’t deep fried. Nice and crispy. Thanks a bunch! This is a new go to favorite for me for football Sundays
Awesome, thank you for your reply, even though they stuck they were still awesome!! Next time I will put them right on the cookie sheet. Thanks for the recipe, its the BEST!!!
“rack” I mean as cooling rack over a cookie sheet or right on the cookie sheet?
Yes, we’re on the same page, don’t worry. Funny enough, I’ve found that generally food browns better on the pan than on a rack. It’s the contact with that hot surface area.
Ok, I tried it again with no foil and no rack and as good as they were last time, they were even better this time! Wow, so yummy! Do you think you could do this with drummies too?
Awesome! I haven’t tried this particular recipe with drumsticks, as the heat might be too high and the drumsticks don’t have as much skin fat as the wings do. If you try it, let us know how it went.
sure you don’t want to try it first 🙂 I might see what I can do, but good thought about the skin fat, maybe I’ll adjust the temperature. I’ll let you know, my husband loves your wings so much he was excited to think maybe the drummies could come out as good!
Do you cook them on the rack or right on the cookie sheet? I cooked them on foil and they stuck, but once I was able to get them off they were yummy and crispy. I would like to do better with the sticking next time!
Foil is one of the stickiest, most horrible surfaces you can cook on. I never do it because it drives me crazy. I recommend cooking them right on the pan, that way they will brown. If you cook on a rack, they won’t brown and crisp on the bottom as much.
Hi do u think I can boil the wings first, then marinade with other seasoning etc. teriyaki sauce overnight in the fridge & baked it in the oven the next day?
Hm, I’m not sure about that. I would say if you try this, make sure you cook them all the way through when boiling. You don’t want to have half cooked half raw chicken wings in the fridge, since you will have a break in between cooking methods. If you try it, let us know how it went!
What kind of pan did you use to bake the wings?? I’m using a broiler pan , I hope it works
Hi Britt, I just used a standard uncoated half sheet pan. Same for baking cookies and that sort of thing.