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 had this recipe saved for a couple months and finally tried it this weekend. I was VERY sceptical about how this would turn out but they were GREAT! I did find the meat just a little dry but maybe I cooked or parboiled too long but the skin was PERFECT just the same as deep frying. Great recipe thx!
Hi Cory, that’s great to hear! If the meat seemed a tad dry, bake them in the oven for less time. It could be that the wings you are using are smaller than the ones I find at the store. Parboiling time should stay the same. Happy cooking!
Hi… question can i change the hot sauce for BBQ sauce ??
Absolutely! You can dress the wings however you’d like.
So so so GOOD!!! we absolutely enjoyed these! Perfect and crispy. Not feeling discussed after eating em since they weren’t fried! Better than any we’ve had at a restaurant. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them so much, Lisa!
BEST WINGS EVER!!! we make them once a week now!!! I tweek your recipe a little differently everytime and have yet to be disappointed!!!! I use parchment paper (easier cleanup) I also add butter to the salt water for extra flavor! DRYING the wing before baking them is a KEY step…don’t skip this one!! Thanks again for sharing your yummieness!!!!!
These are the best we’ve ever made. Followed your directions to the letter. Delish! We didn’thave any Frank’s Hot Sauce so we combined Soy Vey Teriyaki and Bite Me brand Lime & Cilantro sauce. Yeeaaahh greatest wings ever! Will try with chicken thighs next time.
Just got through licking my chops! The best wings my family and I have had hands down. Not only were they easy to make but they were a little bit less guilt free by boiling off some of the fat. Yummy!!! Thank you so much for sharing, look forward to some more delicious recipes!
Amazing. I have tried to bake wings for years without sucess I might add. They always came out hard and the meat was dry. I basically gave up and assumed the only way to get a crunchy outside/moist inside was to deep fry. It made sense to me that boiling before baking could produce a desirable outcome but I had my doubts. I had the wing place on speed dial in case this experiment didn’t work out. To my surprise (and my husband’s I might add), these wings were amazingly good. Crunchy outside, moist inside, cooked perfectly. Who would of thunk it. 🙂 This recipe has endless options. Will try to come up with a lemon pepper sauce the next time I make these delicious wings (soon).
i love making these wings this way, i have also discovered that before u put them in the oven,after u dry them you can put them in a plastic ziplock back and throw in some dry wing seasoning, i used McCormicks brand buffalo with one set I made and used the hickory flavor with another set then baked as usual and used the franks wing sauce and they were fantastic. My friends and co workers loved them.
These look amazing! I’ve been making chicken wings in my Actifry but it’s good to know that you can do the same in the oven. And haha… I’m happy you still have your stomach, too. 🙂
Hi
I just wanted to stop by and say that I made this recipe and LOVED it. I’ve never made chicken wings before and searched many online recipes before deciding on trying this one. I decided on this one, because you mentioned the crispy skin — and because of all the great (and well deserved) comments.
I bought a few buffalo wings from a deli near my apartment so I could compare them with the ones I made — and after trying the ones I made, I ended up throwing those deli purchased buffalo wings away. THAT was how good this recipe is.
I made a few changes:
1. I sprinkled cajun seasoning on the wings prior to baking them. I LOVE spicy.
2. I sprayed the pan with PAM prior to baking them, and I would recommend others do this as well.
3. I baked mine for 25 minutes on one side and 12 minutes on the other.
4. I made much more buffalo sauce (2 parts Frank’s Red Hot and 1 part butter). I love buffalo sauce, and I like a lot of buffalo sauce with my wings.
Thank you for providing such an excellent wing recipe. My first time baking chicken wings was very successful, and I will definitely be doing it again. I can’t wait to experiment with other sauces!
Hi Jess, Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and little twists! I’m so glad you loved the chicken wings. Have fun experimenting!
Thanks for sharing this, parboiling eh? I am making wings tonight, garlic parmesean, I will try this and post back. I am going to use coconut oil on the cookie sheet, so far that has been wonderful with veggies, we will see about wings!
Kate
These are too good. Rather than just salt, I seasoned them with garlic and onion powder, seasoned salt and pepper. I baked em 20 minutes on 1 side and 15 on the other. And for the sauce I substituted parkay spray for butter and added a bit of mustard and garlic. Heaven.
I made these on the weekend. I cut the cooking time by 10 minutes b/c my wings were less meaty than yours. They were a huge hit. I didn’t have any problems with them sticking.
So easy and delish! I did not want to deep fry, fry, or use flower for my wings so this recipe was perfect. They were crunchy, hot, and spicy (I used more hot sauce). We enjoyed them with a kale salad and a tall cold glass of beer. Thank you! This will become my prime house wing recipe.
Oh mylanta they were excellent I used olive oil while baking them and flipped them at 15 min and left in 15 min longer because the wings were small I may never order wings again ; ) thanks!
I’m pretty sure I’ve been cooking a lot longer than you have, but obviously, you absorbed much more of the knowledge than I did! I have learned several tips just from the 15 minutes I have been reading you. Thanks! Can’t wait to try those chicken wings.