Dean has been requesting a wings recipe for years and I finally caved this football season. I’ve never been a big fan of wings because they’re usually greasy and don’t make me feel very good. However, after testing this oven method, I think I’ve been converted.
Simply toss your wings in some baking powder (this helps the skin get extra crispy) and salt, then bake them until golden and crispy. Now you have crispy wings as your blank canvas that you can sauce up with whatever you’d like! I came up with two options – a sweet and salty honey dijon and a spicy, sweet and salty sesame garlic. I also included the classic buffalo sauce recipe for any purists out there. You can make a full batch of one sauce or a half batch of two for variety. Happy game day!
Ingredient highlight
Chicken! Chicken is a great way to get in high quality protein that’s also packed with selenium, choline, niacin (vitamin B3), and vitamin B6, and B12.
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 35 minutes Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken wings
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Honey Dijon:
- ½ cup dijon mustard
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Spicy Sesame Garlic:
- ¼ cup soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp gochujang (or use sriracha)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, pressed or grated
Classic buffalo:*
- 4 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- *I had to include this because it’s Dean’s favorite. To make the buffalo sauce, add the butter and hot sauce to a small pot over medium-low heat. Whisk it all together as the butter melts until it’s a smooth silky sauce.
- Note: ~ I find the best way to get the wings very dry is to line your bowl with paper towels, then add the wings (shaking off any excess moisture) and get more paper towels to pat dry all over as best you can.
- Product link! ~ Here is a link to a wire cooling rack that will fit your half sheet pan or you can buy this bundle (wire rack + my favorite sheet pan).
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place a fitted wire cooling rack on top (see note for link). If you don’t have a wire rack that fits on your baking sheet, you can just line the baking sheet with parchment and cook the wings directly on there.
- Add the wings to a large bowl and use paper towels to pat as dry as you can (this is important for crispy skin, see note). Add the baking powder and salt and toss to coat. Arrange them evenly on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then flip them over and bake for 10-20 more minutes or until the skin is crisp and golden and the chicken is cooked through. Wings can vary a lot in size, so use your judgement.
- Meanwhile, choose the sauce you want to make and whisk the ingredients together in your biggest bowl. See note for buffalo sauce instructions.
- Once the wings are done, add them to the bowl with the sauce and toss to coat well. Serve immediately as is or with a side of ranch or thinned out yogurt for dipping!
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make your sauce of choice
- Pat the chicken dry and let them sit out on the baking sheet uncovered overnight
Substitutions:
- The only way to make these vegetarian is to bake up some really crispy tofu and then toss it in any of these sauces.
- Come up with your own sauce or buy a store-bought sauce instead.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftovers in the microwave until warmed through.
- We had several meals of these wings + mac and cheese – an excellent combo.
- Eat the wings as your protein with any meal.
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