- September 5, 2022
- Chicken
Baked BBQ Chicken Wing Recipe
Create classic baked BBQ style crispy chicken wings in the oven. The perfect weeknight meal or game day appetizer to serve.
Crispy baked BBQ chicken wings are always a huge hit year-round. They are the perfect comfort food and take minimal prep time and are versatile as a main dish or served up as the perfect appetizer.
While we’ve already shared the secrets to cooking a whole oven-baked BBQ chicken, this article is focusing specifically on the best ways to create crispy wings only using the oven (yes you can get crispy chicken wings without an air fryer).
This chicken wings recipe works because it –
- It takes minimal hands-on prep time
- Requires no frying or air fryer needed
- It is naturally gluten-free and can even fit a keto/ low carb or sugar-free diet (depending on the sauce and rub you use)
- It can easily be modified with other flavor profiles (so don’t panic if you’re a Buffalo Wings fan instead)
Below you can find everything you need to know about preparing the wings, seasoning them, tricks for getting the crispiest chicken skin, and the best ways to sauce and serve them too. Let’s dive in!
Are you looking to grill your wings instead? Check out this recipe on how to get smoked chicken wings on an electric smoker too.
Supplies Needed
- Large Bowl
- Paper Towels
- Wire Rack (I use a cooling rack)
- Aluminum Foil (or parchment paper)
- Large baking Sheet
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of Wings (whole chicken wings or split wings work for this recipe)
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp. Baking Powder or Cornstarch
- 2 tbsp. All Purpose BBQ Dry Rub (a mixture of salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and chili powder)
- 1.5 cups Favorite BBQ Sauce (I love this apricot BBQ sauce recipe)
Can Wings Get Crispy In The Oven?
Yes! You can achieve the coveted crispy golden brown barbecue wings of your dreams using only your oven.
The key to achieving this is to remove as much moisture as possible on the wings. Here is how I achieve this:
- Use paper towels to pat them dry after removing them from the packaging.
- Coat the wings in the dry rub and baking powder mixture. The baking powder absorbs the moisture on the skin to create the best crispy coating (you can also substitute with cornstarch here).
- Place wings on a foil lined baking pan with a wire rack. Place the wings in a single layer on the rack (do not overcrowd). The air from the rack allows it to move under the wings allowing them to dry out fully
- Allow the wings to dry out uncovered in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight before baking.
This method is always a go-to with chicken wings and any part of the chicken that still contains skin. While this is a little prep, it does involve some extra planning as they sit and rest; keep this in mind!
Cooking Instructions:
Baked barbecue chicken wings work best when baked in a high-heat oven. This allows the fat in the skin to render and get crispy.
- Preheat a convection oven to 425 F.
- Remove the chicken wings from the fridge before placing them into the preheated oven.
- Bake the chicken wings for 20 minutes and then flip them over for even roasting. Bake an additional 15 minutes before saucing.
- When saucing the wings, coat the tops and bottoms of the whole wings by brushing on a thin layer of sauce. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. This allows the sauce to get tacky and adhere to the wing. Coat a second time if desired for a heavier sauced wing.
- The wings should hit a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees F. I prefer to cook wings at around 175-180 F. because it helps break down the fat and connective tissues more for a better mouth feel.
- Remove from the oven and serve with the remaining sauce if desired.
Tips For Serving:
- If you plan on serving a large number of wings for a game night during football season, for example, serve dry wings instead with your favorite dipping sauce on the side. This prevents the skin from getting mushy and also allows for other flavor variations when serving a large crowd. I love pairing this recipe with sides like traditional deli-style potato salad or this vinegar cole slaw recipe to make it a complete meal.
- Pair the BBQ wings with BBQ ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, or other wing sauce you prefer.
- Serve with a side of sliced carrots, celery, and pickles (because this should be a thing).
More Recipes To Try
Baked BBQ Chicken Wing Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb. Chicken Wings whole or split
- 2 tbsp. Baking Powder
- 2 tbsp. BBQ Dry Rub use your favorite
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1.5 cups BBQ Sauce use your favorite
Instructions
Wing Preparation:
- Remove the chicken wings from the packaging and pat dry with paper towels. Leave the wings whole or split them if desired. Either work for this recipe.
- Place the raw wings into a large mixing bowl. Toss with the olive oil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the baking powder and the dry rub.
- Cover the wings in a coating of the dry rub mixture and mix well.
- Cover a large baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over the top. Place each wing in a single layer over the rack and do not overcrowd.
- Leave the wings uncovered and place into the fridge like this for at least two hours to allow the skin to dry out. This is key to crispy skin! They can sit like this for up to 24 hours before baking if desired.
Baking Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Remove the wings from the fridge and place them into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes and flip them over for even cooking. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Cook the wings until they reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 F. I like wings at a higher cooked temperature of 175-180 F. so the connective tissues break down for a more enjoyable bite.
Saucing:
- Sauce the wings at the very end to prevent burning. Lightly coat each wing in sauce on all sides.
- Place the wings back into the oven for 3-5 minutes so the sauce adheres and gets tacky. Sauce a second time if desired.
- Serve the wings with your favorite dressings and remaining sauce if desired.
Laurennnnn!!!!!! This was good as baked bread! I made this tonight and it tasted like wings from a restaurant! Thank you! 🥰
Wow!!! Love to hear this, thank you so much for sharing it with me.
Thank you thank you for this recipie!
Will definitely be a go-to for me now!
I love the dry rub, you don’t even need sauce ! Maybe just to dip. I even forgot the Olive oil 🫣 but drizzled it on when I flipped the wings and they turned out so yummy!!! I also omitted celery salt because I didn’t have and put less chili powder because my family can’t take the spice 💃 still turned great! Happy to have it in the spice cupboard for next time!
Going to be a go-to recipie!
You never said where the dang olive oil goes. On the sheet or in the rub.
Hi Sandy, it’s listed on step 2 in the instructions as, “Place the raw wings into a large mixing bowl. Toss with the olive oil.”