Crispy baked chicken wings using a unique roasting method to keep those wings nice and crunchy. After baking, these oven baked wings are tossed and drenched in an exciting sauce that’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Next time you’re serving up wings, think outside the Buffalo or BBQ box. Get everyone’s attention with this addictive baked wings recipe.
About This Recipe
Way back when, I used to make quite a production out of preparing chicken wings. Flouring, deep frying, draining, then tossing the steaming hot wings in a large bowl covered as securely as I could get it with foil and then shaking the dickens out of them to coat with sauce.
That’s how I watched the wing’s shops do them. What a delicious mess.
I believe about the 100th time I spent over an hour cleaning up, I swore off the frying method to either grill or find an oven roasted chicken wings method that would save my sanity.
A baked wings recipe that would keep those wings nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
This hands-off baked wings recipe is one you’ll want to consider. You will need to start the process a few hours in advance. Just place the chicken wings in a large bowl, sprinkle on some salt and baking powder. Then refrigerate for a couple of hours.
The baking powder helps draw the moisture out of the skin. Less moisture equals a crispier wing.
How to make crispy baked chicken wings
Before baking, remove wings from refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for about thirty minutes. If you’d like, sprinkle on some dry seasoning at this point. I like to use a BBQ seasoning.
Place the wings on a large sheet pan fitted with a wire rack. This is important because the rack allows air to circulate around the wings and also keeps them up and out of any liquid that accumulates in the pan during cooking. And speaking of that liquid, line the sheet pan with foil for easy clean up.
While the wings are baking, make the sauce in a large bowl. When the wings are done, dump them in the bowl. Cover the bowl, I use a dinner plate, then shake to coat the wings. Serve immediately and devour.
Ranch dressing makes a perfect dipping sauce for these wings. Prepare this delicious Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing recipe or make things easy and purchase your favorite brand at the store…or I’ve also made a simple lime cream sauce of, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice.
Culinary School taught me the science of using baking powder for more than just leavening.
Coating meat, chicken in this case, with a dusting of baking powder alkalizes the surface of the meat making it harder for the proteins to bond which results in keeping the meat more tender when cooked. Baking powder contains cornstarch which will pull moisture from the skin. The drier the skin, the faster it will crisp.
Recipe for Santa Fe Wings, Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Come Super Bowl time, we all love a big platter of chicken wings, and they’ve got to be crispy. And as always, they’ve got to be so delicious that we’ve eaten too many before we even know it.
Party guests will go wild over these spicy sauced wings. A combination of hot pepper sauce, and Asian sweet chile sauce, both chili powder (a seasoning mix) and chile powder (a single ground chile powder) makes a delicious flavor combination for roasted chicken wings. Give ’em a try.
More Chicken Wings Recipes:
- Limoncello Chicken Wings
- Honey Butter and Horseradish Grilled Chicken Wings
- Black Pepper Grilled Chicken Wings
Santa Fe Wings, Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings drumettes and wingettes
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dry bbq rub we like Stubbs
- 1/2 cup hot pepper sauce we like Cholula
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce we like Maggi
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons chile powder we like Chimayo, milder Ancho will work.
- Ranch Dressing for dipping sauce
Instructions
- Place the wings in a large bowl. Sprinkle in the baking powder and salt. Toss the wings to coat, then refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Remove wings from refrigerator and sprinkle with the dry BBQ seasoning. Toss again.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Place the wings on a large sheet pan fitted with a wire rack. This is important because the rack allows air to circulate around the wings and also keeps them up and out of any liquid that accumulates in the pan during cooking. And speaking of that liquid, line the sheet pan with foil for easy clean up.
- Bake the wings for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn up the oven heat to 400. Bake for an additional 45 minutes or until wings are starting to brown. Oven temperatures vary, so start checking after about 40 minutes.
- While the wings are baking, wash out that large bowl with hot soapy water and rinse well to get it clean and bacteria free. Mix the sauce ingredients in the bowl.
- When wings are done, dump them into the sauce, cover with a plate large enough and shake the bowl well to coat the wings with sauce.
- Serve immediately with Ranch Dressing for dipping sauce.
