Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings in Santa Fe Sauce

crispy baked wings with celery sticks and ranch dressing.

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings in Santa Fe Sauce

This is a recipe for crispy oven baked chicken wings using a unique roasting method to keep those wings stay 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 and BBQ box. Get everyone's attention with this addictive baked wings recipe.

Course Appetizer Recipes

Cuisine Southwestern

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 592kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

3 pounds chicken wings drumettes and wingettes, about 30 pieces.
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons dry bbq rub or meat seasoning
⅓ cup hot pepper sauce we like Cholula
½ cup sweet chili sauce we like Maggi
¼ cup butter melted
1 tablespoon chili powder seasoning
2 teaspoons chile powder A single blend chile powder, we like Chimayo, milder Ancho will work.
Ranch Dressing for dipping sauce

Instructions

Pat wings dry with a paper towel and 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. 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 the bowl with a plate large enough, or use foil, and shake the bowl well to coat the wings with sauce.
Serve immediately with Ranch Dressing for dipping sauce.

Notes

If using a milder chile powder such as ancho, add a pinch or two of cayenne for more heat.

Recipe Notes:

One of the keys to insure that baked wings come out crispy is to pat the wings dry before proceeding with the recipe. Moisture will make the baking powder gummy and the wings will steam rather than crisp.
Don't Skip The Resting Time: This time spent in the refrigerator will allow the baking powder to draw moisture from the skin of the chicken. Which means those wings will crisp easier.
Use A Rack: Use a sheet pan with a rack. Keeping those wings elevated allows air to circulate around each individual wing, which equals crispy wings.
Line The Sheet Pan: Line the sheet pan with aluminum foil. This makes for easy clean-up, plus that foil will create extra heat to help crisp the wings. I like to use parchment paper to line sheet pans, but don't try it for this recipe. The extended cook time at high heat will scorch and perhaps burn the paper.
Leftovers? How To Reheat Chicken Wings: To keep those crispy baked wings crispy, re-heat them in the oven. A 350 degree oven temp for 10 - 15 minutes will yield a hot wing. Don't use the microwave, it will turn that crispy skin flabby.

Nutrition