Think you can’t have crispy chicken wings without frying? Think again! These crispy baked wings are incredibly crunchy on the outside, tender inside, super flavourful and take minutes of prep. They’re sure to be a favourite in your home as they are ours!
Today I’m sharing one of our favourite recipes.
These oven-baked wings are something hubby and I enjoy on the regular.
They have a secret ingredient that makes them super crispy; it’s cornstarch! That combined with cornmeal makes for one crunchy bite.
They take minutes to prep, there’s no fryer needed and they disappear in a flash.
Plus, you can easily double the recipe if you are making a feast for game day.
Having friends over during the holidays? These wings would be an awesome addition to the menu!
And if you do make them, consider inviting me over.
They’re seriously good. Promise.
What’s Needed for Crispy Baked Wings
- Cornstarch
- Cornmeal
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cayenne pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt and black pepper
- Chicken wings (left whole)
- Cooking spray
How To Make Them
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and preheat your oven.
Trust me, don’t skip the parchment paper here. It makes cleanup so much easier.
Combine all your dry ingredients in a bag, shaking to incorporate everything.
Then, place about 4 wings at a time in there. Close and shake to coat.
Place those dry spice wings onto your prepared sheet and give them a little hit of cooking spray. Into the oven they go!
Halfway through cooking, they’ll start to get more golden brown.
Give them a little turn with some tongs and continue cooking.
Once they’ve done their thing in the oven, they look all kinds of delicious!
Allow the wings to cool a little while you whip up a simple sauce.
Sauce for the Wings
This is my absolute favourite sauce for wings.
It’s simply buffalo sauce (use what you enjoy best), along with butter and molasses.
Warm that goodness up and drizzle, toss or dunk your wings into it.
That’s it!
Can I Split the Wings Instead of Leaving Whole?
Of course!
I’ve made these crispy baked wings both ways and enjoy either, but there’s something about that crispy wing tip that gets me.
If you want to cut each whole wing up into the drum and flat part, go for it!
Servings Suggestions
Buffalo sauce is my absolute favourite to serve with wings, but other delicious dips and garnish are:
- Blue cheese dressing
- Ranch
- Yogurt (especially thick Greek yogurt)
- Sour cream
- Chives or green onion (for a pop of colour)
And, if you’re looking to make things more substantial, these dry rub chicken wings go great with crispy potato wedges!
More Delicious Game Day Recipes
- Cheesy Roast Beef Sliders With Caramelized Onions
- Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
- Buffalo Chicken Dip Stuffed Peppers
- Fried Mashed Potato Balls (Three Versions)
- Guacamole
If you make this oven baked wing recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Crispy Baked Wings Recipe
Ingredients
Crispy Baked Wings
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 pounds wings, wings left whole (about 10 wings)
- Cooking spray
Wing Sauce
- ¾ cup buffalo sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon molasses, I used fancy molasses
Instructions
Crispy Baked Wings
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9-inch x 13-inch sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a food-safe plastic bag, combine cornstarch, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Mix to combine.
- About 4 wings at a time, place in bag with the cornstarch mixture, cover and shake to coat. Place on prepared pan. Continue coating remaining wings. Lightly spray wings all over with cooking spray.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven and flip the wings. Place the sheet pan back in the oven and continue to bake the wings for another 25 minutes until they're golden brown and crispy on the outside and fully cooked through.
- Once done, serve the wings with the wing sauce (you can drizzle the sauce over the wings or serve it on the side). These are also delicious served with ranch or blue cheese dressing.Note: If you have a favourite hot sauce sauce that you like to use for wings, you can serve the wings with that instead.
Wing Sauce
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and warm through, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Serve with wings. Serves about 2 to 4 people.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
I LOVE baked chicken wings!!!! We eat them nearly weekly, since everyone in the family loves them. Baking them makes them so much healthier, and they have all the taste as deep fried (in my opinion). These look fantastic Dawn!!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Same!! Thank you Katherine 🙂
Marissa
Such a great idea to include cornmeal for that extra crisp! These look addictively delicious, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Totally! Thanks so much 🙂
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes
I am LOVING these, Dawn! So flavoursome, and you can see how crispy they are. I am all about wings – yum!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thank you Alexandra 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Love these crispy baked wings! And my husband would love them even more, as wings are something he’s ready to eat just about any time 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Jennifer!!
David @ Spiced
Oh man, you’ve landed on one of our favorite guilty foods around here, Dawn! There is a great bar around the corner where we go when we want wings, but I’ve recently been playing around with baked wings here at home, too. Cornstarch is such a surprising secret ingredient! I’ll totally have to give this recipe a shot. We’re in full-on comfort food mode in our house for the holidays now!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thank David! Hope you love them as much as we do 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
My son Casey will be home for Christmas and I’ll need to get these on our menu Dawn! He’s a huge fan of wings. I love baking my wings too!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Hope you guys enjoy. Thanks Mary Ann!
Valentina
I just went from hungry to starving! These are amazing. I can’t believe how crispy and dreamy they get in the oven. The flavors are over the top, too. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol! Thanks so much, Valentina 🙂
[email protected]
Gosh it’s been so long since I’ve made my own wings! These look fantastic! Surely happening during football season!! Happy day! xoxo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thank you Annie! Enjoy 🙂 XOXO
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I can see the crunch right on those wings! That’s some crispy skin. I love the spicy hot sauce too. This is perfect game watching food!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Woo hoo! Thank you Kathy! I think so too 😉
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
Easy game day food? COUNT ME IN! Oregon’s basketball teams are going to be great this year (fingers crossed haha) so I’m planning lots of game watching parties. This recipe will be perfect!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Yay! Thank you Kelsie 🙂