TRULY CRISPY OVEN BAKED CHICKEN WINGS #chicken #chickenrecipes

Ingredients

Crispy Wings

• 4 lb / 2 kg chicken wings, cut into wingettes and drumettes (Note 1)
• 2 tbsp baking powder (NOT BAKING SODA / BI-CARB SODA!!)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Oil spray

Instructions

Crispy Wings

1. If you are organised enough, uncover the chicken wings and leave them in the fridge for a few hours to dry out. Otherwise, use a paper towel to pat the wings dry.
2. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions.
3. Preheat oven to 250F/120C (all oven types - standard/convection/fan).
4. Line a baking tray with foil, then place a rack (like a cooling rack) on the foil. Spray the rack with oil spray.
5. Place wings in a large bowl or in a ziplock bag. Add the baking powder and salt, then toss to coat evenly.
6. Place the wings on the baking tray in a single layer with the skin side up. They should just fit snugly. They will shrink when they cook because the fat renders out so don't worry if they look too snug.
7. Place wings on the lower middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.
8. Move wings up to the upper middle rack and increase the oven temperature to 425F/220C. Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through.
9. Remove baking tray from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes.
10. Toss wings in sauce of choice or serve it on the side to dip / drizzle on the wings, then serve.

Notes

**IMPORTANT** A number of readers have been devastated by accidentally using baking soda / bi-carb soda instead of baking powder! Puh-lease be careful to use baking powder (the stuff you use in muffins and pancakes to make them rise!) - if you use baking soda / bi-carb soda, it will be INEDIBLE!! It is really, really yuck!

Also refer to the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS below the recipe.

1. Wings MUST BE THAWED!!! See below for step by step photos for how to cut chicken wings.

2. You will notice once the wings come out of the oven that they are smaller than usual. This is because the fat under the skin melts off (renders out) while baking in the low oven.

3. The wings will not bake to a dark golden brown unless you leave them in for 1 hr+. They bake to a golden brown. You will know they are done because the skin will be lovely and crispy.

4. The recipe for the wings is from Cook's Illustrated "Meats Book" cookbook. The sauce recipes are my own.

5. To reheat (see FAQ below for more details): Allow to cool, then cover and refrigerate. The skin will wrinkle and soften. Preheat oven to 200C/390F. Spread wings out on tray, skin side up, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the skin puffs up so the wrinkles smooth out and becomes crisp again.

6. SAUCES: 
* Honey Garlic Sauce: Mix together 4 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp white vinegar (or sub with any other vinegar except balsamic), 2-3 garlic cloves, minced. Use for dipping OR tossing. 
* Honey Mustard Sauce: 1/4 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup honey
* Ranch Dipping Sauce: Mix 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup sour cream, 2 tbsp milk, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1/4 tsp EACH dried dill, parsley, chives, onion and garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste.
* Spicy Creamy Dipping Sauce: 3/4 cup mayo, 1/2 tso garlic powder, 1/8 tsp paprika, 3-4 tbsp sriracha, salt & pepper
* Pink Sauce: 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 2 tbsp ketchup, 2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce)

7. Nutrition: The nutrition is per serving, assuming 8 servings. Note that the calories is HIGHER than it actually is because so much fat is rendered out (melted) and discarded which is not reflected in the nutrition below. I measured the discarded fat once and calculated that it should be 60 calories LESS per serving (around 1/4 cup fat in total was discarded).