Crispy, Baked Hot Wings - Better Than Store Bought

Never buy frozen hot wings again!

I first came across a version of this recipe when I was doing Whole30 (original recipe by The Real Food Dietitians can be found here). Even when we aren't doing a Whole30, this is still my go-to wing recipe and I will never make them any other way again.

The recipe is simple, only 5(ish) ingredients. However, it does take a good hour and 10 mins in the oven. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.

What I really love about this recipe is the versatility. Doing Whole30? We can make that work. Don’t like spicy buffalo sauce? Use BBQ sauce or Teriyaki for a twist. You can really make this recipe your own.

The right tools are also important for this recipe. These wings are baked, not fried. To achieve crispy skin in the oven, I put the wings on a cooling rack inside of a cookie sheet. This allows air to circulate around the wings, which is crucial! 

To start, you cook the wings at a low temp for the first 30 mins, which helps to really dry out the skin. Then you hit them with heat for 20 mins, rotate the pan, and go another 20 mins - the result being really crispy skin!

Once the wings are done, sauce and serve immediately - another key to making sure they are crispy!

So here it is; my wing recipe:

Healthy Bake Hot Wings

Printable recipe

Wings:

3ish lbs. of Party Wings (Drums and Flats)

1 Tbsp Baking Powder*

2 tsp Kosher Salt

Sauce:

1/4 c Butter*

1/2 c Your favorite buffalo sauce*

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250f. Line a baking sheet with foil, top with cooling rack, and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

2. Pat wings with paper towel until dry. Put them in a bowl with baking powder, salt, and paprika. Use your hand to mix until wings are well coated. Arrange on the prepared cooling rack, leaving space between each piece.

3. Put chicken in the oven and cook for 30 mins.

4. Turn oven temp up to 425f and cook wings for another 40 mins, rotating the pan half way through (at 20 mins).

5. Meanwhile, put butter and buffalo sauce in a small sauce pan and cook over low heat, whisking until butter is melted and sauce is warmed and combined. Set aside.

6. When wings are done, put them in a bowl and toss in sauce. Serve immediately.

*Whole30 Modifications:

-Replace baking powder with 1 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp cream of tartar.

-Replace butter in the sauce with ghee. Sometimes I even omit the butter/ghee all together and go straight buffalo sauce!

-Make sure your buffalo sauce is Whole30 compliant.

Did you try this recipe yet? If so, let us know how they turned out in the comments below!