• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Sprinkles and Sprouts

Great food with grocery store ingredients

  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • By Category
  • Chicken
  • Pasta
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • By Category
    • Chicken
    • Pasta
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • Γ—
    Home > Meal Type > Party Snacks

    Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (without Baking Powder)

    Updated: Oct 25th 2021 β€’ Published: Mar 28th 2019 β€’ 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe SaveSaved! Pin Recipe
    crispy wings on a metal rack with text overlay at the top

    Everyone loves crispy chicken wings; they make a great party appetizer and are a must on game day or movie night!

    These crispy baked chicken wings are cooked in the oven making them healthy - well healthier than fried wings. Many baked wing recipes use baking powder, but with this easy method, you don't need to coat the wings in anything.

    The secret is to simmer the wings in salted water first. This starts to cook them and melt down the fat. These really are easy baked chicken wings! Add your favorite buffalo sauce, or serve them with a great wing dipping sauce.

    crispy chicken wings on a metal grid rack over tin foil

    Jump Menu

    • Easy Baked Chicken Wings
    • How to cook chicken wings in the oven.
    • How to bake chicken wings
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

    Easy Baked Chicken Wings

    Traditionally to get a super crispy skin on your chicken wings, you needed to deep fry them. Unhealthy and also messy!
    Then a few years back baked chicken wings became all the rage. And they were good! Coated in a sprinkling of baking powder and cooked low and slow to start and then finished in a hot oven.

    BUT

    I found out recently that some people are sensitive to baking powder. It tastes metallic and leaves an unpleasant taste in their mouth! Who knew!!! Apologies to my darling friend who politely spat out her chicken wing!!!

    So I needed to come up with a new way to get crispy oven baked chicken wings!! And it occurred to me why not try an adaption on my BBQ drumstick method.

    AND MAN DID IT WORK!!!!

    These wings are the crispiest baked wings you will ever try!!! They are soooo much better than the baking powder version!

    Plus because we are just using wings, water, and salt, these babies hit all sorts of dietary levels - Gluten Free, Paleo, Keto, Whole 30, Delicious, Low Carb. Yes, I know "Delicious" isn't a diet….but for me, it is the only dietary concern I have! But for those people that have to follow a strict diet, these wings will be perfect too.

    overhead view of a grid rack filled with cooked golden chicken wings

    How to cook chicken wings in the oven.

    This is really "boil then bake chicken wings" as these baked chicken wings don't start with the oven, they start with a pan of boiling water.
    Place the wings in a large pan with a tablespoon of salt and then cover with boiling water.
    Bring them back to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

    silver pan of water with poached chicken wings in it

    I admit by this time the wings will look pretty horrid! But they will have rendered off lots of their fat and the meat will be hot all the way through.

    Now comes the important stage.
    Drain the wings and pat them dry with paper kitchen towel. They need to be dry to crisp well in the oven. If you work quickly and get them spread out after draining they will start to steam dry making it even easier for you to pat them dry.

    You want to really make sure they are nice and dry, the drier they are at this stage the crispier the skin will be once they are finished.

    At this point, the wings can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

    white poached chicken wings on a grid rack ready for the oven

    How to bake chicken wings

    Once the wings are nice and dry, lay them out on a rack over a sheet pan. I like to line the sheet pan with foil to make for an easier cleanup. They then go into the oven to get a crisp skin and golden color.

    How long to bake chicken wings for?

    The wings will need 30 minutes at 450ΒΊF/230ΒΊC.
    Always check that they are nice and crispy and golden brown.

    Healthy Crispy Chicken Wings Done!

    Healthy?- How many calories in a chicken wing?

    A fried chicken wing has around 218 calories in it.
    Whereas these baked chicken wings have around 82 calories!

    That is a serious difference!!!

    Just 3 fried chicken wings provide you with 654 calories. Whereas you'll be able to eat 8 baked wings for the same calories!

    close up on the crispy golden skin of the chicken wing

    Enjoy x


    Pin this recipe for Crispy Baked Chicken Wings. Pin it here.


    πŸ“– Recipe

    a cooked chicken wing on a wire rack
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.88 from 8 votes

    Crispy Baked Chicken Wings

    Everyone loves crispy chicken wings; they make a great party appetizer and they are a must on game day or movie night! These crispy baked chicken wings are cooked in the oven making them healthy - well healthier than fried wings. Many baked wing recipes use baking powder, but with this easy method, you don't need to coat the wings in anything. Making them perfect for Keto, Paleo, Low Carb and Gluten free diets.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Total Time45 mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 271kcal
    Author: Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts
    For more great recipes follow me on PinterestFollow @sprinklessprout
    Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams (if relevant)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Grams
    • 2 lbs chicken wings
    • 1 tablespoon salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 450ΒΊF/230ΒΊC.
    • Bring a kettle of water to the boil.
    • Place the chicken wings in a large pot, add the salt and then cover in boiling water.
    • Bring the water back to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook the chicken wings for 10 minutes.
    • Drain the wings well and use paper kitchen towel to pat them as dry as you can.
    • Lay the wings on a wire rack set over a sheet pan (Line the sheet pan with foil to make clean up easier)
    • Bake the chicken wings for 30 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 271kcal | Protein: 22g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1833mg | Potassium: 191mg | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1.2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sprinklesandsprouts or tag #sprinklesandsprouts

    More Party Snacks

    • close up on a single half of deviled egg
      Deviled Eggs with Fried Capers
    • close up on a single melting moment on a white cooling rack
      Melting Moments Cookies
    • sprinkle cookies on a table
      Sprinkle Cookies
    • a close up on peri peri fries showing the seasoning on them
      Homemade Peri Peri Fries

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Terry says

      May 15, 2022 at 1:34 am

      I am not a big fan of the baking powder method either but when people say it's because of the metallic taste it's likely because they are using a baking powder that has aluminum in it. You have to get the aluminum free kind for that to taste better.

      Reply
    2. Lucia says

      March 24, 2021 at 6:02 am

      5 stars
      Wow! These wings turned out amazing! My twelve year old son who is very particular about his wings loved them! They are crispy but not dry. After boiling them I dried them and tossed them with Ranch dip mix and a little olive oil, popped them in the oven for 30 minutes, let them rest for 5 and then tossed them in Buffalo sauce. My version of Dirty Ranch wings. They are delicious!! Thanks so much for this wing hack!! I will never cook them any other way!

      Reply
    3. Mathew Partoon says

      February 24, 2021 at 7:12 am

      I followed this method and they we're delicious! Ate the with hot chilli sauce

      Reply
    4. Ted Cwiertnirwicz says

      November 12, 2020 at 8:44 am

      The worst Chicken Wings I ever made.., not crispy, but dry and tough..

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        November 13, 2020 at 1:16 pm

        I am sorry to hear this Ted.
        They usually get such rave reviews.
        If you let me know if you made any changes we could troubleshoot for you πŸ™‚
        Cx

        Reply
    5. Karen McDowell says

      October 27, 2020 at 7:15 am

      5 stars
      I am so happy to have found this recipe! I made wings tonight. They came out perfect! Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe😊

      Reply
    6. Intell says

      September 11, 2020 at 5:26 am

      Can i season the wings after i boil them and pat them dry before I bake them??

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        September 16, 2020 at 12:07 pm

        You can definitely do that πŸ™‚
        Cx

        Reply
    7. Shawn says

      August 16, 2020 at 7:00 am

      5 stars
      This turned out great! Love that you can "boil out" some of the fat, makes it that much healthier πŸ™‚

      p.s. What do you mean by "If you work quickly after draining they will start to steam dry before you can pat them." Is it not good if they steam dry?

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        August 23, 2020 at 6:26 pm

        Hi Shawn, I am so glad you enjoyed them!!
        I will reword that sentence as it is a bit confusing. Totally okay if they steam dry! Although I do still pat them dry.
        Cx

        Reply
    8. Bob Bronis says

      November 18, 2019 at 4:11 am

      Never baked wings. Will use this method. But they will go in the fridge for several hours before I put in the time delayed oven to bake.
      Q: is there potential hazard in putting wings in a time delayed oven

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        November 19, 2019 at 4:57 pm

        Hi Bob,

        I have to say that my first thoughts were that it could be a potential hazard, putting chicken into a cold oven for several hours and then having them heat up slowly as the oven comes to temperature. That is creating a warm breeding ground for bacteria.
        Then I thought, hmm but the wings will be cooked when they are boiled so essentially the oven is heating them back up and crisping them off so it could be okay.

        But with anything food related I tend to err on the side of caution and I think it just isn't worth the risk of food poisoning.

        Hope that (sort of helps)
        Claire

        Reply
    9. Jenn says

      April 03, 2019 at 9:51 pm

      5 stars
      Love this technique and I'm glad I don't need to deep fry *or* use baking powder! Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        April 16, 2019 at 5:16 pm

        Thank you Jenn, I really love being able to eat chicken wings without the guilt πŸ˜‰

        Reply
    10. Lisa says

      April 03, 2019 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      I love my baked chicken crispy and this recipe is super easy to do. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Claire McEwen says

        April 16, 2019 at 5:17 pm

        Thank you Lisa, I am a big fan of crispy chicken skin too πŸ˜€

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    a lady stood in a white kitchen chopping a tomato

    I'm Claire and I love food!
    I dream about food and I am happiest when I am in the kitchen cooking. Whether that is dinner for my family, snacks for drinks with my girlfriends or testing new recipes for my site, the kitchen is my happy place. Sprinkles and Sprouts is where I share it all and I am so happy you are here.

    Read More β†’

    As featured in

    Popular

    • close up on a ladle of gravy pouring into a white gravy boat
    • square picture of a cast iron skillet of pasta
    • close up on the coriander and charred top of a sweet naan bread
    • Garlic bacon spaghetti in a large shallow grey bowl
    • Close up on roasted lemon potatoes in a white bowl

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Sprinkles
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    All content, recipes and photographs are copyrighted to Claire McEwen and are the property of Sprinkles and Sprouts.
    THEY MAY NOT BE REPUBLISHED IN PART OR WHOLE WITHOUT PERMISSION AND PROPER CREDIT.
    Contact me to see republishing and syndication rights.

    Copyright Β© 2020 Sprinkles and Sprouts

    Copyright © 2023 Β· Cravings Pro Theme on Genesis Framework Β· WordPress Β· Log in