Crispy Oven-Baked Chicken Wings — No Deep-Frying, with BBQ Glaze
Pat the wings dry, toss with 1 tbsp baking powder, salt and paprika, onto a rack over a tray, 45 minutes at 220 °C, turning after 25. The baking powder crisps the skin like deep-frying. Only then glaze with BBQ sauce or honey soy and return for 5 minutes.
Oven chicken wings are usually soft and takeaway ones crisp — the difference is the deep fryer. There is a trick that replicates it in the oven: baking powder. A spoonful with salt on the dry skin, and at 220 °C it blisters and crisps without a drop of oil. The sauce goes on only at the end, or it burns.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg Chicken wings
- 1 tbsp Baking powder
- 1½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Paprika (smoked)
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Pepper
Glaze
- 4 tbsp BBQ sauce
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
- 2 pieces Spring onions (optional)
Method
- 1
Dry and season
Preheat the oven to 220 °C fan. Split the wings at the joint if whole, and pat very thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Toss in a bowl with the baking powder, salt, paprika, garlic powder and pepper until all are coated.
- 2
Onto the rack
Set a wire rack on a lined baking tray. Wings on the rack with space between — so the heat circulates all round and the fat drips off.
- 3
Bake
Bake 45 minutes, turning after 25. The skin should be golden, blistered and crisp. Thin wings are done after 40.
- 4
Glaze
Mix the BBQ sauce, honey and soy sauce. Toss the wings in it in a bowl, back on the rack and 5 minutes in the oven until the glaze is sticky. Sprinkle with sesame and spring onions.
Tips
- Baking powder, not bicarbonate of soda — soda tastes soapy. And really only 1 tbsp to 1.2 kg; more and you can taste it.
- In an air fryer: 200 °C, 25 minutes, shaking after 12, then glaze and 3 more minutes. For 1.2 kg, two batches.
- Glazes to rotate: Buffalo (3 tbsp hot sauce melted with 2 tbsp butter), honey mustard, teriyaki, lemon garlic butter. Or leave them dry with a dip — soured cream with chives or blue cheese.
What can I substitute?
The quick BBQ sauce from the cupboard. Close to shop-bought with less sugar.
Season the same way, bake 50 minutes. More meat per piece — often handier for children.
Also crisps, slightly less blistered. Works when there is no baking powder.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why do chicken wings not crisp in the oven?
Wet skin, too little heat, straight on the tray, or glazed too early. Pat thoroughly dry, baking powder, 220 °C, on a rack, and the sauce only for the last 5 minutes — sugar in the sauce softens the skin and burns over a long bake.
Why does baking powder crisp the skin?
It raises the skin's pH, which makes it brown faster, and forms tiny bubbles with the skin fat that increase the surface area — like deep-frying. A trick from American cooking that works reliably.
How many wings per person?
300 g per person as a main — about 6 pieces. As an apéro or snack, 150 g. For children, 4 pieces with chips and carrot sticks.
Can I prepare wings ahead?
Seasoned and unbaked overnight uncovered in the fridge — that makes the skin even drier and crisper. Baked and reheated at 200 °C for 10 minutes they crisp again; add the glaze fresh.
How you collect recipes
Paste a link
Copy the address of any recipe page — including this one. Ingredients, amounts and steps are recognised automatically.
Photograph a cookbook
Take a photo of a page from your cookbook. Even handwritten recipes from your grandmother get read.
Pull from Cookidoo
Got a Thermomix? Your Cookidoo recipes come into your collection with one click.
