How to Make Chicken Wings (Best Chicken Wing Recipes & Top Tips)

Chicken Wings are a MUST for the Super Bowl, game day, parties, or any time you need an amazing appetizer. I’ve gathered all the best wings recipes, along with my top tips for making the perfect chicken wings!

Table of Contents

Best Chicken Wings

Did you know you can bake, fry, or grill chicken wings? You can cook them in a slow cooker or pressure cooker too! There are so many ways to make chicken wings at home, and so many reasons to eat them!

Wings are a crowd favorite on Super Bowl Sunday, or on any game day. They’re perfect for parties and they’re always a hit. They’re one of my favorite things to make for appetizers or party food, and I’ve been known to make them for dinner every now and again too.

With all the easy chicken wings recipes I’ve made, I’ve learned a thing or two about how to cook chicken wings to perfection.

Always juicy, always delicious, and always full of flavor! Everyone cheers when I serve a plate of these along with plenty of dipping sauces.

I’m sharing my best wings recipes AND all of my best tips to make them!

plate of buffalo wings with blue cheese and celery — Crispy Buffalo Wings

How to Make Chicken Wings

Cutting Chicken Wings

There are 3 parts to a full chicken wing: the wing tip, the wing flat (or wingette), and the drumette.

When you see the final product cooked and ready to eat at restaurants, you might not even think about how they were connected, especially if you only see one part of the wing.

You’ll usually be eating just the drumette or wingette portion.

Luckily, you can buy pre-cut chicken wings at the store, so they’re ready to cook as is. I usually buy these for the ease, but you do end up paying slightly more for them, compared to buying full chicken wings.

If you buy whole chicken wings to save a bit of money, here’s a few tips to prep them.

How to Cut Chicken Wings:

You just need a sharp knife for this, like a Chef’s knife.
Stretch out the wings on a cutting board, with the inner portion facing up.
You’ll be cutting the wing into 3 portions, and cutting at the joints.
Cut just above the joint between the wingette (middle portion) and wing tip.
Cut right on the joint between the wingette and drumette to separate them.
The wing tip won’t be used (although you can freeze it to make chicken stock), but the other two parts can be used to make your wings!

Brining Chicken Wings

This isn’t a necessary step for making chicken wings, but it does help to make them extra juicy. This process can keep them from drying out while cooking (which chicken tends to do), and depending on the brine recipe you use, it can add a lot of flavor as well.

If you do want to brine your chicken wings, here’s a few tips.

How to Brine Chicken Wings:

Combine brine ingredients (kosher salt and water as a base, but I like to add in black pepper and red pepper flakes as well).
Use just enough water to cover the wings, then measure out other ingredients based on how much water you need.
Place wings in a large bowl, pour the brine over them until fully submerged, then place them in the refrigerator.
Let chicken wings soak for anywhere from 2-24 hours. Overnight works great if you are planning ahead, but 2-4 hours works in a pinch!

Chicken Wings Internal Temperature

Chicken wings (like all chicken) should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.

Use an instant read thermometer and insert it at the meatiest part of the wings to check the temperature.

basket of wings on a table — Baked Chicken Wings

How Long to Cook Chicken Wings

Timing is definitely important when cooking chicken wings. You need them to be fully cooked, but you don’t want to overcook and dry them out.

The best cooking time depends on the method. If you’re following a recipe, they’ll give you the best time. But if you’re winging it, here are some guidelines and tips to follow:

Baking: The longer you cook chicken, the more it’s going to dry out. So stick to baking wings at higher temperatures (400-425°F) for around 30-45 minutes.
Grilling: Preheat your grill, then cook wings for 20-30 minutes.
Crock Pot: Cook for 3-4 hours on HIGH setting, or around 7 hours on LOW setting.
Instant Pot: Cooking wings in a pressure cooker will take about 10 minutes.
Frying: Heat oil to 350-370°F, then fry wings for 8-10 minutes.

How to Store & Reheat Chicken Wings

Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze: Place wings in a resealable, freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer up to 3 months.
Reheat: Reheat wings in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes (or until fully heated through). If reheating frozen wings, let them thaw fully in the refrigerator and then reheat.
Note: Chicken should not be reheated more than once, so only reheat the amount you plan to consume.

Best Dipping Sauce for Wings

No matter how you season your chicken wings, you gotta have those dipping sauces for extra flavor! These are my favorite homemade dipping sauces.

Chicken Wings and Blue Cheese are a match made in heaven.
Even if you’re not eating buffalo wings, adding some Buffalo Sauce to the dipping options is a good idea.
You can’t go wrong dipping chicken wings in ranch!
This BBQ sauce is perfect for wings.
This Honey Mustard dipping sauce adds a sweet twist to any hot or spicy wing.

Best Sides for Chicken Wings

The only side you really need for wings are the dipping sauces…but if you want something to serve with them, you can’t go wrong with some fries. Since they’re usually the center of the appetizer table, you might also want some other tasty apps to go with them!