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These crispy baked chicken wings are coated in a simple paprika-garlic dry rub and roasted until crispy and golden, and no frying is required. You’ll get crispy skin on the outside, juicy chicken underneath, and a savory, garlic-forward flavor that’s good enough to eat plain, though you’ll probably still want a dipping sauce nearby. Made with pantry staples and one baking sheet, this is the recipe I make for game day, parties, or any night I want wings without pulling out a deep fryer. It’s simple enough for a weeknight and always the first thing gone at a party.
The Secret To Crispy Baked Wings
There are two things I always do to make sure the skin gets crispy on these wings.
- Coating them in flour builds texture, so the outside crisps instead of staying soft.
- Baking them on a tray with butter helps them brown and adds even more crispiness as it melts.
Don’t get me wrong, I love fried wings, but baking chicken wings in the oven gets you incredible flavor, juicy chicken, and crispy skin, without the hassle and oil that deep-frying requires. After I developed this recipe, I’ve made them this way, baked instead of fried, more times than I can count.
5-Star Review
“I tried these chicken wings for the first time last night, and my family loved them. They were easy and delicious – crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. And I had all the ingredients on hand. Thank you for this!!” – Lisa
So What’s Needed?
- Chicken Wings: I recommend wingettes, the flat, middle section of the wing, because they crisp up more evenly and are easier to eat, especially if you’re serving a crowd. Drumettes work too, and they taste just as good, but they need a couple extra minutes in the oven since they’re thicker. Whole wings, with the drumette and wingette still connected, are the least convenient of the three to eat, but they will absolutely work if that’s what you can find. Just expect a slightly longer bake time to cook through. Buy your wings by weight if you can, not just by count. Wing size varies a lot from package to package, and size is the biggest factor in how long they need to bake (more on that below).
- Flour and Seasoning: Plain all-purpose flour is what gives these wings their crispy, seasoned crust. It helps the paprika and garlic powder stick to the wings and turns golden as it bakes. Use regular sweet paprika here, not hot or smoked paprika. The amount in this recipe is built around sweet paprika’s mild flavor, and hot or smoked will change the taste and the heat level more than you’d expect.
- Butter: Small pieces of butter, dotted around the baking sheet, melt as the wings bake. That melted butter bastes the wings as they cook, which adds richness and helps the skin crisp and brown instead of drying out. A quick fix for sticking. If you’ve had wings stick to the foil in the past, even with the butter, that’s a common issue, and it’s an easy one to solve. A generous coat of nonstick cooking spray under the butter keeps everything from bonding to the foil, so your wings lift right off. I’ve added this to the ingredient list and the first step below for exactly that reason.
Why This Dry Rub Works
This seasoning blend looks simple, but every ingredient is doing a job.
- Paprika adds warm, slightly smoky-sweet flavor and gives the wings that deep golden-red color.
- Garlic powder gives the wings savory depth without overpowering the other flavors.
- Salt enhances the chicken’s natural flavor. I increased this from my original amount after testing, because the wings needed it.
- Flour is what turns this seasoning into a crisp, coated crust instead of just a dusting that falls off in the oven.
Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- nonstick cooking spray
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter (⅜ stick)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1½ lbs. chicken wingettes (10-12) wingettes just means tips removed; thawed if frozen
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray and dot with butter. There is no need to melt the butter ahead of time, but you can if you would like.3 tbsp unsalted butter
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp ground paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp kosher salt
- Toss the wings in the flour mixture, coating both sides of each wing fully, and place on the baking sheet. Make sure the butter pieces are evenly spaced out among the wings.1½ lbs. chicken wingettes
- Bake the wings for 30 minutes.
- Flip the wings over and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until crispy and fully cooked.
- Serve with your favorite dipping sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired.
Becky’s Tips
- Total bake time is 45 minutes, 30 minutes, and then 15 more after flipping. Since wing size varies, check for doneness by color and internal temperature (165°F) rather than the timer alone.
- This timing is based on wings thawed from frozen, weighing about 1.5 pounds for 10-12 wingettes. Smaller or fresh wings can dry out at the full 45 minutes, so start checking a few minutes early if yours look small.
- No baking powder is needed. The flour coating and hot oven already give you crispy skin. Adding ½ teaspoon to the flour mixture is fine if you want an even drier finish, but it’s optional.
- Even with the butter, wings can stick to the foil. A generous coat of nonstick spray underneath solves it.
- This recipe is built around regular sweet paprika. Hot or smoked paprika will change the taste and the heat level.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Step by Step
Gather all the ingredients together.
Prep the pan. Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray it generously with nonstick cooking spray, then dot with the 3 tablespoons of butter. No need to melt it first, though you can if you’d like. The spray is what keeps the wings from bonding to the foil once the butter starts to brown.
Mix the seasoned flour: In a medium bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup flour, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp kosher salt, and 1 tsp black pepper until evenly combined.
Pat the wings dry: Use paper towels to pat the 10-12 (about 1.5 lbs) chicken wings dry before coating them. This matters more than it looks like it would. Extra moisture on the surface keeps the flour from sticking well and can leave you with a soggy coating instead of a crisp one, especially if your wings were frozen.
Coat the wings: Add the wings to the bowl and toss with your hands until every wing is fully coated in the flour mixture, front and back. The coating should look thick and a little clumpy, and that’s what turns into a crisp, golden crust in the oven.
Arrange the baking sheet: Arrange the wings on the prepared baking sheet, tucking the butter pieces evenly between them so every wing gets some as it melts.
First bake: Bake for 30 minutes. The wings will look pale gold, and the butter should be fully melted and bubbling around them.
Flip and finish: Flip each wing and bake for another 15 minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp, and the wings are cooked through (165°F on an instant-read thermometer). Total bake time is 45 minutes. Don’t skip the flip, or the underside won’t crisp.
Serve: Plate the wings with your favorite dipping sauce and a sprinkle of fresh parsley, if you like.
How to Store and Reheat
Store cooled wings in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer
Freeze wings in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. This keeps the skin crispier than microwaving.
What to Serve with Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
I make these wings for game day more than anything else, but they come together fast enough for a regular weeknight, too. They’re one of my go-to picks for the Super Bowl, Father’s Day cookouts, and 4th of July spreads, and they hold up well on a potluck table since they’re just as good at room temperature as they are fresh from the oven.
Dipping Sauces
You can have fun switching up the sauce on these wings! Choose a sauce based on the flavor and heat you’re craving, from mild and sweet to spicy and bold.
- Buffalo sauce brings real heat and tang, and it’s the classic pairing if you want these wings to taste like traditional game-day wings. Homemade buffalo sauce only takes a few minutes if you’d rather skip the bottled kind.
- Ranch dressing is cool and creamy, and it mellows out the spice from the paprika rather than adding any of its own. It’s good if you’re serving a crowd with mixed spice tolerance, and homemade ranch dressing comes together fast with pantry staples.
- Chick-fil-A sauce is sweet and tangy with barely any heat, and it’s my pick when I want something kid-friendly. Copycat Chick-fil-A sauce tastes just like the real thing.
What to Serve Alongside
For a classic game-day spread, I like to serve these with crispy homemade french fries or potato wedges. They’re perfect for catching the extra dipping sauce. If I’m going for a full dinner, creamy coleslaw or mac and cheese casserole rounds things out nicely, since both are cool, rich contrasts to the crispy, savory wings. For a lighter option, veggie sticks alongside the same dips work well if you want to keep the meal from feeling too heavy.
Flavor Variations
- Spicier wings. Add ½ to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or chili powder to the flour mixture for extra heat without changing the method at all.
- Ranch-seasoned wings. Swap the garlic powder, salt, and pepper for a packet of dry ranch seasoning mix, whisked into the flour, for a completely different flavor with the same crispy texture.
- Honey-drizzled wings. Finish the baked wings with a light drizzle of honey right before serving for a sweet-savory combination. This is similar in spirit to my honey-glazed chicken wings.
- Extra-garlicky wings. Double the garlic powder if you’re a garlic lover. It won’t throw off the texture, just the flavor intensity.
How to Make Crispy Baked Chicken Wings in the Air Fryer
- Gather and prepare all ingredients and preheat the air-fryer at 400°F.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Toss the wings in the flour mixture, coating both sides of each wing fully.
- Coat the air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Arrange the breaded wings in a single layer, leaving space between each wing so they don’t touch. Work in batches if needed.
- Spray the tops of the wingettes with nonstick spray.
- Cook the wings for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway through and spraying the wings with additional nonstick spray after flipping. Make sure they reach an internal temperature of at least 165°F, or, for the best texture, 175°F–185°F.
More Chicken Wing Recipes To Try
- Buffalo Wings: When only classic buffalo will do, this recipe skips the dry rub and goes straight for that tangy, spicy sauce everyone expects at a game-day spread.
- Grilled Chicken Wings: This is the version to make once the weather warms up and the grill is going, and it gets you that same crispy skin with a smoky char instead of an oven finish.
- Honey-Glazed Chicken Wings: These wings get finished in a sticky honey glaze instead of a dry rub, so it’s a good pick if you want something sweeter for wing night but still easy for a crowd.
- Hot Honey Chicken Wings: If you love the flavor of this dry rub but want more heat, this recipe layers sweet and spicy together and gives you the best of both.
Our Baked Chicken Wings recipe was originally published 12/13/18. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be better than ever 9/9/26.
This THE recipe which taught me to get my chicken wings right – simple and tasty! I am excited to try out the air fryer version too.
Awesome! Thank you so much Paul!
These baked chicken wings look like such a great game-day treat! I really like the simple paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper seasoning, along with the flour coating and butter on the baking sheet to help create that crispy skin without deep-frying. Serving them with ranch, buffalo sauce, or your favorite dip makes them even more tempting for a casual gathering.
Thank you so much Paige! So excited for game day season!
This is the second time I make these wings. I think they are very good but would like to put some kind of hot sauce or chile to spice them up. What can I use?
Hi Martha, we recommend dipping them in your sauce of choice :)
Yes I made these wings last week. Everyone loved them. Easy tasty, crispy outside moist inside. They were perfect. My go to recipe from now on.
Thank you much Craig!
These were the best wings I’ve ever eaten!!! Thank you so much for this recipe. It will be used again and again
Thank you Patti! So glad the wings were a hit!
Sounds delicious. About to try it. Husband and I both in our late 70’s. Tired of frying :)
Yes, baked is better 🙌
I made these chicken wings yesterday and they are so easy to make and are the best wings ever. I recommend this recipe to everyone.
Thank you Martha!
It was fantastic! Thank you!
Perfection!
These were PERFECT!! If you are on the fence, you def need to try them! So good…..