Golden, crisp and delicious, this recipe for easy baked chicken wings is so simple to prepare, fantastic for meal prep and loved by both adults and kids.
I often make these Easy Baked Chicken wings when I need a really easy meal. It's perfect for weeknights. It is comforting, tasty and pretty simple to prepare. What I especially love about this dinner is that you can prep it completely in advance, the night before or in the morning before you are planning to cook it. It really frees up your time during the hectic dinnertime.
Since I do the prep work and the cleanup ahead of time, all that's left is to take out the chicken from the refrigerator and get it in the oven. With minimum fuss, the house is perfumed with the smell of roasting chicken, bringing the nostalgia of a family gathering around the table, enveloped in the warm feeling of home.
Marinating chicken tenderizes it and infuses it with flavor. As the wings bake, they baste in their own juices, creating really juicy meat. Towards the end of baking, the chicken roasts just a bit more to crisp up the skin. You can also toss the wings in a buffalo or barbecue sauce.
What a filling and satisfying meal for a Wednesday night after work or on a weekend when you don't feel like spending hours in the kitchen. Toss these wings together, and whenever hunger strikes, you can start preheating the oven, since dinner is coming right up!
Easy Baked Chicken Wings Video
Ingredients:
The complete list of ingredients and their exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
- chicken wings
- fresh chicken wings are the best but you can also use frozen ones too
- salt, ground black pepper
- dry herbs and spices
- you can use any combination of your favorite dry herbs or spice blends.
- I like Trader Joe’s Onion Salt and Simply Organic all purpose seasoning. Use anything that you like. Some suggestions: granulated onion, granulated garlic or garlic powder, dry parsley, chives, thyme, etc.
- paprika
- mayonnaise
- instead of the mayonnaise, you can use yogurt
- lemon juice
- garlic
The Best Chicken Wings For Baking
The best chicken wings to use are whole chicken wings, which are usually sold fresh, not frozen.
I recommend using these types of chicken wings because they are much meatier and turn out really juicy on the inside and crunchy on the outside.
You can use frozen chicken wings, but those tend to be smaller, not evenly cut and are usually inserted with a brining solution.
How To Prep Whole Chicken Wings
It's not hard at all to prep the whole chicken wings. You can keep them whole, but they don't lie flat in the oven, so it's easier to cut them first.
Kitchen scissors are the best for this job, but you can also use a knife. Cut right through the first joint, then cut off the wing tip. The wing tips have hardly any meat on them, so I don't bake them. You can save the tips to use the next time you make chicken broth. You will have a wing and a drumette.
How To Bake Chicken Wings
- In a mixing bowl, combine the wings with all the other ingredients - salt, ground black pepper, spices, yogurt or mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic.
- Marinate for at least half an hour.
- I usually do this either overnight or mix it up in the morning after work, sleep for a few hours and make it for dinner.
- Preheat the oven to 425-450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the wings on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes, on the top rack of your oven.
- If there is any liquid at the bottom of the baking sheet, pour it off halfway through, then continue baking until the wings are crisp and golden. This usually happens if you bake the chicken wings on a smaller baking sheet and they are really close together.
- You can flip the chicken wings over halfway through baking to crisp them up on both sides.
- (You can broil it to make it faster, just make sure to watch the oven closely, because they can burn in the blink of an eye.)
- If you're using an extra large rimmed baking sheet, or using really small wings (the frozen ones are usually smaller), they may finish baking faster, 30-35 minutes, instead of 40-50 minutes.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
When the chicken wings aren't crammed next to each other, there is more hot air circulating around them, resulting in much crisper wings.
Another option is to use unflavored Greek yogurt. If you marinated the chicken wings in yogurt, sometimes the wings are not as crispy as when you use mayonnaise.
Another option is to use olive oil or avocado oil instead of mayo and omit it completely.
Marinate the wings and store in the refrigerator up to 48 hours in advance. Bring to room temperature for about half an hour while you preheat the oven.
You can also marinate the chicken wings and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw and bake.
What To Serve With Chicken Wings
PrintEasy Baked Chicken Wings
Golden, crisp and delicious, this recipe for easy baked chicken wings is so simple to prepare, fantastic for meal prep and loved by both adults and kids.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 24-30 wings
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 12-15 whole chicken wings
- ½ teaspoon salt (less if you use salted spice blends)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ - 1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning, or any other seasoning mix that you like
- ½ - 1 teaspoon paprika
- 3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (Greek yogurt can also be used)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 4 garlic cloves, grated or minced
Instructions
- The best chicken wings to use are whole wings, or you can use frozen wings. If you use whole chicken wings, cut the wings at the joint and discard the tip. You can save the tips to use the next time you make chicken broth. You will have a wing and a drumette.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the wings with all the other ingredients - salt, ground black pepper, spices, yogurt or mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic. Marinate for at least half an hour up to 48 hours. Keep refrigerated. If refrigerating, bring the wings to room temperature while preheating the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 425-450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the wings on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 40-50 minutes, on the top rack of your oven. If there is any liquid at the bottom of the baking sheet, pour it off.
- If you're using an extra large rimmed baking sheet, or using really small wings (the frozen ones are usually smaller), they may finish baking faster, 30-35 minutes, instead of 40-50 minutes.
- Serve while hot. If you'd like, you can serve the chicken wings with barbecue sauce, Buffalo wing sauce or any other sauce that you like.
Notes
- If you marinated the chicken wings in yogurt, sometimes the wings are not as crispy as when you use mayonnaise. Coating the chicken with mayonnaise creates a thin layer for the high heat to grab ahold of and create crispy skin on the chicken wings.
- If you'd rather not use mayonnaise, you can use olive oil or avocado oil instead of the mayonnaise as well and omit the mayo completely.
- You can broil it to make it faster, just make sure to watch the oven closely, because the wings can burn in the blink of an eye.
This recipe was originally published here at Olga’s Flavor Factory on July 20, 2012. I have updated the pictures, clarified the instructions and added a video, but the recipe is still the same. This has been our family favorite and many readers’ favorite for years. Enjoy!
Hi Olga,
How would I go about making this recipe using my instant pot?
I haven't tried this particular recipe in the Instant Pot.
However, when I make other chicken wing in the Instant Pot, I cook them on Manual Pressure/High Heat for 5 minutes then crisp them up in the oven, 400F until golden brown.
Any recommendations on how to make them spicy? Would it work if I mixed in sriracha into the marinade? Or should the wings be drizzled or tossed in it after baking a little? Thanks
You can do both, Irina. You can add sriracha or hot sauce to the marinade or later toss the wings in the sauce. You can also add some cayenne pepper to the marinade. However, if you toss the wings in sauce after you bake them, they will no longer be crispy, but the skin will bocce soft.
I made these and loved them! My mother in-law had foot surgery and is unable to walk for a few weeks and I've been trying to make her things she likes and I knew she liked wings -- and they were a hit! I tried the same with chicken legs the next day and it was quite good as well. Another great recipe! 🙂
You're so sweet to be serving your mother in law so lovingly. I'm really glad you enjoyed this recipe, Liza.
Thank you for the recipe Olga, I enjoy picking up new ideas from your blog as well as simply stumbling upon long forgotten classics to bring more variety to my kitchen. Whenever I bake chicken wings, I baste them with drippings from the baking chicken at the end and that gives the same result as mayo or whatever else people add. I like it better this way because you don't waste extra ingredients and still get the perfect result. Also, If you lay the chicken out so the pieces aren't touching then you don't even need to pour out the liquid. It evaporates on its own, and the remaining oil is used for basting. Just some tips from my factory;)
Made these for a dinner get together with family. They were delish! definitely making them again! Thanks olga!
That's awesome, Olga! Thanks for taking the time to write:).
Olga,
I am new to the blog, but have tried several recipes, this one included.
I am in Philadelphia area and it is frigid outside ( 10 ○ F ), so this was an easy dinner.
The substitution was buttermilk instead of yogurt, since we did not have any. Thank you.
It's definitely been cold lately, even in Florida, although I can't even begin to complain, with the frigid temperatures that you guys are facing. I agree that this is a perfect meal on a cold winter day. It's very cozy and comforting. Stay warm:).
Wonderful, easy to make, quick to prepare, tasty! My husband much appreciated to see this on the table, knowing i had a sleepless night and a busy day with two munchkins! I used buttermilk instead of yogurt. I ve heard that chicken marinates well in buttermilk. Anyone else heard this too? Thank you, olichka, u r my inspiration!
The wings are marinating:) I have a question my hubby loves when the meat is falling off the bone will that happen in 40 min? Or should I bake them under foil for a little bit first? Thank you, we love all your recipes. Also if the oven is buzy like for a party if u make these ahead of time and just reheat in oven will they still be crispy and as good? Thank you!
Mariya,
The wings should be pretty tender in 40 minutes, but if you bake them covered with foil first and bake them for an hour or even an hour and a half, they will be falling off the bone tender:). My husband likes them that way too.
You can definitely make them ahead of time and then reheat. If you reheat them in the oven, they will crisp up as they bake. However, if you use the microwave or in a pot on the stove top, the wings will not be crispy.
They were really good! Everyone asked how I made them:) although I still have a whole bunch of recipes from your site that I haven't gotten to I already have so many favorites:) my family friends and guests as well as I thank you!:)
Awesome! I'm so happy that you liked them. It's always such a thrill for me when I hear that other families are enjoying our favorite meals too.
I make these wings all the time the only problem I have is wings sticking to the foil, any ideas why that's happening?
I don't usually have this problem, but you can try greasing the aluminum foil, or using a heavy duty or nonstick aluminum foil.
Olga thank you for sharing. I made these chicken wings today and they turned out really good. Can I do drumsticks like this too?
You certainly can, Vera. Just bake them a little longer.
I made the drumsticks today at they were really really good. My family loved them. thank you so much
That's awesome, Vera! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite dinners:). It'll be on my menu soon.
is there anything I can substitute yogurt with like sour cream or anything like that?
Vera,
I use mayonnaise sometimes instead of the yogurt. I've never made it with sour cream, so I'm not sure that would work.
What kind of yogurt do you use? Thanks!
I used plain yogurt. You can buy it at the store or make your own, look it up in the Recipe Index, Homemade Yogurt:)
Thank you Olga for such an easy recipe, I will definitely try it 🙂