Baked Chicken Wings

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Love eating chicken wings, but not the fact that most are fried in hot grease? Baking chicken wings at home is my new favorite, easy meal to make.

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Look for Pre-Cut Wings

Buying pre-cut wings at the grocery store is much easier than buying them as whole wings. Walmart carries the pre-cut wings, and many grocery stores carry some that are partially cut. Either way, you may have to use a little elbow grease to cut them so you have nice drumsticks and flappers.

What is Your Favorite Wing?

Todd likes the drumsticks the best. My favorite are the flappers. I guess that is due to the fact that the drumsticks are white meat, and the flappers are dark meat. At any rate, this works out perfectly for us, because there’s always an even number for us to share!

I first discovered making these at home when Todd was traveling. I wanted to be able to make something delicious, but not too difficult. And, I really don’t like using our present grill, because it scares me!

Easy to Bake in the Oven

Several years ago, the push-button ignition went out and we replaced it. Unfortunately, it still didn’t work, so we gave up. Now Todd uses a lighter to ignite the flame. And I choose to use the oven! Maybe it’s because of my long hair?

To get back on track, I found I was able to make these very easily in my oven and can change the seasoning or sauces as I choose. A satisfying and hearty meal, especially if I am eating dinner alone. It’s also inexpensive and far more healthy than fast food, which I consider to be a win-win!

Let’s Get Started

To start, heat the oven to 450, then prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil. I like to put my wings on a rack to make them crispier, but they can also go right on the foil. It’s a good idea to have this ready before seasoning the chicken, since your hands will be getting pretty messy.

After the pan is ready, get the chicken out of the package and rinse it under cold water. Make sure to pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Once they are relatively dry, they will need to be cut so that you have drummies and flappers.

Select the Seasonings and Sauces

Get together the seasoning mix you prefer. I really enjoy using old bay seasoning and coating them really well by shaking them in a plastic bag. Think Shake and Bake! Any seasoning will work, lemon-pepper, Montreal chicken, this is your show, so use the one you like best!

As a side note, the last few times I made this it was over seasoned, so, be careful not to coat them with too much seasoning. Or, simply sprinkle the seasoning on lightly before baking.

As far as sauces go, I like to use ranch, also sweet chili sauce is nice, good old barbecue sauce (I like KC Masterpiece) and of course, the original hot buffalo sauce. Again, it’s up to you, so go for it!

Get the Wings in the Oven

Bake them for 15-20 minutes until they are nicely browned and juicy. Then, change the oven to broil and broil them for 2 1/2 to 5 minutes. It really depends on the size, sometimes they are small and sometimes, they are pretty big. The cooking times will be less for smaller wings and longer for bigger wings.

You can check the temperature with a food thermometer, it should be 165 for poultry. And also, remember to wash your hands each time you transition from the chicken to something else.

Serving them with carrots and celery is the traditional way, but you can also serve them with other sides. Mix it up a bit, be creative.

Enjoy!

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Baked Chicken Wings

Baked chicken wings at home is my new favorite inexpensive and easy meal to make. Change them up by using different seasonings, sauces, and dipping sauces.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Chicken Wings approx. 2 pounds
• 1-2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning or your choice
• 1 cup Carrot Sticks cut lengthwise
• 1 cup Celery Sticks cut lengthwise
• 1/2 cup Ranch or Blue Cheese Dressing
• 1/2 cup Hot, Sweet Chili or BBQ Sauce optional
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Set oven to 450 degrees and prepare baking sheet by covering with foil. 
• Rinse chicken and cut to separate the drumstick from the flapper. Discard the rest of the wing.  Pat dry with paper towels.
• Season the wings by sprinkling the seasoning over the wings before baking. Or, place the seasoning mix into a ziplock bag, and add the chicken wing pieces.  Shake until wings are seasoned.
• Place wings on baking sheet or rack, and bake for 15-20 minutes. 
• Change oven to broil and let them broil for 2 1/2 – 5 minutes. 
• Poultry is done when it reaches 165 degrees.

  Wings will be crispy and juicy. 

Notes

I noticed that my wings had too much seasoning on them the last few times I have made this.  It could be that I put too much seasoning in the bag.  So, be sure they are seasoned lightly, and not fully coated.

Smaller wings will cook for the shorter amount of time, larger wings will need to cook longer.  Always keep an eye on them, because burnt wings are no fun! 

Any seasoning will work, try lemon pepper, Montreal chicken, or others.  

Also, sauces can vary.  Try barbecue sauce (I like KC Masterpiece), sweet chili sauce, original buffalo sauce, be creative.