The Crispiest Oven-Baked Chicken Wings Are Made With An Overlooked Ingredient

There are two things you should always consider when making chicken wings at home: the flavor profile and the crispiness of the skin. When it comes to taste, there are a multitude of ways you can add flavor to chicken wings. If you use a sauce, you can easily make hot buffalo chicken wings or hot honey bourbon barbecue chicken wings. The only drawback of using a sauce is that you run the risk of losing some of the crunchiness from the skin. This is why people usually fry their wings before coating them, which can sometimes be harder to achieve with a conventional kitchen oven. Luckily, there's an easy way to preserve the crispiness of those wings at home, and all you need is aluminum-free baking powder. This simple baking ingredient will guarantee you always have the crispiest oven-baked wings. So, how does it work?

Baking powder, sometimes confused with baking soda, is often used as a raising agent for cakes, cookies, and bread. When used for chicken wings, however, this ingredient takes on an entirely new role as a moisture controller. Like single-acting baking powder, the aluminum-free version reacts directly to liquids instead of heat. This means when placed on the wings, the powder absorbs any moisture already present on the skin. As that moisture evaporates in the oven, you're left with textured skin that crisps up beautifully and promotes browning.

For crispy, oven-baked chicken wings, it's important to use the aluminum-free baking powder before the cooking process. No matter what recipe you are using, you can easily incorporate this ingredient without altering the flavor of the wings. The only time the taste might be affected is if regular baking powder is accidentally used, which can add a metallic quality to your food.

To make crispy baked chicken wings, you'll need some baking powder, though not too much. For every pound of chicken, simply use a single teaspoon. If you're following a specific recipe, it might call for a little more than that. Before you do anything, be sure to pat your wings dry with a paper towel. Afterward, place them in a bowl with salt, pepper, and baking powder. Toss with your hands to evenly distribute, and then place each wing in a baking dish. Allow your chicken to cook for 15 minutes.

While your chicken wings are in the oven, take the time to whip up a delicious sauce. You can use the sauce in the crispy baked chicken wings recipe or perhaps create your own. When the timer is up, flip the wings over and add the sauce to the top before cooking for another 15 minutes. After that round of cooking, flip the wings, add even more sauce, and let them cook for a final 10 minutes. Once finished, garnish your crispy chicken wings however you like, and enjoy!