The Ingredient You Need To Take Oven-Fried Wings Up A Notch

Our fling with the chicken wing is still flying high, even amidst cost increases and supply chain issues. There's the bar-style Buffalo wing that you can take a perfect bite out of with one hand and sip beer with the other, and the slower-cooked kind that falls off the bone, chicken wings are fun to eat and share amongst friends. But in order for chicken wings to deserve their reputation, they need to be done right perfectly — worthy of eating by the dozen in one sitting. 

Wing aficionados expect crackly skin and moist, tender meat, but it can be difficult to cook any kind of meat on the bone without it drying out or being underdone. Restaurants have the right equipment, including high-capacity appliances for making large batches, and trained culinary professionals to get consistent results. But if you're making chicken wings at home, you have a few options: fry them in a pan, cook them in your air fryer, or even grill them if you've got the time and energy. And if you don't? Go the easy route and simply use your oven. Oven-fried wings are totally a thing and there's a quick way to guarantee their crispiness every time. 

There's something irresistible about the way the slathered-on sauce interacts with the crunchy exterior of chicken wings that makes it not only possible but acceptable to down a whole order by yourself. But not only can it take your wings a very long time to crisp up, but they might also never get there. Fortunately, you likely have the fix in your cupboard already: baking powder. Food blogger Christine Pittman, via Fox News, says that baking powder changes the pH of the wings and makes them extra crispy — and the baking is so much easier for large batch prep than frying.

First, heat your oven's broiler. Pat your chicken dry with a paper towel to wick up excess moisture. Then, dust them with salt, pepper, and any spices of choice plus the secret ingredient, baking powder, per The New York Times. Letting them sit for an hour on the counter or the fridge for a few hours helps them dry further and crisp better, so start thinking about your sauce options while you hungrily wait. Plus, clean-up will be easier, but you'll shamelessly get sauce on your face and hands when you eat them and nobody can help with that. Broil your wings about 15 minutes per side, flipping them once, The Times adds.

While hot, salty, buttery Buffalo sauce is a classic wing topping, there are so many other ways to enjoy chicken wings at home. When berries are in season, make a barbecue sauce with blackberries or raspberries for sweet and spicy wings. For something different, try Thai peanut chicken wings or savory garlic Parmesan wings. 

You can also cook your chicken wings on the grill for serious smoky flavor. Mike and Amy Mills of 17th Street Barbecue told NPR's The Salt how to cold-smoke wings with applewood and sear them over the flames. New Jersey sports bar Jack's Goal Line Stand offers not only old-school Buffalo wings but also oven-roasted wings that are slowly cooked and finished on the grill, as well as jumbo wings marinated overnight in hot sauce, flash-fried, then oven-baked. With so many ways to make chicken wings, the only thing left to do is gather a few friends, whip up a batch, and chow down.