I love chicken wings. It is my go-to snack during football games. I can easily eat 20+ wings if given the opportunity, but I'm trying to eat a little healthier. Instead, I'll probably just eat 20+ wings but bake them. You know, for health. After a few rounds of trial and error, I finally found my perfect crispy baked chicken wings.
Before we get started, my ideal wing is not a breaded wing. I think they get too soggy in the sauce. I like a crispy skin chicken wing which is especially hard to replicate in the oven. These can be easily made in the air fryer, but (as stated above) I'm not looking to eat 5 wings at a time.
Baked Chicken Wings
The technique for the best, crispiest chicken wings is all about the baking technique. Similar to my oven baked chicken tenders or my baked bbq chicken legs, I use a cooling rack in my sheet pan. This baking technique mimics most air fryers by allowing the heat to circulate the food. I swear by this method for most crispy baked food including these crispy baked chicken wings.
I have tried many different ways to bake these wings, and each time they have laid flat on a baking sheet, the bottom gets rubbery. We are cooking these wings at a high temperature to render the fat and make the skin crispy. That fat will drip and make for a less than crispy wing.
What to serve with Chicken Wings
We are a house divided, and my wife is a ranch lover for wings. I know, I know. I personally love blue cheese, but I happen to have a killer recipe for both. You can find my healthy Greek yogurt Ranch recipe (my most popular recipe on my blog) and my homemade healthy blue cheese dressing (my most slept on recipe on my blog). These are great low calorie dressings and WW friendly dressings.
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
These crispy, baked chicken wings are the perfect game day appetizer. They are easy to make, and a total crowd pleaser. You'll want a big batch at your next football party.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of chicken wings, thawed and dried
- 1 tablespoon canola oil (or preferred neutral oil)
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Cooking spray
- Preferred sauce to coat (about 1/2 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place oven safe cooling rack in a baking sheet.
- Toss wings in oil and all seasoning listed.
- Spray baking sheet and cooling rack with cooking spray. You can line baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- Place wings on top of cooling rack and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Flip occasionally.
- When wings are done (chicken will be done at 165 °F and skin is crispy, allow to cool for 2 minutes before coating in sauce.
- I pour sauce in a bowl and toss wings to fully coat.
- Eat and enjoy.
Notes
Nutritional information is based off of Good & Gather frozen, raw chicken wings found at Target.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
5 wingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 340Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 546mgCarbohydrates: 0gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 26g
Healthy Baked Chicken Wings
Are chicken wings healthy when baked? One, depends on how we're defining healthy. I mean, they're not deep fried so that's a plus. If you count calories, five chicken wings will be 340 calories. I am basing this off of 20 wings weighing 3 pounds (I used the Good and Gather brand from Target). As of November 5, 2021 Weight Watchers uses the color based system and each serving of 5 wings is 9 points.
All of these calculations do not include sauce. My preferred hot sauce is Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce. If you want something different than the usual take-out wings, my Sweet Chili Sauce is amazing on these.
Want other healthy game day recipes? I got you covered
Hare are some of my favorite healthy recipes perfect for football games or parties:
