Crispy Garlic Butter Chicken Wings
What's better than chicken wings? Crispy garlic butter chicken wings! Baked in the oven or crisped up in the air fryer, these party wings are seasoned with dry rub and tossed in a simple two-ingredient sauce. Make them for parties, game days, or holidays. They're the best!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds party chicken wings (908 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder, NOT baking soda! (14 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or freshly-ground black pepper)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-2 pinches of cayenne pepper (to taste)
- Neutral oil or cooking spray (I use avocado oil)
- 1/4 cup good-quality salted butter (56 grams)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (9 grams)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped chives (6 grams)
- Ranch or bleu cheese dressing, for serving
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- sheet pan
- Parchment paper or tin foil
- Wire rack
- Oil sprayer
- Small saucepan
- Tongs
Instructions
Prep the wings
- Dry the wings very well with paper towels. You want them to be as dry as possible.
- Then, place the wings in a bowl. Add the baking powder, salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne.
- Toss the wings with the dry rub until they are well coated. Set aside.
Bake the wings
- To bake the wings, preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or tin foil. Then, place an oven-safe wire rack on the sheet pan. Grease it well with neutral oil or cooking spray.
- Place the wings skin-side up in a single layer on the wire rack. It's ok if they're touching a bit, they will cook down.
- Bake the wings for 20 minutes. Then, flip the wings and bake them for another 20-25 minutes until the wings are crispy on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part. Remove the wings from the oven and let them rest for 4-5 minutes.
Air fry the wings
- To air fry the wings, grease the basket of an air fryer with neutral oil or cooking spray.
- Place the wings skin-side up in a single layer in the air fryer basket. It's ok if they're touching a bit, they will shrink as they cook.
- Fry the wings at 400°F (204°C) for 10 minutes. Flip the wings and fry them for 6-8 more minutes until they're crispy on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part. Let the wings rest for 4-5 minutes.
Make the garlic butter
- While the wings are cooking, make the garlic butter. Combine the butter and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook the garlic butter over medium low heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant.
Assemble & garnish
- Once the wings have rested for 4-5 minutes, transfer them to a large bowl. Drizzle the garlic butter over the wings and use tongs to toss the wings until they're evenly coated in the sauce.
- Garnish the wings with the fresh chives. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the wings immediately with ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
You'll want to use 'party wings' in this recipe which is chicken wings that have been broken down into drums and flats. You can also buy full wings and break them down yourself.
Dry all sides of the wings really well. You want them to be as dry as possible so they crisp up instead of steam. If you have time, you can also dry the wings on a wire rack overnight in the fridge. Place the wire rack on a sheet pan to prevent cross contamination and leave the wings uncovered so they dry out.
The secret to crispy baked wings is baking powder. Make sure you're using fresh, aluminum-free baking powder. Not baking soda! Otherwise, the wings will come out with a bitter, metallic aftertaste.
Feel free to add more cayenne or fresh garlic, to taste. If you don't like spice, leave the cayenne out of the rub.
Make sure you oil the wire rack super well. Otherwise, the wings will stick and you'll lose all that crispy skin!
The wings are ready when they reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part. Using a meat thermometer can help keep the wings from overcooking.
For extra crispy wings, broil them for 1-2 minutes. Just don't broil them for too long, or the wings will dry out.
Avoid over-cooking the wings! If they bake or air fry for too long, the wings will come out dry and the spices will burn. You want to cook them just until they're evenly browned, crispy, and cooked through.
Let the wings rest for 4-5 minutes before tossing them with the sauce. The wings will get extra crispy as they cool for a few minutes.
This recipe is super easy to double or triple for a crowd. You may just need to cook the wings in batches or on multiple sheet pans. You can also halve the recipe for two!
If you have an air fryer, I definitely prefer that method for reheating! They get nice and crisp without drying out at all. But, if you don't have an air fryer, the oven still works great! Just make sure you flip the wings halfway through so they get crisp all over.
This recipe will serve 6-8 people as an appetizer or 4-6 people as a meal. 2 pounds of wings is about 20-28 wings depending on the size of the wings.
Serving: 1wing, Calories: 55kcal, Carbohydrates: 0.6g, Protein: 3.3g, Fat: 4.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.8g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 68mg, Potassium: 88mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 0.1g, Calcium: 27mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @sundaytable.co on Instagram!