I discovered this method for making baked BBQ chicken wings by pure accident. While I was making my favorite and hugely popular extra crispy chicken wings, on a whim, I decided to change the process slightly. Before I knew it, this became a new and hugely popular BBQ wing recipe at our house. I would be surprised if other wing lovers didn’t enjoy it as much as we did.
How these baked BBQ wings are made
As I mentioned above, this recipe starts off very similar to the extra crispy chicken wings recipe. However, instead of doing it at the end, I tossed the wings with the wing sauce about 10 minutes before the end. I just wanted the sauce to thicken a little. The sauce that I used that time was also slightly different - it was a mix of Duff's BBQ sauce and their hot Buffalo wing sauce.
I also bumped the oven temperature up a little to get the wings cook faster - it was a long day out on Saturday and we all wanted something as quickly as possible. These seemingly minor modifications gave me completely different results. The results were mind blowing if I do say so myself.
The best part is that it takes only about 30 minutes to bake these wings. Here is a little video of my daughter making them. It's very easy. I have since experimented more and modified the process slightly, so what you will find in the recipe below will differ a bit from the original video we made.
The result
The wings definitely lost their crispiness after I drenched them in BBQ sauce and baked for additional few minutes. They weren't extra crispy any more but they weren't nearly as soft and soggy as your typical baked chicken wings. Some additional experimenting revealed that if you let the crispy wings sit for 5 minutes and then toss with a sauce, they will retain more of their crispiness. Made this way, the texture was just perfect.
What I liked the most about the new wings is how they came out nicely caramelized, even charred in some spots, and sticky. The high heat combined with convection did their magic. The wings turned out truly amazing and a pleasure to eat.
A few words about the sauce
Any favorite BBQ sauce of yours will do the trick. I like to use Duff's BBQ sauce which you can pick up at Wegmans and many other places in Buffalo or online. This is what I used in this recipe. I did a 2:1 mix of BBQ and Duff's hot sauce with some fresh minced garlic added. I've also tried other BBQ and hot sauces, e.g. Frank's hot sauce, and they all worked quite well.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings. separated into wingettes and drumettes
- 1 Tbsp baking powder (DO NOT USE BAKING SODA!)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp hot wing sauce (Duff's or your favorite hot wing sauce)
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (Duff's or your favorite BBQ sauce)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
Instructions
- You must use a convection function in your oven for this recipe. Set the rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 450F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil, then parchment paper. Set aside.
- Pat dry chicken wings with a paper towel. Place the wings in a large bowl. Add the baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix by hand until all wings are evenly coated. Spread the wings on the baking sheet.
- Place the tray with the wings in the oven and bake at 450F convection for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining the hot sauce, the BBQ sauce and the minced garlic in a small bowl.
- Carefully remove the baking sheet from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Let rest for 5 minutes. This will help the wings retain retain more of their crispiness after applying BBQ sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the wings, then mix them with two spatulas to ensure all wings are evenly coated with the sauce.
- Alternatively, transfer the wings to a mixing bowl, pour the sauce over the wings and mix well. Transfer the wings back to the baking sheet.
- Move the wings back into the oven and bake for additional 8 minutes at 400F convection, flipping once halfway, or until the wings are nicely browned and start to char. This usually takes no more than 8-10 minutes but the time will depend on how your oven bakes.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was updated on January 30, 2019
Jermy Sains says
These are the bomb! Thanks for sharing.
Patricia Daly says
I've made this recipe three times, once for the Super Bowl, and twice for dinner. They're so delicious!
victor says
Glad you liked my recipe, Patricia. Enjoy!
Deb says
Absolutely fabulous!
victor says
Happy to hear it. Enjoy!
DD says
How can we make these without a convection oven? Thank you.
victor says
DD, many of my readers had success with the process described in the notes to my extra crispy baked chicken wing recipe. You can use the same here. Good luck!
Vicki says
Thanks
Vicki says
Do you use convection roast or bake. I assume roast but I just got a stove with convection and wanted to be sure.
victor says
I only have one convection mode but I'd also assume roast on yours would be preferred.
Dj says
Made for Christmas Eve appetizers and did a couple different coatings and
turned out excellent! Will be added to our favourite wing recipe. Thanks
Colin says
Wow this is a really great recipe. Nice work.
May says
Can I use parchment paper up to 425 degree? Seem to can't find any parchment paper 450 degree at local stores.
victor says
You should be fine. I use PaperChef brand, just checked, it's rated up to 425F. You are going to bake at 425F convection (preheat to 450F, then turn down to 425F when ready to bake). I use the same paper to bake bread where I start at 480F for 20 minutes. The paper darkens but is still fine at that temp.
Dave B. says
I've recently started using a flour and baking powder mixture on my wings and I must say WOW ... what a difference. I usually add a few spices to the mixture as well. I bake mine in the oven without convection as I don't have that option. I watched a video about frying the wings in the sauce afterwards. So after I get my sauce mixture bubbling I quickly 'STIR FRY' the wings in the sauce after the baking and cooling for a bit.
While they turn out fantastic they lose a lot of the crispiness after adding the sauce. I don't like my wings sloppy with sauce ... just a bit sticky. I haven't found a way to keep them somewhat crispy while still having the sauce slightly baked or fried onto the wings.
Any suggestions or am I just going to have to enjoy them they way they are? ;oP
victor says
Dave, have you tried my Extra Crispy Baked Chicken Wings recipe? In that recipe I cook them fully then toss with a little bit of hot sauce, I believe they come out just like you describe you want them to be, or very close. I fine them to be more crispy than these.
Smoore says
Before you sauce your wings. Let them rest for 2-3 minutes. That will give your coating time to set. Then do the stir fry toss. They will stay crispier. I tell myself it’s science. Don’t have to know why just know what.
victor says
That's a very good point. I learned about it some time ago and it works like magic. I let them rest for 5 minutes though.
Phyllis Lawson says
Oh my gosh! These are the best wings ever, better than any restaurant wings I've ever had!
victor says
Thank you, Phyllis. Your comment made my day!
Emily says
Excited to try these! I'm grew up outside of Buffalo and am always on the hunt to for great wings, although admittedly I haven't made them much after a few mediocre attempts. Hopefully this recipe turns things around for me! This may be a dumb question but how do I know if my oven is a convection oven? I'm thinking maybe if I have to ask that question mine isn't...
Really cool site with great looking food, glad I stumbled upon it!
victor says
Thank you for the compliment on my blog 😉
Convection refers to air circulation in the oven during baking. You will see a 6-8" or so fan in the middle of the back wall if you have it. I find it super useful for when I need to crisp things up and remove moisture.
Chris says
Can I use my regular oven for these???
victor says
Of course you can, but they won't turn out the same. This recipe is specifically for convection cooking. You can get something similar if you do the following:
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Arrange wings in single layer on a wire rack placed over a backing sheet. Bake wings on lower-middle oven rack for 30 minutes. Move to upper-middle rack, increase oven temperature to 425 degrees, and roast until the wings are golden brown and crisp, 40-50 minutes longer, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove sheet from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
Then coat with the BBQ sauce and back in the oven under broiler for a few minutes, flip then broil some more and enjoy. Keep a good eye on the wings while they are broiling - they can burn quickly if left in the oven for too long. And don't use parchment paper, it will burn.
I have many other good wing recipes on my blog that don't require convection oven. This one is a good example: http://ifoodblogger.com/how-to/bake-chicken-wings-to-perfection/
John D. says
Best wings I've ever made. Delicious!
Bubba says
if you don't put them on the grill they're NOT bbq'd wings, period