Crispy Baked Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce

These Crispy Baked Chicken Wings are all sorts of juicy beneath the crispiest golden skin. They’re good enough to eat plain, and extra tasty tossed with a sweet and savory homemade oyster sauce. This is my family’s favorite chicken wings recipe!

I use this same baking method for my Hot Honey Chicken Wings and it’s failproof! These baked wings turn out deliciously crispy every time.

My Crispy Baked Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce represents significant closure in my journey to find the perfect baked chicken wings. I’ve tried so many methods over the years that I lost count, hoping to fulfill my dreams of crackly-skinned, homemade wings in the oven. Finally, I’ve done it! My family’s favorite way to enjoy these wings is with a super tasty (and easy-to-make) homemade oyster sauce, so I include that, too. These chicken wings are crazy good. I just know you’ll love ’em as much as we do.

Why You’ll Love This Baked Chicken Wings Recipe

• Crazy crispy, without deep frying. I never knew chicken wings could turn out THIS crispy in the oven! I’m sharing my tried-and-true method for the crispiest baked chicken wings with crunchy, golden skins that taste like they’re fried. If you’ve been looking for the best way to make crispy wings at home without using a deep fryer, this recipe is for you. They’re not weighed down with oil, and the house won’t smell like grease for a week.
• Easy technique. I decided early on in my testing that I wanted crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder since I liked naked wings the best. Pure, crackly chicken skin was my favorite texture. All roads eventually led to parboiling the wings before baking, and the results were so crispy! Mission: Accomplished.
• The best wing sauce. If you’ve never tried your chicken wings smothered with oyster sauce before, you’re in for a treat. Once you’ve tasted this sweet-savory Asian-inspired sauce, you’ll never want your wings served any other way! The umami flavors are off the charts and the sauce is very easy to make from scratch.

What’s the Secret to Crispy Wings?

This baked chicken wings adventure started at our friends Chris and Dana’s house many years ago. Dana, a caterer in another lifetime, always made the best nibbles. And his grilled oyster wings were EXTRAORDINARY! I went home determined to recreate crispy-skinned wings in the oven. With oyster sauce, of course.

I ran across Alton Brown‘s method of steaming the wings over a pot of boiling water before baking. Which finally led me to my friend Joanne‘s technique of parboiling. Parboiling chicken wings is an important step in creating the crispiest texture.

To parboil means to boil briefly in hot water, the same way you’d pre-cook potatoes or vegetables. In this case, we’re boiling the chicken wings for 7 minutes before baking, to cook off the excess fat. This way, the chicken skin is thinner and less flabby. Afterward, the wings finish cooking in a high-temperature oven to crisp them up.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Before we dive into oven-baking our wings, I’ve included some notes on the important ingredients. Mainly, you’ll need chicken wings, plus a handful of ingredients to make the sauce. Scroll down to the recipe card for a printable list with the full amounts.

• Chicken wings – I recommend using (thawed) “party style” wings, which have the wingettes and the drummettes already separated. If you buy whole wings, you’ll need to separate the wings at the joint, discarding the wing tips (save the tips for making chicken stock!).
• Oyster sauce – Oyster sauce is an Asian condiment that tastes like a combination of soy sauce and barbeque sauce. It’s popular in stir-fries, and it adds delicious umami to this homemade wing sauce.
• Ginger and garlic – For best results use fresh ginger and garlic. If you need to substitute them with powdered versions, substitute 1/4 teaspoon of powdered ginger for 1 tablespoon fresh, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder for each fresh clove.
• White wine – Choose a dry white wine or dry sherry. If you can get your hands on Asian cooking wine, like Shaoxing wine, even better. If you’d prefer to not use wine, simply substitute it with water.
• Soy sauce – You can use low-sodium or regular soy sauce, it’s up to you.
• Honey – Feel free to use maple syrup or brown sugar instead.

How to Make The Crispiest Baked Chicken Wings

Want crispy baked chicken wings? Here’s what you need to do! Scroll to the recipe card after the post for printable instructions.

• Parboil. First, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop the wings in, and parboil for 7 minutes. This cooks the fat out of (renders) the chicken skin.
• Drain and dry. Afterward, drain the wings in a colander and then dry them very well.
• Bake. Now, you’ll place the wings on a sheet pan, skin side down, and bake at 450ºF for 10 minutes. Then, flip and bake for 15 minutes more.
• Broil. For ultra-crispy skin, finish by broiling the wings for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Toss. Pour your favorite sauce over the wings, toss to coat, and dig in! Sprinkle some fresh green onion over the top for good measure – I always like to add a little bit of fresh garnish whenever I can. You’ll find instructions to make our oyster wing sauce below.

How Long to Bake Chicken Wings

The key to extra crispy baked wings is cooking them in stages. You’ll partially cook the wings with the parboiling step, and then finish them up in a high-temperature oven. I’ve found that 450°F for 25 minutes or so is perfect, flipping around the halfway mark. Lastly, to really crisp up the skins, I place the wings under the broiler for the final 5 to 10 minutes. It works like a charm!

Note: If you have exceptionally small or large wings, adjust for less or more baking time. Take care to not cook for more time than is necessary, as that will dry out the wings.

Recipe Tips

I’ve learned a few things in my journey to find the best crispy baked wings. Here goes!

• Use thawed chicken wings. If using frozen wings, be sure to fully thaw them first. If possible, use fresh wings rather than frozen, as fresh meat usually contains more moisture.
• Dry thoroughly. Moisture is the enemy of crispy wings, plus it causes the wings to stick to the pan more. Be diligent in getting the chicken as dry as you can after parboiling. To dry, place the wings on paper towels and then give them a squeeze with additional paper towels to remove every last bit of moisture. You could also use clean, absorbent, non-lint cotton towels if you prefer.
• Use an uncoated sheet pan. For the crispiest results, use an uncoated sheet pan. NOT a non-stick pan. I then recommend spraying the pan very lightly with a non-stick cooking spray.
• Grab a sturdy metal turner. If your wings want to stick to the pan (drying the wings extra good also greatly reduces sticking!), use a sturdy metal turner with a thin, sharp edge to get under the wings to scoop them up. The metal turner works great to get the wings off the pan with their crispy skins still intact.
• Enjoy HOT! For the crispiest wings experience, eat the wings while they’re hot out of the oven. Quickly toss them in sauce if you like, and then enjoy them right away!
• Want to make these ahead of time? A few hours in advance, parboil the wings, dry them thoroughly, and place them on a sheet pan in the refrigerator, uncovered. When ready to eat, bake the parboiled wings in the hot oven per the instructions. Just know that they may take a little longer to bake after being chilled.

Our Family’s Favorite Wing Sauce: Oyster Sauce!

Now, let’s talk about this amazing oyster sauce. This oyster sauce is perfectly savory and sweet, totally addictive. I’m so happy our friend Dana introduced us to this recipe. It’s our favorite way to eat wings.

To make it, sauté minced garlic and ginger in a saucepan with a little vegetable oil. Then stir in prepared oyster sauce, a bit of white wine (or just use water), soy sauce, and honey. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened.

That’s it! It’s so easy. And if you’re not spooning this sauce into your mouth at this point, I’d be surprised. The flavor is AMAZING. Just be sure to save some to toss over your wings when they come out of the oven.

Note: These crispy baked wings are good enough to eat plain. But if you want to sauce them up, and are not a fan of oyster sauce, then simply toss them in your favorite wing sauce, like barbecue sauce or Buffalo sauce. Or serve them with a dip. Blue cheese dip and ranch dressing are classic!

Serving Suggestions

Crack open a cold, crisp beer, and enjoy these baked chicken wings with more tasty appetizers like margarita grilled shrimp or shrimp dip (my mom’s recipe, I’ve been enjoying this FOREVER!) and fried pickles inspired by the ones from the Minnesota State Fair. This pineapple salsa also goes great with these oyster wings. Just add tortilla chips for dipping! We also love these fiery Italian stuffed jalapenos paired with saucy wings on game day. You can even make a mild version with mini sweet peppers.

Proper Storage

• Fridge. Store any leftover chicken wings in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
• Reheat. Warm these wings in the oven under foil so that they don’t become dry. If needed, drizzle over a little water and toss them to loosen up the sauce.

More Appetizer Recipes

• Firecracker Shrimp
• Buffalo Chicken Sliders
• BBQ Chicken Sliders
• Armadillo Eggs

Crispy Baked Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce

Yield: 6 servings

prep time: 25 minutes mins

cook time: 25 minutes mins

total time: 50 minutes mins

These Crispy Baked Chicken Wings with Oyster Sauce have thin crackly skins with a savory and sweet sauce that’s ultra addictive!

4.4 Stars (10 Reviews)

Print

Equipment

• Large Rimmed Pan
• Sturdy Metal Turner
• Oyster Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 3 large cloves garlic minced
• 1 T. minced fresh ginger
• ⅓ c. oyster sauce
• 1 T. dry white wine or sherry or substitute water
• 3 T. soy sauce
• 3 T. honey
• 2 T. kosher salt
• 3.5 lbs. chicken wings about 16 to 20 pieces
• 3 green onions sliced – optional garnish

Instructions

• For the oyster sauce: Heat a medium saucepan over medium to medium-low heat. Add oil. When oil is warmed, stir in garlic and ginger. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened. Do not let the garlic and ginger brown. Stir in oyster sauce, wine, soy sauce, and honey. Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened a bit. Remove pan from heat.
• For the chicken wings: Preheat oven to 450° F. Spray a large sheet pan with sides. Use a non-coated pan for best results, not one with a nonstick surface – I like this large jelly roll pan. Spray very, very lightly with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Line another large pan with paper towels and set aside.
• Over high heat, bring a large pot of water to boiling. Add the salt. Then add the chicken wings. Boil wings for 7 minutes. Remove wings to a colander to drain for a couple minutes before laying them on the paper towel lined pan. After they have cooled enough to handle, take another paper towel and individually dry each chicken wing piece. Wet wings are the enemy of crispy baked wings!
• Place the chicken wings directly on the lightly sprayed sheet pan, skin side down, and bake for 10 minutes. Flip to skin side up and bake another 15 minutes. If you have exceptionally small or large wings, adjust for less or more baking time. Take care to not cook for more time than is necessary, as that will dry out the wings.
• Then place the pan of wings on an oven rack set approximately 5″ beneath the broiler and broil for 5 to 10 minutes, or until skin is golden and crackly crisp. If your wings want to stick to the pan, use a sturdy metal turner with a thin, sharp edge to get under the wings to scoop them up. The metal turner works great to get the wings off the pan with their crispy skins still intact.
• Place the hot wings in a medium-large bowl and drizzle the prepared oyster sauce over the top. Quickly toss the hot wings in the sauce until all wings are coated. Sprinkle with fresh green onion slices and serve immediately, while they’re hot and ultra crisp. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from these sources: My friend Joanne’s technique for baked wings + our friend Dana’s oyster wing sauce, adapted from Leeann Chin.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 Calories: 941kcal Carbohydrates: 38g Protein: 46g Fat: 67g Saturated Fat: 23g Polyunsaturated Fat: 38g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 217mg Sodium: 2100mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 10g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.

Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!

© Brenda | A Farmgirl’s Dabbles

Cuisine: American, Asian

Course: Appetizers

This post was previously published in 2015. Photographs and some of the text were updated in 2021.