Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings coated in delicious smoky parmesan coating, drizzled with a decadent garlic butter sauce. It’s really as dreamy as it sounds.

These oven baked chicken wings are the perfect game day or dinner appetizer, and can be made in the air fryer as well. No deep frying necessary, and yet just as crispy and delicious! We’ve got all the secrets on how to make this happen!

I have a thing for chicken wings. No matter how sophisticated my palette gets or will get, I’m pretty sure one thing will remain: I will ALWAYS have a thing for chicken wings.

Check out my other favorite chicken wing recipes: Baked BBQ Chicken Wings, Hot Honey Wings and Spicy Baked Korean Chicken Wings! Two other baked not fried chicken wings recipe that you do not want to miss!

Crispy and Flavorful Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings

I’m obsessed with these Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings because their flavor is just out of this world.

There’s no need to deep fry chicken wings. We can avoid the greasiness and messiness of deep frying and oven bake our garlic parmesan chicken wings instead for the same amount of crispiness and yumminess.

For this oven baked version of garlic parmesan chicken wings, each chicken wing is first tossed in a mixture of parmesan cheese and lots of garlic, with a touch of smoked paprika, salt and black pepper.

As a result, each wing is then loaded with bold flavors.

To make the wings super crispy, the secret is baking powder. Note: NOT baking soda. I’ve heard bad things happen when you use baking soda. So even though I’ve never tried it, I would strongly recommend avoiding it! 😉

We will also need a couple of other things – we’ll need to place wings on a baking rack that is stacked on top of a baking sheet. This way we provide airflow underneath the wings and the bottom side doesn’t become soggy.

Here is the affiliate link for the baking rack. It is pretty affordable and a really good investment for the kitchen. In fact, I started some of my other baked meats on this rack to get some airflow at the bottom of the meat too.

And if that’s not enough (because we don’t skimp on anything around here!), we are also drizzling our garlic parmesan chicken wings with a garlic butter sauce.

SO INCREDIBLY DELICIOUS. *Chef’s kiss*

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed for making garlic parmesan chicken wings in the oven:

• drumettes or winglets – drumettes are the big part of the chicken wing with the bone. Winglets are the little part that has two parallel bones running through it. You can use both of either one. Make sure to bring them to a complete defrost overnight if they were frozen. Make sure to pat them dry before seasonings them.
• baking powder – this is what’s going to make our chicken CRISPY when baked in the oven. Baking powder breaks down the protein in the skin and dry out the skin, producing a nice crisp and brown texture. Do NOT skip this ingredient!
• parmesan cheese – use the powdery/finely ground version or shredded parmesan cheese. Good quality parmesan will yield better overall flavor.
• smoked paprika – regular paprika works as well.
• salt – I am using regular fine salt. This will really open up the flavors and season the chicken.
• black pepper
• butter – avoid using unsalted butter, especially if you are not salting your wings. Salted butter just brings more flavor to the garlic butter.
• garlic – minced fresh garlic is the best! Avoid using garlic powder.

How to make garlic parmesan wings in the oven

Prepare drumettes and/or winglets

First, pat dry drumettes and/or winglets using paper towels, especially if they were previously frozen and were just defrosted. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Drumettes and/or winglets should be dry so that spices stick to them.

Bring together seasoning for chicken wings: baking powder, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika and parmesan mixture.

Technically baking powder is there to help crisp up the chicken wings, and not really to season it. But we will be incorporating it along with the other seasonings.

Coat chicken wings in the mixture, and make sure to rub it onto the wings so that the mixture is stuck to the wing.

Spray a baking rack with cooking spray, then place baking rack on a lined baking sheet. Place drumettes and/or winglets on baking rack. Do not overcrowd drumettes and/or winglets.

Bake wings in oven

Bake drumettes and/or winglets in oven for 30 minutes at 400℉. Flip drumettes and/or winglets over halfway through the baking time.

For added crispiness, broil chicken wing for 2-3 minutes in the end. Watch drumettes and/or winglets carefully to avoid burning.

Coat Wings in Garlic Butter Sauce

Make garlic butter sauce by melting butter with minced garlic in a pot. Do not burn garlic. Once butter is melted and garlic smells fragrant, remove from heat promptly.

Coat drumettes and/or winglets in garlic butter sauce.

Then remove drumettes and/or winglets with a pair of food tongs and transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with parsley and more parmesan cheese (if you are like me and like a lot of parmesan) and serve warm.

The wonderful flavor in these Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings comes from a combination of parmesan cheese, garlic, butter, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. The seasoning creates a gorgeous flavor and better still, is made out of simple, pantry-friendly ingredients.

And then you know how you bite into a solid chicken wing and the flavor is not just on the crispy crust, but all the way into the meat of the chicken. Oh yeah, THAT. That phenomenon actually happens here.

We make chicken wings at home whenever the cravings hit, instead of running out to get super greasy wings from restaurants. Because 1) it tastes just as good, perhaps even better, and 2) it is so much better for you!

Perfect for dinner any day, parties, game day…or whenever you feel like you need some chicken wings in your life. In the case of my life, that happens quite often. Try it today!! I think you will love this super yummy dish!

Tips and Tricks

This Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings recipe is so much easier than it looks. I love that there’s no need to deep fry those wings! The active time in the kitchen is minimal.

And then there’s clean up – but I have a few tricks for you. Take it from someone who has made dozens of batches of wings this way.

• Generously grease the baking rack with a vegetable oil or olive oil spray. Some of the grease from the chicken skin will stick to the rack, and having oil on the rack makes it easier to remove the grease.
• Place a large piece of aluminum foil between the baking rack and baking sheet to catch the grease from the chicken to enable easier cleaning of the rack.
• When the chicken wings are done cooking, remove from baking rack immediately so that they don’t stick to rack. Trust me, it’s no fun cleaning off chicken skin pieces stuck to the racks.

How to make garlic parmesan wings in the air fryer

Here’s another way you can make delicious garlic parmesan wings with minimal cleanup and effort, while still getting that delicious crispy skin…make it in the air fryer!

I’ve done it both in the oven and air fryer and the air fryer version yields excellent results, so if you have an air fryer, use it! I love my air fryer.

To make garlic parmesan chicken wings in the air fryer, first preheat air fryer to 400°F.

Once air fryer is preheated, place winglets and drumettes into air fryer and cook for 8 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 8 minutes.

Remove from air fryer and brush wings with garlic butter sauce. Then serve and enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

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