There’s something pretty darn awesome about these BBQ Baked Chicken Wings. First of all, they are baked. Not fried. BAKED. Yet as crispy and delicious as fried. I will be sharing all that juicy secret on how to do so in a minute.
Second of all, they are downright delicious. Perfectly seasoned, then smothered with a classic BBQ sauce. To say I love these things is an understatement.
After a long week, chicken wings seem like the perfect thing to sink your teeth into, in front of the television, maybe with a side of fries and a bottle of Miller Lite.
It is also the perfect game day food. The go-to appetizer for watching football with a bunch of friends this Fall. With the beer too, of course.
Ingredients
To make these Baked BBQ Chicken Wings, here’s what you need:
- Chicken drumettes and/or winglets – bone-in, skin-on
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder – no need to minced fresh garlic, this is sufficient for this recipe
- Smoked paprika – this gives it an additional smoky flavor which I love. Regular paprika would be fine if that is what you have.
- Barbecue sauce – use your favorite bbq sauce!
- honey
- vegetable oil
How to make Crispy Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
Step 1: Prepare and bake chicken wings
When I say these things are baked AND crispy earlier, I kinda mean it, people. And here is why.
We coat the winglettes and/or drumlettes (which is what is used here) with baking powder (note: NOT baking soda!!) and bake it at 250 degrees F for 30 minutes on a baking rack stacked on top of a baking sheet.
Then we bump the temperature up to 425 degrees and bake on each side for 25 minutes .
The science behind this enable these wings to be crispy on the outside, just like fried.
This secret to making these baked drumettes crispy is inspired by Cook’s Country. They are the genius behind coming up with this technique, and I must say, it has gifted me with lots of baked AND crispy chicken wings in my life, and it is hard to go back to greasy fried ones.
I incorporated the same technique for my Spicy Baked Korean Chicken Wings and Garlic Parmesan Baked Chicken Wings recipe.
Except that for this BBQ Baked Chicken Wings recipe, I rub other seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder) onto the chicken instead of just baking powder.
Step 2: Make BBQ Sauce Mixture
Then, of course, there’s the sauce.
Holy Guacamole YUM. Except it’s not guacamole, but BBQ Baked Chicken Wings.
We are keeping this sauce simple.
Pick your favorite BBQ sauce. Add 1-2 tablespoon (or more) honey to it, depending on how sweet you like your BBQ sauce.
Mix well and taste to see if it is to your liking.
Step 3: Toss Crispy Baked Chicken Wings in BBQ Suace
Once chicken wings are done, bring to a large bowl and pour sauce over wings.
Use a pair of tongs to toss wings in BBQ sauce.
Make sure they are all well coated.
These wings are sticky, tangy, crispy, juicy, sweet, savory, and ALL THE THINGS.
SO delicious!
Chicken wings are always the perfect weekend food for me. The stuff you eat when you are trying to escape from life.
Except that this version is not crazy greasy and all that bad for you…and you still escape from life!
So what are you waiting for? Rediscover chicken wings by baking them. Because seriously, why mess with hot oil and consume more grease than necessary? Baking is totally the way to do this!
What to serve with BBQ Baked Chicken Wings
Here are some of my favorites to serve with these delicious crispy wings:
- Easy Cheesy Potato Wedges
- Light Raisin Coleslaw
- Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Dressing Recipe
- Broccoli Kale Slaw
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad
- Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Baked Cajun Fries with Cheese Sauce
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More Chicken Recipes
- Panko Baked Chicken
- Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken
- Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Creamy Spinach Chicken
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowl
- Spicy Baked Chicken Tenders
- Hawaiian Chicken with Coconut Rice
BBQ Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs chicken drumettes and/or winglets
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- ~1-2 tbsp honey or more!
- vegetable oil
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 250°F.
- In a small bowl mix together baking powder, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika.
- Toss defrosted drumettes and/or winglets with the baking powder mixture. Use your fingers to rub the spices onto the meat and spread them evenly all over.
- Grease baking rack with vegetable oil (use the spray if you have them) and stack baking rack on top of a baking sheet. Place drumettes or winglets on baking rack, do not overlap.
- Bake in the lower middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes.
- Bump the temperature up to 425°F, and move drumettes and/or winglets to the upper middle rack and bake for 25 minutes.
- Flip drumettes and/or winglets over and bake for another 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Mix together barbecue sauce with honey to taste.
- Toss drumettes and/or winglets in barbecue sauce mixture.
- Serve and enjoy!
