Crispy Oven Fried Wings from the OG Creator Kenji

I’m in LOVE with hot wings specifically the flats.

If I go out to eat there is a > 80% chance I’m going to just order wings a salad or fries. Call me boring but I do it because I just could never make them as good at home. I have a convection oven which is basically an air fryer. They should be delicious but often just end up soggy and sad.

This made no sense to me, I’ve read stories about people making delicious wings in their air fryer. I had to be missing something.

Well it turns out I was missing a few key things which I discovered watching one of my favorite chefs Kenji López-Alt.

Kenji’s wing recipe originated with a technique for making chicken with crispy skin developed back in 2009 while the editor of Serious Eats. He updated the technique in a Youtube video which I’ve shared below.

For the skimmers, the three things you need are:

1. A rack to put on top of the cookie sheet. This rack lets air circulate around the wings.
2. Air-chilled chicken which is better than water chilled wings.
3. Baking powder

I encourage you to watch and subscribe to his channel. I’ve included the recipe below which you can clip and save into ClipDish.

Kenji’s Extra Crispy Baked Wings

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

The secret to these delicious wings is to let the rest for 4 hours and as much as over night. The baking powder, salt, and cornstarch work their magic to make the wings get crispy in the oven.

Ingredients

• 2.5 pounds air chilled chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats

• 2.5 teaspoons baking powder

• 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2.5 teaspoons cornstarch

• 4 tablespoons Cayenne hot sauce

• 4 tablespoons of butter

• 4 cloves of minced garlic

Directions

• Pat the wings dry with paper towels and place into a large mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle with the baking powder, salt and cornstarch. 1 teaspoon of each per pound of chicken.
• Toss the wings to ensure that they are evenly coated.
• Place foil on a baking sheet, place a baking rack on top of the baking sheet.
• Spread the wings evenly on the baking rack.
• Chill the wings for 4 hours to overnight
• Reheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Place rack in upper-center of the oven.
• Bake until golden brown, crispy and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes
• Meanwhile, place butter and garlic into pan.
• Let butter and garlic simmer for a few moments being careful not to brown the garlic.
• Add about 4 tablespoon of hot sauce, more to taste.
• When wings are finished, transfer them to a new bowl, pour sauce into the bowl and toss.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Make sure you give these wings plenty of time to rest and get crispy before cooking them.