Chicken wings
Absolutely mouthwatering chicken wings, marinated in an all purpose marinade that is a little sweet, a little salty, and leaves you with perfectly juicy and tender chicken. The perfect party appetizer, lunch, or snack.
Serve with crunchy oven baked zucchini bites, sweet potato fries, or oven baked steak fries.
These chicken wings are everything you want when it comes to wings:
- Crispy skin—Check
- Juicy interior —Check
- Flavorful meat — Check
- Low mess — Check
- Easy to find ingredients — Check
- Crowd Pleaser —Check
We are basically wings obsessed over here. It all started with the life changing discovery of how to get wings crispy in the oven, and then when we got an air fryer, it was like game over. Wings every day.
My husband used to work in a restaurant called Wingers, where they were known for their wings and their special wing sauce. And I loved wings. But getting out a hot fryer full of oil that is at like 400 degrees is not something I was comfortable with once I had kids.
Just an accident waiting to happen.
Now that I know there are great alternatives to deep frying. And way better for you alternatives, I can’t be stopped. Want wings for lunch, air fryer to the rescue. Want them for a party, oven baked! Magic.
Wings Recipe
There are dozens of great wings recipes out there, and whether you want a spicy wing, buffalo wings, or a an asian flare, garlic, or maybe something sweet or BBQ, you will cook them a different way. For this recipe I used an all purpose marinade, which I marinated the wings in overnight.
Letting the wings sit in the all-purpose marinade overnight and soak in the amazing flavors meant I did not have to add any sauces or dips to the wings, and the results were flavorful, juicy, and oh so finger licking good chicken wings.
Sauce it Up!
Now, let’s say you like a little sticky sauce on the outside of the wings. Well lucky for you, you can simple double the marinade, and reserve half of it. Then just pop it into a sauce pan and reduce on medium heat, letting it simmer and thicken with time.
With just a few minutes of cook time left on the wings, simply brush them with this reduced marinade sauce, and you get a sticky, flavorful coating.
My only caution is this marinade is salty, and when reduced it gets even saltier. So you may want to reduce the amount of salt in the part used for the sauce. But taste it, and see if it is to your liking.
Marinating Wings
One of the best ways to add amazing flavor to your wings, while retaining juiciness is by marinading your wings. I find that if I toss my wings in my marinade the day before and let them sit in the fridge overnight, they soak in all the good flavors.
This is also great for when I have frozen wings. I can just put my frozen wings into a zip top bag, pour the marinade over, and let it slowly defrost in the fridge, in the marinade.
As the wings defrost, the marinade soaks in, and you get ultra-flavorful wings as a result.
How Long To Cook Chicken Wings
The length of time it takes to cook chicken wings depends on a couple of things, but mostly on which cooking method you choose. My two favorite methods are baking wings and air frying wings.
Baking wings takes a lot longer, like an hour to an hour and a half. But you can cook a whole bunch at once. Air frying wings is much faster, usually taking less than 20 minutes, but you are limited in the number you can cook at a given time based on the size of your air fryer.
I also loved grilled wings! When grilling wings I usually use a meat thermometer to get them to the perfect temperature of 165 degrees.
Best Methods for Cooking Chicken Wings:
Deep Fry
To deep fry wings you will want to use an oil that has a high smoke point: Peanut or canola oil is best!
Heat to 350-375 degrees.
Add your wings to the oil.
Fry wings for 8 mins
Remove.
Oven Baked Wings
If you want truly crispy oven baked chicken wings, check out this post where I share all the secrets to getting great wings from the oven. How to avoid a soggy skin, how to render fat. And how to get all the crisp texture you want from a fryer, but without all the extra oil.
The basics are toss it with baking powder (draws out moisture)
Bake on a baking sheet with a rack on top so air flow can make the entire wing crispy.
Add sauce, finish baking or broiling.
Grill
Grilling wings is such a fun way to get tons of flavor on the chicken wings.
Preheat your grill to 400-450 degrees.
Put wings on the grill.
Cook the wings for 15- 20 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes.
Check the internal temperature with an instant read digital meat thermometer. When they reach 165°F they are done, remove them from the grill.
Air Fryer
Air fryers are my favorite way to cook wings. The method is as follows:
Spray air fryer with oil.
Place seasoned or marinated wings into the basket, leaving room between each wing so air can circulate.
Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
Check internal temp with an instant read thermometer. When they reach 165°F they are done, remove them from the air fryer.
Slow Cooker + Broiler
Instant Pot
Cook your wings in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker using this method for delicious crispy chicken wings.
Serve with Your Wings
Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 recipe All Purpose Marinade
- 2 lbs chicken wings
Instructions
Deep Fry
- Heat peanut oil or canola oil to 350-375 degrees.
- Once oil i s hot, add your wings to the oil.
- Fry wings for 8 mins
- Remove from oil and enjoy.
Oven Baked Wings
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees
- Toss wings with 2 Tbs baking powder (draws out moisture)
- Place on a baking sheet with a rack on top so air flow can make the entire wing crispy. Drizzle with a little oil.
- Bake wings at 250 for 30 minutes to help render the fat.
- After 30 minutes, increase temperature to 400 degrees, and bake an additional 45-50 minutes until cooked through and skin is crispy, and wings are golden brown.
Grilled Chicken Wings
- Preheat your grill to 400-450 degrees.
- Put wings on the grill.
- Cook the wings for 15- 20 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes.
- Check the internal temperature with an instant read digital meat thermometer. When they reach 165°F they are done, remove them from the grill.
Air Fryer
- Spray air fryer with oil.
- Place seasoned or marinated wings into the basket, leaving room between each wing so air can circulate.
- Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Flip wings half way through.
- Check internal temp with an instant read thermometer. When they reach 165°F they are done, remove them from the air fryer.
Slow Cooker + Broiler Cooked Chicken Wings
- Place chicken wings in a single layer on a foil lined pan. And broil for 12 minutes, 6 per side. Keep the chicken 4-5 inches from the heat source.
- Drain off the fat, then put the wings into a crock pot or slow cooker.
- Cook for 5-6 hours, then broil again for about 5 minutes to crisp up the skin.
Video
Notes
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
Want to use this recipe in a meal plan?Try PrePear, my FREE Meal Planning App that allows you to save your recipes, plan meals, shop for groceries, and cook simply in one place. Join Here!Pin to your Chicken Wings board:
Echo says
April says
Steph says
Sara Welch says
Rachael says
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says