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So, I was working on a recipe for chicken wings when not long after I started, my husband basically took over. Just for the record my husband CAN cook, and I love it when he does - it just doesn't happen all that often anymore! So I did not argue and said, "Yes, I'd love for you to take a shot at developing this baked chicken wings recipe" (i.e. make dinner tonight - wink wink).
Recipe for The Best Oven Baked Chicken Wings
And I must say they turned out to be the best oven baked chicken wings I've had and definitely rival the smoked wings we recently fell in love with at one of our favorite Charlotte restaurants, Rooster's.
How to Get the Taste of Smoking Chicken Wings
Baking this knock-off version at home by emulating the flavor of their wood burning fire with smoked salt makes our house smell almost as good as their amazing restaurant, and it only takes 45 minutes to bake (instead of hours to smoke...not to mention you don't have to tend a fire!). So, just in time for the Super Bowl - enjoy!
What to Serve With These Homemade Wings
Chicken wings make for an awesome family meal that just about everyone loves! Here's a few ideas for side dishes you can add to make it a complete, whole food meal to satisfy even the hungriest diners. Try some slow cooker baked beans, oven baked cheese fries for some extra crunch, and Mexican street corn salad to bring it all together!
Here's a video on how to make our best oven baked wings:
The Best Oven Baked Chicken Wings!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken wings (about 3 dozen wings total)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 2 ½ teaspoons pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked salt ((this recipe would not be the same without the SMOKED version versus regular salt...I found it at our grocery store and it's worth the extra effort if you don't already own some))
- 1 teaspoon thyme (dried)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon oregano (dried)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper ((ground cayenne))
Optional Accompaniments
- celery
- ranch dressing (homemade (see link in notes))
Instructions
- Place the cooling rack on top of a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pour the maple syrup into a large mixing bowl. Add the wings and mix with your hands to evenly coat the wings. (Note: If your wings are fairly wet, pat dry with a paper towel first, otherwise don't waste your time.) Arrange the coated chicken wings on top of the rack, thick-skinned side down.
- Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl and with a dry hand, evenly spread about half of the spice mixture on top of the wings. With your other "wet" hand, press the spice rub into the wings and then flip them over (we want the thick-skinned side up during baking for extra crispiness). Evenly spread the remaining spice mixture on top with your dry hand.
- Bake for 45 minutes on the middle oven rack. Serve warm and enjoy!
Alison says
Love this recipe! Made them for the whole family. A Super Bowl favorite! Just started using this site for recipies. Made 5 this week. Love all of them! Thanks.
Clare says
I just learned something new today. I didn't know there was such a thing as smoked salt. I'll be getting some and definitely be experimenting with it for the next few days. Thanks.
Shelley says
Simply awesome! Didn't have the smoked salt so I added some liquid smoke to my spice mix - I made almost 10 lbs of drumsticks with this recipe (nearly quadrupled the ingredients) and it was the hit of the evening. So many compliments from kids and adults- people couldn't believe it was so simple. Kudos guys - great job!
Bintou says
Made them exactly the way Lisa said and they were a hit !!!!
Will definitely make them again.
Jenny says
These were awesome! Thank you for another great recipe!
Elizabeth says
Tried these over the weekend and they are exceptional. Used a few drops of hickory smoke (could not find smoked salt on short notice at my local WF) into the maple syrup and there were smiles all around. Thanks so much for sharing, will be making these again and recommending to others! So nice that the recipe is so simple too.
Michael says
Used this recipe w/o the maple syrup and with somewhat less smoked salt. Baked wings until semi-crispy. I used garlic oil. Then I did two batches - one with B-B-Q sauce and one with the traditional hot sauce and butter. Coated wings in these sauces and then baked for a long time, separate batches, at around 275+ degrees. As everyone knows - a long slow simmer or slow cooker for some beef and chicken produces very tender meat. I go back and forth between 275 and 375 until wings are very tender - falling off the bone.
I know - it's work but worth it.
Lisa says
McCormick Smoked Sea Salt is available in the spice aisle at HT. Look on the rack of McCormick Spices.
Melanie says
Just be careful if you have a gluten allergy - I wanted to try this recipe and went there. The McCormick smoked sea salt has wheat, maltodextrin, and natural flavor. I will have to wait until I can find a real food version of the salt.
Rachel says
Mindy, where at Harris teeter did you find it??
Mindy says
I found the smoked sea salt at Harris Teeter for $1.50!
Judy says
I made these with regular sea salt and smoky paprika and steamed them first a la Alton Brown. I'll probably add some liquid smoke to the maple syrup next time. I put the seasoning mix in a shaker jar. It was easy to control the amount I put on each wing. Had a little leftover. I plan to use it on chicken thighs cooked the same way as the wings. Hubby has already "sampled" the wings in advance of the big party. :)
Laura Smith says
We had these for supper tonight and they were amazing. I didn't have the smoked sea salt, so we did just regular sea salt and the flavors were still great. I am going to get some smoked sea salt next time to see what the difference is! This was a very quick and easy recipe. I was able to get them in the oven in less than 15 minutes even with 3 little kids running around me! :)
Melinda says
Savory Spice has wonderful smoked salts! Try the Smoked Alderwood.
Paula P. says
So forgive me ahead of time but I'm new to the no package thing and going to try to make these for the big game tomorrow. The recipe does state if I'm supposed to use dried spices (the thyme & oregano) or fresh? I guess it doesn't matter, right? Or does it?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hi Paula, you use dried spices in this recipe to make a rub. I'll update the recipe to clarify. - Jason
Lindsay says
Love the recipe - flavor is great! The whole house was filling with smoke though when cooking them (smoke alarm city!) and I had to triple the sauce recipe for a 1/3 of the amount of drum sticks though...
Amy J. says
You might try Trader Joe's or William Sonoma for smoked salt. They both have a good selection of salts. Looks like a great recipe!
Kary says
Thanks Jason, sounds amazing and I was looking for a new baked wing recipe. Heading to the market to pick-up the smoked salt! Cheers! Kary
Kolohe says
Any other alternatives for the smoked salt? Snowed in here and can't get to the stores anytime soon. Thanks.
Jim says
Hi,
You might consider making your own smoked salt. I've made my own for years.There are recipes all over the place on how to do it. It's not that hard to do, and its a lot cheaper than buying from the store.
Hope this helps
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Kolohe, you might try smoked paprika or liquid smoke, though I've not tested either. I've cooked with smoked paprika before and like it.
Kara Orr says
I made these for Superbowl yesterday. They were awesome! I did not have smoked salt and since we got 12" of snow yesterday, a trip to the store was out. I just used regular sea salt and smoked paprika and I thought they tasted great. I have not made them with the smoked salt so I cannot compare the two, but they were plenty flavorful and a big hit!
Barbara says
Hi would you be able to freeze them?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
We've never had any left to freeze so I'm not sure! You could certainly use previously frozen (and thawed) wings for the recipe, but I don't know how they would turnout if you freeze after making and then reheat later. - Jason
Barbara says
Thank you so much for answering my question. Made them last Sunday and there were none left to try freezing! they were great, I thought 3lbs of chicken sounded so much in the recipe but they were all gobbled up :-) a winner, thank you.
Tamara says
These look fabulous! Do you use sweet paprika or smoked paprika? Can't wait to try them!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Tamara I used regular paprika, but I suppose you could use smoked for an extra smoky flavor!
Tamara says
Thanks for letting me know!
john frank says
Unfortunately, pretty much a worthless recipe for most of us. Visits to t grocery stores produced nothing but blank looks when trying to get smoked salt and the web site has none available. Good eating to those who can find the salt.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hi John, we found smoked salt in the spice section of our local store, but here is a link to a slew of options on Amazon http://amzn.to/1DdHFBh. Surely some options will be in stock. The particular wood used to smoke the salt is not important.
Darlett says
I agree...Im picking my daughter up from college so I will stop by the Whole food store otherwise...it is not close to me at all...I googled smoked sea salt and made phone calls to grocery stores...it is an item that is hard to find...will look at the other recipes they have here on this website to see what else I can get while I am on that end...wonder do they shop at walmart...isn't that store nationwide
Theresa says
You can order hickory smoked salt at Spicely Organics....and now ALL orders on their website qualify for free shipping.
Kathy says
I find a non-organic brand at Walmart by the regular sea salt.
Darlett says
Hi,
Can I use cherry smoked sea salt as well or hickory sea salt...as this is what the whole food store said that they carried....8oz 10 bucks...he says
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Sure. Different woods will have slightly different flavors, but most common hardwoods should be great.
Gary says
Hello Jason,
I am a USAF, retiree living abroad in the Republic of Panama and finding recipe ingredients can prove to be very challenging. Many basic ingredients found within the U.S. are unavailable, or you spend exhausting amounts of time / money driving around to find them and the prices are usually 3-5 fold (i.e. real maple syrup, smoked sea salt, smoked paprika, etc.). When / if you are able to find them, you may need to buy a 3-5 year supply (not stocked on a reoccurring basis) and improvising is usually the best avenue.
To cut through the chase; I'm contemplating using a mixture of maple flavored pancake syrup or real honey, liquid smoke (hickory or mesquite) and seasoned salt or regular salt to fill the void in this recipe.
Amounts of each improvised ingredient would have to be suited to taste and extra glaze would have to be made for lab rat testing / tasting purposes (served alongside a case of beer - ROFL), but that's all part of cooking. Your thoughts?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Hey Gary, having been to Central America once before I can somewhat imagine your predicament. I would try honey mixed with a small amount of liquid smoke and regular salt. Good luck!
Darshii says
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe! Can you make these a day before and re-heat them using the broil setting?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
We reheated some in our toaster oven and they great, so I would assume so.
beth says
is there a reason you don't just mix all the dry ingredients into the syrup/honey and coat them in one step? it just seems like it would less messy...what do you think?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
I considered that but thought it would turn into a clumpy mess with a fair amount of spices stuck to my hands and therefore wasted. But you could always try it :)
mpotter says
Any chance you could have the same results with olive oil instead of maple syrup? I don't particularly like my meat sweet.
Any other alternative?
This is the most coincidental thing, because I came online to find a baked wings recipe and before I could even search, I saw yours on my reader feed!
Thanks!!!
Lisa says
You could try that or you could just omit the syrup - I think the spices will stick without it.
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Honestly the result does not taste sweet. While you can totally omit the maple syrup (I tried it), I think it is better with the syrup. There really is very little in the entire recipe, and much of it drips off during cooking. But it does round out the flavor.
Kathy says
I am the same way not caring for sweet taste in my meat, but that was not the case with these at all. The flavor using the exact recipe was very good.
Mindy says
At which store did you find the smoked sea salt?
Lisa says
I got it at Earth Fare (health food store)
Kim says
Would this recipe work with different cuts of chicken (tenderloins, or cubed chicken breast)? It looks delicious, but my husband doesn't like bones in his chicken...picky, I know :)
Lisa says
Kim - I haven't tried it, but I don't see why not!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Kim the high heat in this recipe is designed to render much of the fat off the wings, leaving them crispy on the outside. While the seasonings should work well with other cuts of meat, you may need to experiment with the temperature and cooking times.
Alicia Elsing says
I use chicken legs and it works great. I also use a little more maple syrup.
Karissa says
Are bakers cooling racks by nature oven safe? I have a set of three stacking racks by Wilton, I've looked but not been able to find anything about their oven safeness, so I don't use them that way. They seem to be coated with something - but that something appears to be the same as in your photo! I have an uncoated roasting pan rack I have used like this in a pinch, but it's really not large enough to effectively cover a baking sheet so I've looked at purchasing an oven rack. But I despise unnecessary kitchen gadgets in my city apartment! I did notice the Amazon answers on the one you linked to share that it's not oven safe, but its safe to say I trust your input more than Amazon answers. Thanks in advance for the advice!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Karissa to be honest I am not sure since we've had ours for so long, and while they look exactly like the brand I had linked to at first, I don't recall where we got them. I just swapped out the link to one that is advertised as oven safe and will fill the entire 13x17 (approximate size) baking sheet.
Karissa says
Thanks for the reply!
caroline says
Thanks for your reply Jason, I will stick to the recipe as posted, just wanted to confirm. :)
Danielle Omole says
How do you think this would be with thighs?
Lisa says
I think it would be great, but you may need to adjust the cooking time.
Michelle says
These look yummy! I have done some research online for producing crispy oven-baked wings and found a recommendation to boil them first (to render some of the fat underneath the skin!). They turned out FANTASTIC! Will definitely try your recipe!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Thanks Michelle. I'm curious to hear what you think after trying them as personally I think they are plenty crispy without the need to boil first (when cooked as directed, of course). We try to skip steps when we can (I tested with and without patting the wings dry, for example) to keep it simple!
Stephanie says
Can you tell me where you found the smoked sea salt? Does Earth Fare carry it? Thanks!
caroline says
If you click on the word Smoked Sea Salt in the recipe (it is underlined) it will bring you to Amazon and that is where you can order. :)
Lisa says
Yes, that's where I got it - Earth Fare!
Lisa says
And you can get it on Amazon too like Caroline mentioned :)
Theresa says
You can get hickory smoked salt from Spicely Organics. They now offer free shipping on all their orders.
Brandi says
I can't wait to try these this weekend!!! I would suggest parboiling the wings first. This renders out some of the fat and makes the bakes wings extra crispy!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Thanks for the suggestion. When we develop recipes we try to make them as simple as possible and do a fair amount of testing. In this case I found that a lot of the fat gets rendered out by placing the thick-skinned side up and baking the entire 45 minutes without flipping the wings. I'm curious to hear your thoughts after you try them this weekend!
Brandi says
Simple is good!!! How much time I have this weekend will determine which technique I try! :)
caroline says
I also thought the amount of red pepper would seem spicy (for my liking, anyway!) and was planning to reduce it to 1/8 Tsp.
Adrienne says
Is it really only one tablespoon of maple syrup? Is that enough to coat 3 dozen wings?
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, it is enough to lightly coat the wings. We tested 2x :) - Jason
caroline says
Does just 1 Tbsp. of maple syrup really coat 36 wings? It looks amazing and I've already ordered the smoked sea salt from Amazon, I have everything else on hand and can't wait to try, just wanted to confirm the amount of maple syrup to be used. Thanks!
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Good question :) We tested the recipe twice and it is enough to lightly coat the wings if you mix thoroughly. It adds a nice touch that balances out the flavor (we tried without, but the recipe needs it). I suppose if you like sweet you could add a little more, but we try to limit our consumption of sweeteners. - Jason
Kolohe says
Is this kid friendly? The amount of pepper seems a bit spicy? Can anyone Lmk. Thanks
Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says
Our 7 and 10 year old girls LOVED this recipe. Lisa is somewhat sensitive to spicy food, and she thought it was just right. If you are concerned you could always dial back the pepper. - Jason
Hannah says
My husband will thank you for this! He has been begging for wings! Now to find the smoked sea salt!
Yolanda Ayala says
William Sonoma carries the Smoked Salt
christina says
Looks yummy! Can't wait to try!! Gotta get some smoked salt first!