Forget spending all your time deep frying wings and cleaning up the mess. With this method, these Baked BBQ Chicken Wings are still deliciously crispy. They have a caramelized BBQ sauce coating without any deep-fried mess!
We don’t do pale, floppy wings around here. If I’m making BBQ chicken wings, they need texture. They need caramelization. They need that sticky, slightly charred edge where the sauce bakes right into the skin instead of just sliding off. These oven baked wings are built for that. High heat, proper spacing, and finishing them with sauce at the right time makes all the difference between soggy and seriously good.
I’ve tested enough batches over the years to know that oven wings can absolutely compete with fried ones, but only if you treat them right. The key isn’t drowning them in sauce from the start or crowding them on the pan. It’s letting the skin crisp first, then layering on the BBQ sauce so it thickens and caramelizes instead of steaming. The result? Crispy, sticky, finger-licking wings you’ll feel confident serving for game day, weeknight dinner, or anything in between.
Why you’ll love making BBQ Wings in the Oven
These wings are so easy to make. They’re not only perfect as an appetizer, but they’re great for a busy weeknight meal as well.
Because there’s no frying involved, there’s not grease to deal with or popped messes to clean up aftewards.
These wings come together quickly and easily. There’s no spice in them unless you choose a spicy barbecue sauce, so they’re great for the whole family.
Even though they aren’t deep fried, you still get the crispy texture from the oven.
Ingredients for Baked BBQ Wings
- wings and drumettes – Also known as party wings, these wings are already trimmed and ready to go. It makes easy work of this recipe. I can usually find them either at my local grocery store (HEB) or in the frozen section of both Sam’s Club and Costco.
- coarse kosher or sea salt – don’t reach for typical table salt here. You’ll end up over-salting the wings.
- ground black pepper – freshly cracked black pepper will give the best flavor, but your standard ground black pepper is great too.
- garlic powder and onion powder – make sure these aren’t expired so that you get the best results. A quick sniff test will let you know if they are. If you can’t smell them or you can barely smell them, it’s time to toss them and purchase new ones.
- smoked paprika – the smoked flavor in smoked paprika gives this that smokey barbecue taste.
- barbecue sauce – grab your favorite barbecue sauce. It can be a brown sugar-based (my favorite), or even a vinegar-based one. They all work well in this. Go with the one you love the best, just make sure it’s thick.
Best Oven Baked Chicken Wings Variations
For an extra sweet version, you can add a little bit of brown sugar to the seasoning mix.
For a spicy kick, add some cayenne pepper to the seasoning.
If you don’t have smoked paprika, you can also use standard paprika for this.
How to Make Oven Baked Chicken Wings
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Pat the wings dry and season them with salt, pepper, garlic, powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Make sure they are coated on all sides.
- Add the wings to a mixing bowl and add 1 cup of barbecue sauce. Toss to coat.
- Place the wings on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between the wings.
- Bake the wings for 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Remove the wings from the oven and place in a large, clean mixing bowl.
- Add an additional cup of barbecue sauce and toss to coat the wings.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips and Tricks for BBQ Wings
Be sure to leave space around the wings on the baking sheet so that the heat can surround them.
By not overcrowding the wings on the baking sheet, you’ll get nice crispy wings.
I don’t use a binder or oil for the seasoning on these. But you can always use a neutral oil like avocado oil if you’d like. Some people even like to use mustard on theirs.
Top Tip
Use a thick barbecue sauce. Go with your favorite whether that is brown sugar-based or vinegar-based, but just make sure it’s thick. By using a thick sauce, it’ll stick to the wings better and you won’t have sauce running off of them.
Baked BBQ Chicken Wings FAQs
The best barbecue sauce is a thick one! It will adhere to the wings much better than a thin consistency. Thin consistency tends to run off.
BBQ wings are not spicy unless you use a spicy BBQ sauce. The seasonings and sauce on these wings do not contain any spiciness.
More Chicken Wing Recipes You Might Like
- Crockpot BBQ Chicken Wings
- Cajun Dry Rub Wings
- Garlic Butter Chicken Wings
- Tequila Lime Chicken Wings
- Honey Garlic Chicken Wings
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Best Oven Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb wings
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup bbq sauce + 1 extra cup afterward for coating wings if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Pat the wings dry and season them with salt, pepper, garlic, powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Make sure they are coated on all sides.
- Add the wings to a mixing bowl and add 1 cup of barbecue sauce. Toss to coat.
- Place the wings on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving space between the wings.
- Bake the wings for 35 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Remove the wings from the oven and place in a large, clean mixing bowl.
- Add an additional cup of barbecue sauce and toss to coat the wings.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Be sure to leave space around the wings on the baking sheet so that the heat can surround them.
- By not overcrowding the wings on the baking sheet, you’ll get nice crispy wings.
- I don’t use a binder or oil for the seasoning on these, but you can always use a neutral oil like avocado oil if you’d like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
