Craving for some yummy snacks for the summer weekend? Why stuff yourself with takeaways loaded with junk when you can make such delicious crispy oven fried chicken wings that are much healthier and done in a jiffy in the comfort of your own home!
Chicken wings have always been a winner at my house! The crispy chicken wings are my better half’s favorite party or game day snack; so it’s a common affair in my home and we had always loved the oven fried chicken wings instead of deep fried ones.
To make the best oven fried chicken wings, the spice mix has to do all the magic to the wings and when oven fried at the right temperature, they come out perfectly crispy and mind-bogglingly delicious!
If you happen to love deep fried chicken wings, I suggest you give this oven fried chicken wings a try and I guarantee you will thank me later!
Why oven fried chicken wings are better than deep fried chicken wings (IMHO)
I can broadly categorize the benefits of oven fried chicken wings over deep fried ones into two categories – the calorie content of each method of preparation and the ease of making the same.
Firstly, let’s talk about calories. If you are watching your daily calorie intake and want to eat mindfully to ensure not to exceed your daily calorie budget, then the oven fried chicken wings will be your best friend when you desire to snack on something tasty yet somewhat guilt-free with of course keeping the portion size right.
Oven fried chicken wings have just a couple of tablespoons of oil for half a kilo of chicken wings whereas the deep fried chicken wings are fried in a large pool of oil for a considerable length of time until crispy which makes them absorb a lot of the grease. So, for the love of some crispy chicken wings, I will go for oven fried ones any given day!
Secondly, I am sure you will agree that cooking anything in the oven is much more mess-free and hassle-free than deep-frying anything on the stove top. Whenever I deep-fry anything for that matter, my kitchen counter turns into a mess.
I have come to believe that those splashes of oils all over our dress or our apron (if you are disciplined enough to wear one while cooking) are not worth for all the calories it adds to the food. If you make a trusty oven your best friend, you will have a mess-free kitchen and a peaceful mind.
Ingredients for making oven fried chicken wings
To make these crispy chicken wings, you will need a few basic spices to make a dry spice rub for the wings. This recipe is very forgiving, so you can play around the spices as per your liking; but this combination is also a killer and does not require hundreds of things!
Chicken wings: I generally buy whole chicken wings each of which I then cut into drumette & wingette. You just need to press at the joint of the chicken wings using a knife which generally comes off easily when pressed firmly at the right angle. You will need about half a kilo of chicken wings for this recipe.
Olive oil: You will need just a little splash of olive oil to coat the chicken wings thoroughly so that the dry spice rub sticks to the wings without falling off.
Spice rub: For making the most delicious oven fried chicken wings, you will need a mind-blowing dry spice rub which will transform the wings into something magnificent. This spice rub is nothing but a mix of a few aromatic spices which compliment each other wonderfully!
Garlic powder: Undoubtedly my most favorite aromatic is garlic. I love to add garlic in most of my dishes, but in this oven fried chicken wings, it is a must. Use garlic powder instead of grated garlic so that it can mingle with all other powdered spices and create its magic.
Onion powder: This one is a good-to-have spice I would say. If you have it handy, do add it for a sweet and pungent kick.
Paprika/Chilli Powder: If you like a smokey flavor, then use smoked paprika. But I do understand that smoked paprika is not a common spice in Indian kitchen; hence I often substitute it with our good old red chilli powder and it works as amazing as paprika! Cooking is all about experiments, isn’t it?
Cumin powder: This nutty spice adds a depth of flavor into the spice rub without being too overpowering. I would suggest not to skip this one as it will round up all the other flavors together.
Salt & Pepper: Of course you will need your seasoning and the peppery kick into your oven fried chicken wings!
Baking powder: To make your oven fried chicken wings extra-crispy, this one will work as a magic ingredient. You will just need a teaspoon of it mixed in the spice mix and let its miracle happen on its own.
How to make best ever oven fried chicken wings
There are just a few basic steps to make the most amazing oven fried chicken wings and even if you are not a regular in the kitchen, I can assure that this one will just be as easy as you can think of!
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F and place the wire rack at the middle of the oven. Now line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a grilling rack on top of it. You will be arranging the chicken wings on top of this grilling rack and any drippings during baking will be collected on the baking sheet below it.
Step 2: Cut each chicken wing into drumette and wingette (you may discard the wingtip). Wash and pat dry the wings. Ensure they have as little moisture as possible.
Step 3: Take the chicken wings in a large mixing bowl and drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on top. Shake the bowl or toss them using your hands so that each wing is coated with oil.
Step 4: In a small bowl, whisk together all the powdered spices and baking powder ensuring there is no lump. Take your time to mix the spices using a fork or a small wire whisk.
Step 5: First sprinkle half of the prepared spice rub on top of the chicken wings. Give them a good shake so that spices are distributed evenly coating each wing. Now add the remaining spice mix and give a very good mix either by using your hands (preferable) or by shaking the mixing bowl.
Step 6: Once you are happy with the chicken wings coated with the aromatic spice rub, arrange them on the prepared grilling rack in a single layer i.e. do not place any wing on top of another and also leave a gap of 2 cm between 2 pieces.
Step 7: Bake the chicken wings in the preheated oven at the middle level for 30 minutes. Take them out, flip over and bake for another 20 minutes or until the wings are dark brown and cooked through. Please keep an eye during the last 10 minutes so that your chicken wings do not get overcooked or burned.
Step 8: Your delicious oven fried chicken wings are done and ready to serve! Enjoy it with ketchup or mayo dip; or I would suggest to skip the mayo and just squeeze some lemon juice on them and enjoy!!
As I had mentioned earlier that crispy chicken wings is one of our most favorite snacks, you will find many chicken wings recipes in my blog. Check out a few below:
- Seriously Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- Salt & Pepper Chicken Wings
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings
- Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings
- Oven Baked Chili Ginger Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings - 500 gms
- Olive oil - 2 tbsp
- Garlic powder - 1 tbsp
- Onion powder - ½ tbsp
- Paprika or chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Cumin - 1 tsp
- Baking powder - 1 tsp
- Black pepper powder / freshly crushed black pepper - ½ tsp
- Salt to taste
- Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F and place the wire rack at the middle of the oven.
- Prepare the spice rub by whisking all the spices and baking powder in a small bowl. Set it aside.
- In a large bowl, take the chicken wings - drumettes and wingettes and drizzle the olive oil on them. Shake to coat well.
- Now sprinkle half of the spice mix and mix them well to coat each piece with the spices. Repeat with the remaining spice mix and ensure each wing is coated with spices evenly.
- Place a grilling rack on a baking sheet (lined with aluminum foil) and brush or spray it with oil to prevent chicken from sticking to it.
- Arrange the chicken wings on the grilling rack in a single layer keeping some gap between two. Do not overcrowd the grilling rack.
- Bake the chicken wings in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then take them out and flip them over.
- Return them back to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn as every oven’s temperature setting is a little different.
- And your oven fried chickens are done and ready to serve! Enjoy them with a ketchup or a mayo dip or I would suggest to skip the mayo and just squeeze some lemon juice on them and enjoy!
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