I love chicken wings. No, you don’t realise. I love chicken wings. If a restaurant or take-away does chicken wings, then I have to get them. No matter where I am. However, as much as I love chicken wings, I hate deep fat frying. I don’t hate it for any health reason. No, no. Anyone who has met me will realise I don’t have the physique of someone who is finicky about frying. But, I do hate the mess and bother of deep fat frying. It uses tons of oil, and you have to either reuse it or find a way to dispose of it that isn’t going to harm the environment in some way. So I prefer to find alternative methods where possible.
After doing a bit of research – which these days means googling for half an hour – I saw several references to a technique that’ll get you crispy, tasty chicken wings by baking them in the oven, which will not only be less mess and hassle, but a lot healthier as well.
But what is this technique? Well, it’s baking powder! I know, I know. It sounds weird, and you’d think coating chicken wings in baking powder would taste awful. But it totally works, you get wonderfully crispy chicken wings and you cannot taste any baking powder at all. Sure, it takes longer than frying, but the results are great, and there’s a lot less clean up. So, this is my take on this my recipe using this technique which will give you a lovely, sweet, spicy, yet super crispy chicken wings. This will make enough wings as a starter for two people, or as a main for one hungry person!
Sweet 'n' Spicy Chicken Wings
Print RecipeIngredients
- For the wings:
- 700g Chicken Wings
- 2tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/2tsp Chilli Powder
- 1tsp Garlic Powder
- 1tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 1/2tsp Salt
- 2tsp Black Pepper
- 2tbsp Baking Powder
- For the glaze:
- 2tsbp Honey
- 2tbsp Hot Sauce
- 1tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1/2tsp Sesame Oil
Instructions
Preheat an oven 200°C (180°C Fan)/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
Mix the paprika, cayenne, chilli powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ground coriander, salt, pepper and baking powder in a large bowl, making sure it's all thoroughly combined. Be sure to press out any lumps from the baking powder.
Next, place your chicken wings into the mixture and thoroughly coat the wings. Really get in there with your hands and make sure everything is coated and you get into all the nooks and crannies.
Once everything is combined, take a baking sheet and place a wire rack onto it. This will allow the heat to get under the wings and help the crisping process. Now place all of the wings evenly onto the wire rack, and make sure they're all spread out as much as you can. Try not to overlap the wings.
Place the wings in the oven on the middle shelf for 20 minutes.
After this 20 minutes is up, take the wings out and, using a pair of tongs, carefully turn each of the wings over and then put them back into the oven for another 20 minutes. If, at this stage, the wings are looking a bit dry and powdery, don't worry! This will resolve itself as they cook for longer.
After the next 20 minutes is up, take them out of the oven and turn them over again. At this point the wings should start to look a lot crispier. Now, turn the oven up to 220°C (200°C Fan)/425°F/Gas Mark 7 and put them back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
While the wings are in the oven for the last 15 minutes, get the large bowl you used earlier (making sure it's thoroughly washed and dried) and make the glaze. Simply place the honey, hot sauce (I used Sriracha), soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil into the bowl and combine thoroughly with a whisk.
After the last 15 minutes is up, take your wings out of the oven - which should be looking lovely and crispy - and carefully place them into the bowl and toss them thoroughly in the glaze, making sure they're all thoroughly and evenly coated.
Place them onto a plate, or in a bowl, and serve them with your favourite dip or simply on their own!
