Crispy, golden, deep fried wings are a crunchy delight, but not everyone is a fan of the mess and cleanup. You can bake perfectly crispy wings in the oven, and it’s all thanks to baking powder. This multipurpose white powder plays a critical role in making things crispy. It’s not a mystery, it’s kitchen science!

How to bake crispy wings  

Baking powder, the “other” white dust. 

The active agents in baking powder are intended to release carbon dioxide gas, primarily as a leavening agent. The gas makes tiny bubbles in your bread and pancakes, for that light and fluffy texture. The magic happens when you add water to the powder. Most baking powders are comprised of around 30% sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda, a base) and two types of acid, ~8-12% calcium phosphate and ~20-25% sodium aluminum sulfate (the latter being heat activated) and the remaining ~35% is corn starch, as a filler and flow agent. When activated by water, the acid and the base react to neutralize each other, releasing carbon dioxide as a byproduct.  Does the carbon dioxide help make our baked wings crispy? I speculate it may help with crisping, by providing small pockets of carbon-dioxide gas, in and under the skin.

Why Aluminum Free?  

Unless otherwise indicated, most types of baking soda in the store are “double acting”, meaning they are activated in two stages: Once at room temperature (upon contact with the water), and the second time when it heats up, somewhere above 110°F . Some people say that the double-acting variety (containing sodium aluminum sulfate) has a bitter undesirable flavor. In this baked wing recipe, we use “fast-acting” baking powder, which omits the second stage al-u-mini-um.   Having trouble finding aluminum-free in the store? Amazon has it. Click the image below (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the New England Wingmen at no cost to you!)

How does baking powder make baked wings golden-brown? 

Enter the Maillard reaction (not to be confused with the “Get out’ my-yard” reaction). We can thank French chemist Louis Maillard for exploring and naming this age old chemical process. Interestingly, he analyzed this reaction in combination with his research in kidney diseases… but I digress.  

Browning occurs when amino acids and a reducing sugar react in a rather complex process, releasing delicious aromatics and flavor compounds. This reaction is accelerated by heat above 285°F and proceeds rapidly in an alkaline environment. Baking powder is slightly basic, and as such has an active role in providing the alkaline environment. J. Kenji Lopez over on Serious Eats has a fantastic article describing more of the science that is happening, but essentially baking powder, in the right quantity, is the true secret to crispy wings. 

Dry = Crispy 

Baking powder alone is not adequate, we need the wings to be dry before visiting the powder room. This can be accomplished with some paper towels. If the wings are still soaking wet, either after brining or out of the package, mixing in the baking powder will result in a wet, tooth-paste texture. It almost goes without saying, cooking with toothpaste is weird.  

Furthermore, to aid in the evaporation and crisping process, we need to place the chicken wings on a wire rack, and bake for at least 30 minutes at low heat. This allows the hot oven air to flow all around the surface of the wing, drying the skin, as well as rendering some of the fat contained in the skin. Once we turn up the heat, the dry wings are able to “cwisp” up quite nicely.

Baking Rack

Along with the magic of backing powder, utilizing a baking rack is critical. Baking racks allow for the wings to be exposed to hot air on all side for optimal crispness. If you don’t have a baking rack you can ‘macgyver’ one in the kitchen out of aluminum foil. However, I suggest investing in one.

Not all baking / wire racks are created equal. If they are not truly ‘ non-stick’, its a NIGHTMARE to clean. Learn from our mistakes, spend the extra $$ on a decent one for easy cleanup. Click on the image below to see the one we use and love. (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Support the New England Wingmen at no cost to you!)

The recipe: 

May I recommend our Spicy Honey Siracha or Mild Buffalo? 

A few warnings: 

• DRY YOUR WINGS. 
  If you do not pre-dry the wings, you will not get crispy wings. It is essential that you dry off the wings. Dry your wings. DRY YOUR WINGS. The easiest and fastest method is to simply dab them with paper towels.  

• Do not use oil. 
  If you add oil, the wings will spatter all over your oven, probably create lots of smoke, setting off the smoke detector, causing you to jerk around and spill boiling hot buffalo sauce all over the kitchen floor. Oh, and the wings will not be crispy. They will be squishy. 

• Can I used baking soda instead?  
  Sure, but if you do it wrong, the wings will be slimy and will smell bad.  One tablespoon of baking soda (pure sodium bicarbonate) is essentially equivalent to the contents of three tablespoons of baking powder. Since there is very little neutralizing acids in a chicken wing, you end up with lots of extra ‘soda flavor. You could decrease the concentration by mixing with 1 to 3 parts corn starch, or better yet, save the baking soda for the guy on that music video. He seems to need a lot of it.