These convection oven chicken wings are super crispy, made without any oil or breading and can be customized into all sorts of flavors. No wing night will ever live up your own homemade wings with this recipe!
Jump to:
I try to be humble when it comes to my cooking skills, but I truly believe that I know how to make the BEST convection oven chicken wings.
And I can't take full credit for that. Because growing up, Saturdays were "snack night" at home. And while some of the dishes that we had rotated (like Roasted Red Pepper Hummus or Buffalo Chicken Dip), the one constant was my Dad's chicken wings. Always super crisp and perfectly seasoned, I observed for years decades all of his tricks to making perfect oven baked wings in order to be able to teach you in this post.
These wings have actually made me a bit of a snob. I very rarely go out for a wing night because I just haven't found any that hold a candle to these. And once you try them, you might find they ruin all other chicken wings for you too because they are:
- Healthier. These wings rely on the convection oven to render the fat and crisp the skin naturally so there is no need for added oil or breading.
- Super crispy. You won't believe these aren't deep fried when you see how crispy the convection oven makes the skin (the same way it does for convection oven fries).
- Easy to customize. Keep them simple with salt and pepper or toss them with your favorite dry rub or sauce (after cooking for the sauce). These wings can be the canvas for whatever your favorite wing flavor is!
The Ingredients
- Split Chicken Wings - I like using split chicken wings best as I find full chicken wings more tedious to eat and they split wings have more surface area that can be crisped up. Make sure your wings are thawed if using frozen!
- Seasoning- I just used basic salt and pepper for the recipe when I took the photos but I have made these with all sorts of seasonings like BBQ dry rub and Cajun seasoning over the years. Depending on what you are using, I would expect to need about ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound of chicken wings. But it really depends on what particular spices are used and how coated you want them so feel free to experiment!
The Method
- Season. Add the chicken wings to a large bowl and sprinkle the seasonings over top. Toss to coat evenly.
- Place. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the chicken wings in a single layer leaving a bit of space (about ¼ inch) between each. It is imperative that the chicken wings not be overlapping as they need to have good air circulation to end up crispy. Use more than one baking sheet if necessary.
- Bake. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 F convection (450 F if using non-convection) for 20 minutes.
- Flip. Remove the wings from the oven and flip over (I recommend using tongs or a fork so that you don't burn or fingertips!)
- Finish baking. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until crispy.
- Enjoy! Serve hot with your favorite wing dips. If you would like to toss in a sauce, you can do so now but I recommend dipping instead so that they don't become soggy.
Leftovers and Storage
To Store: Allow chicken wings to cool down for about 15-30 minutes and then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To Reheat: For optimal results, reheat in the oven at 375 F (convection if you have it) or at 350 F in the air fryer for about 10 minutes in order to allow the skin to crisp back up. Alternatively, you can reheat in the microwave but the skin won't be very crispy.
Make it Your Own
- Change up the seasoning. You can experiment with using all sorts of seasonings. I recommend using about ½ teaspoon of salt per pound of wings. But that should be reduced if what you are adding has salt in it. Depending on the flavor and how coated you want the wings, anywhere from ½ teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of seasoning mix per pound may be used. I recommend experimenting with your seasoning at ½ teaspoon per pound and then increasing if you want.
- Add a sauce. Cool the wings for 10 minutes to allow the skin to further firm and crisp up. Then toss in your sauce of choice (such as BBQ sauce) and enjoy immediately.
- Use a conventional oven. While I recommend a convection oven, these can be made in a conventional oven as well and still achieve pretty good results. Set the oven temperature to 450 F and keep an eye on the wings to adjust the time as needed.
Serving Ideas
These chicken wings are perfect as part of a game day or appetizer spread! Some other ideas to have alongside them are:
Yes! While a convection oven does yield the crispiest skin, the results are still good when using a conventional oven. Increase the oven temperature to 450 F and keep an eye on them as they approach the cooking time.
Tips for the Best Convection Oven Chicken Wings
- Use parchment paper for easy clean up. I usually opt for something reusable like silicone pads, these are quite messy to clean up and parchment makes it MUCH easier.
- Preheat the oven. Make sure the oven is fully preheated before baking. You can preheat it on regular mode and then switch it convection once it is preheated.
- Don't crowd the pan. Ensure that the wings are in a single layer with space between them so that the hot air can circulate and crisp up the skin. Use two baking sheets if needed.
- Flip halfway through. Flipping the wings ensures that both sides are evenly browned and crisp.
And if you liked this recipe...
...you might also like:
Recipe Card
Convection Oven Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken wings (thawed if frozen)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 °F CONVECT (some ovens will need to be set to 450 in order to be 425 on the convection setting) and line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
- Add the chicken wings to a large bowl and sprinkle the seasonings over top. Toss to coat evenly.
- Place the chicken wings in a single layer leaving a bit of space (about ¼ inch) between each. It is imperative that the chicken wings not be overlapping as they need to have good air circulation to end up crispy. Use more than one baking sheet if necessary.
- Bake for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and flip each wing over (I recommend using tongs or a fork so that you don't burn your finger).
- Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until crispy and the chicken internal temperature is a minimum of 165 °F.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes (the skin will crisp up a bit more as it cools slightly) and then enjoy!
Comments
No Comments