Super delicious and crispy salt and pepper chicken wings. Homemade and baked in the oven for a really easy snack that will be sure to draw a crowd.
Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
Savory wings with a bit of a kick from the pepper. These chicken wings are great at parties as they are very allergy friendly. They are diary-free, egg-free, gluten-free and soy-free. Oven baked wings are also super easy to cook and require minimal cleanup, which makes these wings a real winner.
Despite being oven baked and made without oil, these wings come out of the oven nice and crispy. These salt and pepper chicken wings are great on their own, although sometimes I like to dip them in some sweet chili sauce. They make a great snack!
Preparing The Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
For the wings to be nice and crispy from the oven they need to be dry. Pat the wings dry and/or place them in the fridge to dry them. Ideally do both of these things to really dry them out. It is best to mix the chicken wings with the salt and pepper spice mix before putting them in the fridge to dry out.
The spice mixture is very simple. It is just salt, black pepper, and a little bit of Chinese 5 spice to add a tiny bit of Chinese flavor to the wings. Freshly cracked/ground black pepper is going to taste better so use that if you can, but you can get away with pre ground black pepper. These wings are quite salty and this can be a bit much for some people, or if you eat too many of them in one sitting. In this case consider reducing the amount of salt used to 2 teaspoons.
Toss the wings in the salt, pepper, Chinese 5 spice and add a little bit of baking powder. The baking powder helps to make the wings nice and crispy in the oven. Place in a single layer in the fridge, ideally on a wire rack to expose as much of the chicken as possible. Leave them in the fridge for at least an hour, ideally overnight.
Oven Baking Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
There are 2 stages to cooking these salt and pepper chicken wings. The first stage cooks them at a slightly lower temperature to dry them out and cook them through a bit. The second stage turns the heat up to crisp them up and finish cooking them.
I strongly recommend a wire rack for this recipe. If using one, place the chicken wings on it in a single layer, placed on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Cook in an oven, preheated to 400°F/200°C, for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes flip the wings and turn up the oven heat to 425°F/220°C. Cook for another 20-25 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Storing Chicken Wings
Store the cooked chicken wings in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 says. Alternatively store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
For another crispy, oven baked chicken wing recipe try Crispy Oven Chicken Wings In Tangy BBQ Sauce
Salt And Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lb / 900 g chicken wings
- 1 tbsp salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 2 tsp baking powder NOT baking soda
- 1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C (unless planning to dry out chicken wings in the fridge, in which case do this later).
- Pat chicken wings dry. Mix wings with salt, pepper, baking powder and Chinese 5 spice.
- (optional) Place in the fridge in a single layer, ideally on a wire rack, for at least 1 hour, to dry out the skin.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place a wire rack on top. Line the chicken wings in a single layer on top of the wire rack. Cook the chicken wings in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Flip the wings and increase the oven temperature to 425°F/220°C. Cook for another 20-25 minutes, or until wings are crispy and golden. Let cool slightly before serving.
