Chicken wings make the perfect finger food for a backyard party or a football / soccer evening. When I was taking pictures for this recipe I thought to myself: does the world really need another chicken wings recipe? Turns out, the answer is Yes. These Oven baked Sriracha chicken wings cook up amazingly crunchy on the outside and tender inside without being fried and floured. I am not much into fried food unless necessary, so I am happy whenever I can swap frying for baking! The recipe is also available in the video on my YouTube channel. Hope you can check it out.
There are several ways that you can make Chicken Wings. The most popular is the Buffalo chicken recipe which is coated in a spicy sauce and usually served with celery sticks and blue cheese sauce. My family is not a fan of blue cheese sauce so I like to serve the hot crispy wings as a main dish with cabbage salad. It serves as the perfect foil to spicy chicken wings with added boost of necessary vitamins and minerals.
I’ve been making these Oven Baked Sriracha Chicken Wings for years now and the recipe really never disappoints. It has the right level of spiciness, balanced out with apple cider vinegar and honey. If you prefer more heat and intense flavors, you can always add more sriracha or red chili powder and skip apple cider vinegar. Or if you need the wings a bit on sweeter side then just add a little more honey. It all works. In the recipe you’ll see two options for baking. I generally follow Option 1. I have noticed that option 2 make the chicken wings dry and chewy. But the choice is yours.
Helpful Tips for Crispy Wings
Pat them dry – Pat the chicken wings dry really well with paper towels. This makes the wings tender and have crispy skin as they bake!
Baking Powder – Season chicken wings just with salt, pepper and baking powder. Adding baking powder to the spice mix help to make the chicken wings crispy. I first read about this trick on America’s test kitchen website. Baking powder breaks down the peptide bonds in the chicken wings and increase the PH level. This causes the chicken skin to dry out quickly and results in delicious crispy wings.
Air dry – Allow the chicken to rest so that baking powder can do its work. So lay the wings uncovered in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours. It’s not mandatory, however this step makes the skin even more crispier. I only do it when I have time and think about it early enough.
Bake /Air fry – Lay the chicken wings on a baking rack to get better air flow and a crispier result. Space them far enough apart so they aren’t touching and the air can circulate around them for even cooking.
If you don’t have a rack I’ll suggest you get one but until then you can still make the wings on a greased foil; they might just not be as crispy on the underside. But I bet that you will still love them.
Use a thermometer for perfection – In order to ensure your wings are cooked through, simply insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the wing. It should read 165 degrees F. Another way to check for doneness is to cut a wing on the side. If it is no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear, then the wing is ready.
Buffalo Sauce – The robust flavors in these chicken wings come from the sriracha buffalo sauce. The sauce clings perfectly to the skin of each piece. I know many recipes call for Frank’s hot sauce but I love sriracha. It is one of my favorite sauces and I tend to use it on many things! If you need a sauce to go with your Sriracha chicken wings whip up my classic all-purpose sambal dipping sauce or parsley remoulade.
Storage – Keep leftovers chicken wings in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Yes, you can even freeze them. Then reheat them in air fryer for best results. The picture below is of frozen chicken wings that I reheated in air fryer. Before putting in air fryer I brushed them lightly with GF Simply Natural Organic Red Sriracha Hot sauce.
Reheating in air fryer give the chicken wings a lovely char
I make this recipe often and my entire family enjoys them. These baked sriracha chicken wings are perfect for any game day, or Father’s Day, or Christmas dinners etc.
Oh, and by the way, if you’re looking for another delicious finger food, give this air fryer chicken nuggets recipe a shot!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Be sure to let me know in the comments if you love this recipe! You can find me on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Crusty exterior and tender inside. These sriracha Chicken wings are so good that you won't believe these are just baked.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. split chicken wings
- 1 tbsp aluminum free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp oil ( or butter, if you like your sauce to be thick)
- 1 small onion(about 1/2 cup), minced
- 1/2 cup sriracha sauce
- 2 (+) tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 (+) tbsp honey
- 1/2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Use paper towels to pat chicken wings as dry as possible and place into a large mixing bowl.
- In a small bowl mix together baking powder, salt, and black pepper (and any additional flavor additions you'd like to use).
- Sprinkle over chicken wings and toss until wings are evenly coated.
- Place a wire rack onto a foil lined baking sheet. Spray with Pam or rub with cooking oil to prevent sticking. Arrange the chicken wings on the baking/wire rack in a single layer so that pieces are not touching one another (use a second baking sheet with a rack, if needed).
- Refrigerate uncovered overnight, 12 to 24 hours. This will help dry the skin more so it can crisp up in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- While the oven is preheating, bring the chicken out from fridge.
- Bake in the center rack until browned and crispy, turning once after about 20 minutes (Depending on the size of your wings, the baking could take between 30-40 minutes, but start checking them at the 25-minute mark.)
- In a pan heat oil. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until golden.
- Add sriracha, honey and apple cider.
- Heat on low and stir until sauce begins to bubble. Turn off the flame. Taste. If the sauce needs more heat go ahead and add some chili powder or honey if you want it on the sweeter side.
- Use tongs to transfer fully-cooked wings to a large bowl. Add buffalo sauce. Toss.
- The chicken wings are ready to enjoy but if you want some charred marks place chicken wings back on the wire rack. Broil for 2 to 5 minutes under the broiler.
- Serve with salad of your choice.
- If you are short on time you can skip step 5 then straight away bake the seasoned chicken wings. First at low temperature of 250-degrees F, for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes crank up the heat to 425-degrees and bake till the skin get crispy.
Bringing this platter of Oven baked Chicken Wings to Angie’s linky party, Fiesta Friday.
angiesrecipes
Love sriracha! These wings look fabulous and I would probably devour the whole batch myself 🙂
sherry
oh yes i much prefer baking to frying! these sound great balvinder! i like the flavours here too.