These homemade gluten-free chicken wings have the crispiest, paper thin skin and are baked in the oven! NO flour, NO oil, NO frying! In fact, most of the fat in the skin will drip off leaving the most wonderful extra crispy chicken wings ever! They are baked at a high temp and will become your new favorite chicken wing recipe. with an easy buffalo wing sauce included.
I have a simple, homemade chicken wing dipping sauce that is the perfect cooling dip. Check out more of my gluten-free appetizer recipes including my game-time friendly gluten-free corn dog bites (baked), 4 ingredient guacamole recipe and gluten-free chex mix.
My husband is a football-watching, carnivorous, fried-food eating, self-proclaimed chicken wing expert. He orders wings every time they are on the menu. And still these wings are his favorite of all time. I am hooked too! Chicken wings from a fryer are usually dangerous for gluten-free me, so making them myself is the best option.
Cooking Method
This recipe has some extra steps that require patience but I promise, you won’t be sorry. The keys to these wings having the crispiest skin possible are:
- a pre-oven steaming,
- some time in the refrigerator, and
- baking them on a wire rack at high temps
The first step is to cook the wings in a steamer for 10 minutes. I usually stuff about 10 wings into the steamer and do it in 2 batches. It’s ok to stack them. The steaming opens up the skin and allows some of the fat and liquid to drip off. This will keep your oven from getting too smoky.
Once steamed, transfer the wings to an oven-safe wire rack on top of a foil lined sheet pan with 2 layers of paper towels. The baking process gets really messy, so I highly recommend the foil to make clean up quicker and easier. The paper towels will absorb the liquid and fat that drip off. Let the wings cool for 20 minutes or so, then transfer the pan to the fridge. If you have the time, let them chill overnight. Otherwise at least 2 hours.
Cooking the wings on a wire rack allows hot air to circulate around the top and bottom of the chicken. The fat and moisture drips off below into the pan, which thins the skin and gets it golden brown, crispy and delicious. No oil, no baking powder, no flour, no frying necessary.
Which Wings to Use?
The subject of controversy . . . wing tip or no wing tip? Many chefs and cooks scoff at the idea of leaving the lowly, undesirable wing tip attached. But, I am an enormous fan of the crispy, crunchy wing tip. And with this recipe, they will be crispy! The recipe will work either way, but I do not recommend using just the drumette.
Buffalo Chicken Wing Sauce
I have included a buffalo wing sauce recipe with an option to up the heat level. Frank’s Ret Hot Sauce works best as the base. It is the sauce that many of your favorite restaurants use for their wings. I like Frank’s because it has a little kick but isn’t crazy hot, and has a thick texture that coats the wings nicely. My Sesame Teriyaki Sauce, Spicy Cashew Dressing or Lime Ginger Cashew Sauce are also excellent coatings for these wings. They are both sweet and salty and can be made mild or hot.
Crispy, Oven-Baked Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
Recommended Products
- Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce
Ingredients
- 20 whole chicken wings, with or without tip (drumettes not recommended)
Buffalo Wing Sauce
- 1 cup hot sauce, Franks Red Hot recommended
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter or vegan butter
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup, agave or brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more) for extra heat optional
Instructions
- Be sure to check out my easy, homemade dipping sauce for chicken wings with just 5 ingredients. It's the perfect cooling sauce with the spicy buffalo sauce.
- Cover 2 sheet pans with foil and 2 layers of paper towels on top. Fit with wire racks.
- Heat 2 inches of water in a large pot (that will fit a steamer) until boiling.
- Place 10-12 chicken wings in the steamer and place in the pot. Cover and cook 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining wings.
- Transfer steamed wings to the wire racks (do not stack wings) and let cool for 20 minutes.
- Once cooled, wings can be crowded onto one rack for easier storage. Place in the refrigerator (uncovered) for 2 hours or overnight. I've kept them in as long as 2 days,
- Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
- Spread the wings out on 2 pans with wire racks. I line my pans with foil, paper towels and parchment. A lot of grease will drip off, and clean up is much easier this way.
- Turn on your exhaust fan. Bake the wings for 30 minutes. Use tongs to flip them over and bake another 30 minutes or until the skin is thin, crispy and golden brown. This time may vary due to inconsistencies in oven temperatures.
Make the Sauce
- Place all the sauce ingredients in a small pot and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
- Place 6-10 cooked wings in a large wide bowl, spoon on 1/3 c sauce and toss to coat.
- To maintain the crispy skin, I recommend saucing only the wings that will be eaten immediately.
- These wings can be stored in the fridge for a week. Reheat wings in the oven or toaster oven. Microwaving not recommended.
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