How Long To Bake Whole Chicken Wings At 400°F
Baking tender and juicy chicken wings is an art that anyone can master but requires some skill, a bit of ambition, and patience!
Baking whole chicken wings may seem confusing as they are usually best served when they are deep-fried.
However, we guarantee that once you taste baked wings, you just might discover a whole new perspective and appreciation for them.
How long to bake whole chicken wings at 400F? Chicken wings require about 40-50 minutes in the oven at 400F. The wings need to be cooked thoroughly and are required to be flipped every 20 minutes so that all sides cook properly. You can also use some baking techniques to crispen their texture.
Read below to learn more about how to bake chicken wings, some great recipes, a few important tips, and the best practices for baking wings!
Baking A Whole Wing Vs. Individual Pieces
A wing has three sections: the drumette, the wingette, and the tip
Each section provides a different flavor and texture. You can either use the entire wing (highly recommended) or you could cut the wing and divide it into three pieces for a more individual and personalized experience.
All parts will cook slightly differently when baked. For example, the tip of the wing is likely to catch on a beautiful color and may even char. This part of the wing consists of fat, bone, and a bit of dark meat and is a favorite among many.
It packs a lot of flavor and is a great section to chew on too! If cooked the right way, the tip will be crispy, tender, and juicy, even when it is fully charred!
The drumette section of the wing similarly provides a lot of flavor and adds a bit of texture and bite to the wing as well. The drumette can be thought of as a smaller version of the chicken drumstick or leg.
It consists of dark meat that will tenderize and provide a slightly yeasty but thoroughly delicious flavor.
You can also choose to separate the drumette and make “lollipops” from it too but we recommend that you keep the entire piece intact for a more satisfying and tastier baked wing.
The drumette will offer a mix of bone, meat, fat, and cartilage. It is perhaps the most underrated part of the chicken wing and will prove to be a great addition to any chicken wing recipe.
The most prominent part of the wing is the mid-section which is also referred to as the wingette.
Whole chicken wings can be prepared and made in several ways and are very forgiving when it comes to preparing them and cooking them using different methods.
Although baked wings are not as popular as fried wings, if cooked the right way, they will offer a much healthier option and more or less the same flavor and texture!
The wing can be baked with the skin on to provide an even crispier and juicer bite.
The skin will likely crispen as it cooks and will also protect the meat underneath by allowing it to cook via steam without over-drying it.
So, even when you cook at 400°F, the outer layer of the wing will get the most heat but the meat under it will remain relatively juicy!
Why Bake Chicken Wings?
As mentioned, baking chicken wings is an excellent way to get the most out of their flavor while still keeping the extra calories at bay.
The thing with fried chicken wings is that, while they are delicious, they can be a bit heavy on calories and may not be the healthiest way to enjoy chicken meat at home, especially if you are having them as a snack.
Baking the wings will allow you to add more flavor, adjust their texture and keep the health benefits of the meat intact.
Cooking at 400°F may seem like overkill but is in fact the best way to quickly and properly cook the wings without over-drying or burning them. Let us explain.
When you bake food at lower temperatures, you are essentially dehydrating them. Food can handle high heat just as well in an oven and if you keep an eye on them, you can easily cook food at very high temperatures.
If you think about it, pizzas are made the same way! They are baked at very high temperatures, much higher than 400°F, and are still crispy, golden-brown, and delicious. This same strategy applies to wings as well.
The goal is to cook them at high heat and to cook them fast without losing their texture, flavor, or juiciness.
You can bake chicken wings in any type of oven but we recommend that you go with a convection oven for the best results. Why?
Convection ovens use a hot fan to blow hot air over and around the cooking chamber. This results in properly and thoroughly cooked food. Convection ovens can also be thought of as large air fryers.
This means that you can enjoy the same great-tasting flavors and crispiness in chicken wings using an oven rather than deep-frying them in hot oil.
Of course, you could also use a typical conventional oven if you don’t have a convection oven.
Baked chicken wings in traditional ovens will come out crisp too but you may not get that even color and slight char on the skin, especially if you don’t move the wings around enough during the cooking process.
Here are a few great recipes to make whole chicken wings at 400°F:
Classic Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- Chicken wings, 3 lbs
- Butter, melted, 2 tablespoons
- Salt, 2 teaspoons
- Black pepper, ½ teaspoon
- Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon
- Smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- First, prepare the wings by washing them. You can also remove the tips of the wings but we recommend that you keep them on so that they get charred as well.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In the baking tray, line a foil or baking paper and place the wings sufficiently apart from each other. Season the wings using all the ingredients and allow them to sit until the oven has preheated.
- Cook the chicken wings in the oven for at least 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. You can move the wings around every 20 minutes but make sure that you keep the oven lid closed when you take out the wings to keep the heat in and to keep the oven preheated.
- You can get even crispier wings if you turn down the temperature to about 170°F and leave the wings in for an additional 30 minutes. This will further dehydrate the skin of the wings and will cause them to crispen while still being juicy on the inside.
- Season the wings separately and serve hot!
Here is another great recipe that blurs the line between baked and fried wings.
This recipe is designed to keep the texture of the wings intact and offers more or less the same experience from the wings that you would get if you deep-fried them!
Juicy Chicken Wings With Garlic And BBQ Sauce
Ingredients
- Chicken wings, 2-3 lbs
- Salt, 2 teaspoons
- Chicken Powder, ¼ teaspoon
- Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
- Black pepper, ½ teaspoon
- Garlic powder, ½ teaspoon
- Chili flakes, a pinch
- Paprika 1 teaspoon
- Garlic paste, 1 teaspoon
- Butter, melted, 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Begin by washing the wings and drying them with a paper towel.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Align a sheet of foil over the baking tray and put the wings in. Again, do not overcrowd the tray, you would want the wings to be just a bit apart from each other.
- Sprinkle all the ingredients and give the wings a good mix or toss.
- Cook the wings at 400°F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. We recommend flipping the wings every 20-30 minutes so that they cook evenly and crispen.
- In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with garlic paste and give it a good mix then, using a brush, lightly dab the mixture on the wings at the 30-minute mark.
- You can also cook the wings for another 30 minutes to crispen them.
- In a bowl, put in the cooked wings, drizzle BBQ sauce and toss well! Serve hot and enjoy!
Related Questions
Here are a few related questions for baking chicken wings at 400F:
How can you reheat baked wings without drying them out?
The best way to reheat baked chicken wings is to heat them in the microwave at the highest setting for 2-3 minutes.
The chicken wing won’t have its original texture or flavor back but will remain flavorful and fresh if you microwave it instead of using an oven.
Do all parts of a chicken wing require the same cooking time?
Yes. If you are cooking the pieces at 400°F then you should ideally give them about 40-45 minutes to cook completely.
Lowering the temperature will increase the cooking time by several minutes. For example, cooking the drumette, wingette, or tip at 180°F would require a cooking time of 60 minutes or more!
How many calories does a baked wing have Vs. a fried wing?
Baked chicken wings have fewer calories compared to fried chicken wings.
On average, a typically baked wing will have about 80 calories while a fried chicken wing can have about 120 calories or more depending on the oil, marinade, and additional seasonings used to cook the wing.
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