So many times we think of chicken wings as being for an event or a party. I don’t know if that’s enough opportunities for me to be able to enjoy them. I typically buy pastured whole chickens, but they only come with two wings, so I just do the best I can and buy organic wings. I’ve both fried wings and oven baked them to crispy, flavorful perfection. The oven method is the absolute best. It’s just so convenient, the wings taste amazing and the cleanup is a breeze.
There’s a secret behind perfectly cooked chicken wings. Lean in really close and I’ll let you in on the secret: It’s choosing a saturated fat with a relatively high smoke point to cover the wings in while they bake. No sauces during baking; that comes after. This method helps them reach their perfectly tender meat and crispy skin perfection. There’s another secret: Line the baking pan with parchment paper. It helps the wings to reach their full potential.
I’ll show you the method then share a simple buffalo sauce to pour over your wings. However, you can use the baking method then add whatever sauce you choose.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet here. Place the wings on top of the parchment paper and be sure that they are fairly dry. It is best if they have reached room temperature so they don’t turn out tough.
For every pound of wings, use 1T of saturated fat to coat them. Pictured is 2.5lbs of wings, so I used 2.5T of pastured pig lard from a farmer. You could also use beef tallow or expeller pressed coconut oil here. Just dump it on top.
Use your hands and get on in there to rub the wings down in the fat.
Place in a preheated 400F oven. In total they will bake for one hour.
Around the 30 minute mark, flip the wings over from one side to the other so the juices stay evenly dispersed in the meat.
At the 1 hr point, do you see this crispy goodness?
Remove the wings from the oven. You can place whatever sauce of your choice directly on the wings while still on the baking sheet at this point and use your spatula to toss them in the sauce. My buffalo sauce ratios will be listed below.
Easy Buffalo Sauce:
For every 2.5lbs of wings, you’ll use 1T of butter (or clarified butter, expeller pressed coconut oil) and 4T of your favorite hot sauce. I used Crystal. It isn’t organic, but old habits can just be so tasty.
Crystal says
Thanks! I’ve been meaning to try oven wings, but the last time I tried they were soggy! Can’t wait to try this!
Rebekah says
Hope you like them!