Baseball has hot dogs, and football calls for hot wings. Instead of the Buffalo-sauce route, these take a sticky-sweet Southern turn with a pepper jelly glaze. Even though these wings are oven-fried, you’d never know it. I learned about this baking powder trick for making crispy, you’d-swear-they-were-fried chicken wings a few years ago from various sites, most notably Serious Eats. Those versions ask you to dry-brine the chicken overnight and/or cook it on a rack. I didn’t do either of those things, hoping for a faster way with less cleanup, and the results were fantastic. Just be sure you reach for baking powder, not baking soda; the latter will give the chicken a strong metallic flavor. Serve up a pile of these wings on game day and you’ll have a very happy crowd. They’re dreamy with the hearty crunch of kettle chips, carrots, and celery—all ready to take a dive in creamy blue cheese dressing.
How to Make It
Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat chicken very dry with paper towels; place in a large bowl. Stir together salt, baking powder, coriander, and ginger in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over chicken; toss well to coat. Arrange chicken, fatty side down, in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or lined with aluminum foil and then parchment paper if you don’t want to wash the baking sheet).
Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes. Turn chicken over; bake until well browned and crispy, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven. Drain chicken on paper towels; let stand 5 minutes.
Stir together jelly and vinegar in a large skillet; bring to a boil over high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until jelly melts, about 2 minutes. Add butter, and stir until butter melts, 30 seconds. Add chicken; toss well to coat, and remove from heat.
Chef's Notes
From kick-off to the Super Bowl, everyone will be asking for these wings all season. Here are a few things to serve along with these crispy baked wings.
Suggested Accompaniments
Celery
Carrots
Cherry Tomatoes
Blue Cheese Dressing
Potato Chips
Pickled Pepperoncini