How To Bake Chicken Wings That Taste So Good They'll Make You Want To Slap Your Grandma

Chicken wings have become so popular that there are umpteen restaurant chains and, a zillion more, home grown joints, pushing their wings as the best eating fare of these flavorful feathered fingers. I am here to tell you that they are all wrong! The best recipe for chicken wings is my very own specialty. Now I am not bragging just stating facts. Crispy skin, melt in your mouth flavor, fall off the bone, finger licking fine feathered fowl is what you are guaranteed to experience when you follow the directions I offer here.

Not only is this the basics for all good wings it is simple to make, ready in an hour and will not make a big ol' mess to clean up. When you have devoured the last one, wad up the tin foil, rinse off the cookie sheet and presto mundo. Dinner downed and it is couch potato city, there you go! As a matter of fact, by the time I finish writing this hub, those bird fingers will be ready to profile for the finishing photo. I plan to stuff my face and take my own advice and hit the hay, satisfied as a kid in the candy store, if you know what I mean. Now then, let's get to cooking.

But First

Wash your hands real good. Some say that this is more important than washing the chicken. I think it will not hurt to do both. Cleanliness in the kitchen is a very important safety measure, so take care as you cook.

• A package of fresh chicken wings (about 12 to 14)
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• (optional) garlic powder
• a large mixing bowl
• a large cookie sheet
• heavy duty tin foil

Preheat Your Oven

Position the oven rack on the inside so that your cookie sheet full of wings will be in the center and at the mid range height. This will insure heat to flow around the wings evenly as they are baking. Now you are ready to preheat the oven.

Turn the oven to 375 degrees while you are preparing the chicken to bake. 

Remove the meat from it's packaging and wash it off under cold running water. Make sure to get all of the feathers left behind from the processing plant because there is something that is quit unappetizing about feathers sticking out from the bird you are about to take a bite of. Just wash it real good and then set it aside to drain while you are covering that cookie sheet with a large piece of heavy duty tin foil. The heavy duty foil works the best. It will insure a very quick clean up when you are stuffed and ready to be horizontal.

I happened to run out of foil for my article here but, I will make due with what I have. The idea is to cover the cookie sheet so that there will not be any juices running under the foil. If that happens the clean up will take a little longer.The end result is worth a little mess so don't be shy. You could skip the tin foil but then you will be scrubbing the cookie sheet for sure.

Many cooks use the dry rub method for cooking meat on the grill. This is a great way to add the flavor of herbs and spices to many different kinds of meat. I too am an avid "RUBBER" but I have always brought this method in to the kitchen and used it for baking meat in the oven. I like to rub the seasoning in real good before I add my olive oil to the surface of the food. The olive oil seems to seal in those rubbed in flavorings.

For additional ideas on rub recipes take a look at what this hubber has put together. Here you will find all kinds of mixtures that will enhance your baked wings. This link will be useful for those of you who do not care for the taste of garlic.

The basic seasoning is salt and pepper. I like garlic and so I am adding that to this batch of bird. I also like to use fresh rosemary from my garden in the summer months. I will use fresh sage from time to time. I have tried cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, chili powder, Tabasco and many other herbs and spices. That is one of the best things about this method. You can doctor them up to suit your taste buds.Today it is garlic. I am pushing to ward off all of the evil germs that seem to be lurking about. Garlic has a way of taking care of those unseen demons so garlic it is.

The main thing about seasoning is DO NOT BE STINGY. Put a good dose of salt and pepper and, add your garlic or whatever spices you decide you are in the mood for, on all of the pieces of meat. You want flavor and that means a good healthy dusting for all. Some of the seasoning will run off during the baking process so, make sure to cover all the pieces real good. Some folks like mild and some like it wild, season the meat to yourself.

Next Step

Cup one hand and fill it with olive oil then drizzle the oil across the meat so that it is distributed over the chicken. Pick up a wing and rub the oil and seasoning around the meat to coat the wing with a somewhat even amount of oil. Repeat this step so that all the wings in the bowl are well coated. This will only take a few minutes. You will be able to feel the seasoning and oil mixture and the idea is to try to coat it all about the same.

When you have the meat all coated good you can lay each wing out on the cookie sheet. Try to position them so that there is as much space as possible between the pieces. It is okay if they are touching each other but, best not to pile them up. You want to ensure that the baking process is even for all the wings. A single layer of meat is necessary for that to take place. When you have finished laying all the wings out you can visually inspect them for even coating and seasoning. If there are pieces with less seasoning you can rub them across the bottom of the empty mixing bowl. There should be enough oil and seasoning to take care of any pieces that might need that little extra touch. Your oven should be hot and the bird fingers are ready to pop in to the middle of the oven rack. Bake them for about 50 to 60 minutes or until they are golden brown.

The key to great finished wings is a crispy skin but, you do not want to overcook them because the wings will dry out. The time will vary by individual oven temperature so this has to be taken into consideration. Another thing that will affect cooking time is the temperature of the meat. Cold meat will take longer than room temperature meat so keep that in mind. I always set a timer for the first 45 minutes and then watch the wings closely for the remainder of baking time.  

Wings are a staple in our home because we just love them. The basics are in preparing the chicken as I have explained above. Now that I have explained the basics I would like to suggest a few other alternatives you can adapt to my method.

I have already suggested a variety of herbs. One of our favorite combinations is the use of rosemary and garlic, salt and pepper. I sometimes add a pan full of quartered potatoes below the sheet of wings. For this I just use 2 separate cookie sheets and season the potatoes exactly the same as the chicken. I coat them with olive oil as well. The potatoes can also be seasoned any way you like as long as you add that light coat of olive oil to the spuds. Lay them out on the second cookie sheet in a single layer and cook it all at the same time. Add a salad to the table and your meal is complete.

Go For The Grill

When the weather is too hot to crank up the oven I turn to the grill to bake up my bird. This requires using an indirect heat grilling method.John D. Lee has outlined a great How To article where he describes the pros of grilling indirect. Read his hub about grilling perfect sausage and you will discover why this is the best way to make wings on the grill. The idea is flavor and you will be amazed at the results of adapting indirect grilling to firing up some of the best wings on the planet.

You can make them plain, meaning just salt and pepper or go for the gold and baste them with your favorite barbecue sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Again, the key is to make sure the skin is golden brown before adding your sauce. I have somewhat of a reputation for my awesome chicken wings with family and friends. Please give this method a try and leave me your thoughts and suggestions below. I look forward to hearing from everyone.

Happy Chicken Fingers To All! C.S. Alexis