Put The Deep Fryer Away And Try Roasting Your Chicken Wings

When you're in the mood for tender and crispy chicken wings, deep-frying is typically the go-to method. However, preparing a platter of fried wings takes a considerable amount of effort, not to mention all that pesky leftover oil to deal with. If you find that restaurant fried chicken always tastes better than what you make at home, try roasting your wings instead. Frankie Gaw, food media personality and author of "First Generation: Recipes from my Taiwanese-American Home," proclaimed his preference for this technique to Food Republic.

Gaw told us, "I feel like [roasting is] a foolproof method to make a large amount of wings without a lot of work, while still achieving the same level of texture and flavor as a classic fried chicken wing." Indeed, with just a few extra ingredients and the right oven temperature, you can roast delicious and crispy wings with ease.

First and foremost, you need to dry your raw chicken pieces thoroughly with paper towels, and then elevate your homemade wings by covering each piece in a mixture of spices, salt, and baking powder. The baking powder promotes browning and reacts with the chicken juices to create small air bubbles on the skin, giving your wings a delectable crunch. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange each chicken wing skin side up. A good roasting temp is 425 degrees Fahrenheit — and make sure to flip the wings every so often until they're fully cooked.  

To create even more crunch, follow Frankie Gaw's foolproof method of preparation and roast your wings on a wire rack placed on top of a lined baking sheet. This ensures your chicken pieces won't become soggy from sitting in pools of rendered fat. By using a rack, all sides of the pieces are guaranteed to develop a crispy exterior.

If you're worried about your drumette wings cooking faster than your flat wings, create a makeshift press with an extra baking sheet to promote even roasting. Before baking, top your wing-filled pan with another sheet of parchment paper, then place an additional baking sheet directly on top of your chicken. Roast your wings in this weighted setup until the pieces are fully cooked, and then broil them for just a few more minutes.

When it comes to crafting a delicious sauce or topping, you can use the drippings from your pan and reduce them over your stove before tossing with the wings. Alternatively, make your own chicken wing sauce with just three ingredients: barbecue sauce, teriyaki marinade, and maple syrup. Or, follow one of Gaw's flavorful recipes from his Instagram and website Little Fat Boy. His oven-roasted Viet-Cajun wings are topped with a savory sauce made with ingredients like butter, fish sauce, maple syrup, and freshly chopped garlic and ginger. Or, for more of Gaw's cooking tips, check out his "Savoring Singapore" content series in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board and Klook.