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This post includes a baked chicken wings recipe and contains affiliate links.
Chicken wings and football are meant to go together. In fact, who can even think about watching the big game (aka, the Super Bowl) without chicken wings.
But if you are on a strict gluten-free diet, or have celiac disease, the majority of restaurant-style chicken wings are off the table. That’s because most restaurants will batter their chicken wings with flour, and even if they don’t use flour (or they use a gluten-free flour), they still fry their chicken wings in a deep fryer that is also used to fry other gluten-containing items (read my post about the perils of cross contamination, particularly in the deep fryer).
Even many store-bought, pre-packaged chicken wings contain things like wheat, barley and rye, and they are rarely certified gluten-free.
On top of it all, deep fried items are not good for you. Deep fried chicken wings are doused in saturated fats, rancid oils and leave you feeling icky after you eat them.
OK, so that was the bad news.
The good news is that making chicken wings at home is really easy to do – and it’s a much healthier and safer way to enjoy this fabulous finger food at your football watching party (or for dinner, too!).
On top of it all, you only need THREE ingredients to make you own baked chicken wings recipe at home. Only THREE ingredients! (Yes, you heard me right.)
In order to make my baked chicken wings recipe, you just need chicken wings, butter and hot sauce. That’s all.
Chicken: When purchasing chicken wings, see if your local grocery store will carry them in pre-cut parts. Personally, I like to buy the “drumette” and “wingette” already separated so it’s less work for me when prepping the wings (and I think they cook better when separated, too). The “tip” of the wing is not needed. If you have to separate the wing into three parts yourself, save the “tip.” It doesn’t have meat on it, but you can use it later to make a homemade bone broth. Delic!
Hot Sauce: You have a few options when it comes to making your own hot sauce at home. I always have Cholula hot sauce readily available at home. I melt some butter, then mix it with the hot sauce to make a delicious, buttery and tasty topping for my wings. You can also buy pre-packaged hot sauce specifically made for a baked chicken wings recipe! I know Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is gluten-free (as stated on its website) and it’s delicious as-is on your hot wings.
Alternative Sauces: If you prefer a milder chicken wing, you can always slather your wings with a sweet BBQ sauce (both Sweet Baby Ray’s and Stubb’s are gluten-free). You can also try other sauces and recipes you find on the Internet to inspire you.
The best part of this baked chicken wings recipe is that they’re BAKED, not fried. They are less greasy and much better for you… and you don’t need any oil to cook them! Plus, they’re CRISPY. Oh yeah, they’re super crispy (I love crispy skin!).
So there you have.
On Super Bowl Sunday – or any day of the week – you can enjoy this wonderful baked chicken wings recipe. The wings are safe to eat (naturally gluten-free) and contain better-for-you ingredients (no batters, flours or oils).
You can see I served my hot wings alongside some sauteed kale and gluten-free egg noodles from Trader Joe’s to make a weeknight meal. My kids LOVE chicken wings for dinner. It’s a favorite around here!!
If you’ve been craving chicken wings for awhile, I think you’ll be super impressed with how easy you can make this baked chicken wings recipe at home. You’ll be kicking yourself for not figuring this out sooner.
Happy eating and football watching!
Easy Baked Chicken Wings Recipe
- 24 pieces frozen or fresh chicken wings (these include 1st and 2nd parts).
- 1/2 cup hot sauce (check for gluten-free label)
- 2 Tbsp. butter (or vegan butter substitute, like Earth Balance)
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
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Prepare a large baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Grease baking sheet generously.
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Place wings on baking sheet in single layer with a little room between each wing for air to properly circulate.
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Bake for 30 minutes. If your wings generate a lot of moisture, remove the liquid from the pan with a meat baster. Discard the liquid.
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Turn wings over and place back in the over for an additional 30 minutes until cooked through. Cook shorter or longer depending on the thickness of the wings. You want to cook them until you have a nice golden and crispy outside skin.
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Remove wings from oven and allow them to cool for a couple of minutes.
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In a small bowl, melt butter in microwave and then add hot sauce to butter. Mix well.
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Either pour the hot sauce over the wings, or simply serve it as a side dip.