The baking powder trick — perfected. Choose your finish: bare-knuckle dry rub or a glossy spiced brown butter toss.
It must be baking powder — never baking soda. Aluminum-free avoids any metallic off-taste.
Preheat the oven to 250°F / 120°C. Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.
If your wings are whole, cut through each joint to separate the drumette, the flat, and the wing tip. Discard the tips or save them for stock.
Pat the wings aggressively dry with paper towels — both sides. This is the make-or-break moment. Moisture is the enemy of crisp. Toss them in a large bowl with 2 tbsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper until lightly coated.
Don't skip drying — wet skin + baking powder = a pasty, unpleasant film.Arrange the wings in a single layer on the rack, skin side up. Touching is fine — they'll shrink as they render. Discard any excess coating left in the bowl.
Baking powder is mildly alkaline. When combined with chicken skin proteins, it raises the pH at the surface, which accelerates the Maillard reaction — the chemical browning that creates crunch. It also draws moisture out of the skin during the low-heat phase, giving you a drier surface before the high-heat blast. The result: skin that shatters like glass without a single drop of oil.
Place the tray on the lower shelf of the oven and bake at 250°F / 120°C for 30 minutes. This slow phase renders the subcutaneous fat without crisping the skin yet.
After 30 minutes, crank the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Rotate the tray 180° for even heat. Continue baking for 45–50 minutes until the wings are deeply golden and the skin is audibly crispy when tapped with tongs.
Don't pull them early — pale wings are sad wings. You want proper color.Remove and let them rest on the rack for 3–5 minutes. Residual steam escapes during this rest, and the skin tightens into its final crackly state. Do not skip this.
You can absolutely make these ahead: bake through step 6, cool completely, and refrigerate uncovered on the rack. When ready, reheat at 425°F for 10–12 minutes. They'll re-crisp beautifully — in some ways even better, because the overnight fridge time dries the skin further.
Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. This keeps well in a sealed jar for up to 3 months.
I scaled this rub down from the original. Two tablespoons each of sugar and paprika per kilo of wings was burying the chicken. A rub should enhance, never dominate — you're seasoning wings, not camouflaging them.
The moment the wings come off the rack (after their 3-minute rest), toss them in a large bowl with the spice rub. The residual heat and fat on the skin will bloom the spices on contact. Toss firmly — you want every surface coated.
Transfer to a platter. Hit them with a squeeze of lime, a scatter of scallion greens, and a few pinches of flaky salt. Serve immediately alongside the ranch.
The dry rub path preserves maximum crunch. It's the purist's choice — all texture, all snap. The rub clings to the rendered fat like a savory bark. If crispiness is your religion, this is the way.
While the wings rest, melt 3 tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and thyme sprigs. Swirl gently until the milk solids turn golden-brown and the kitchen smells nutty — about 2–3 minutes.
Watch the butter constantly — it goes from brown to burnt in seconds.Remove the garlic and thyme. Off the heat, add the spice rub to the hot butter and stir — the spices will bloom instantly and become fragrant. This takes about 15 seconds.
Pour the spiced brown butter over the wings in a large bowl and toss thoroughly. Transfer to a platter. Finish with lime, scallion greens, and flaky salt.
The butter path trades a fraction of crunch for a depth of flavor that dry rub alone can't reach. Brown butter carries the spices into every crevice of the skin. The wings take on a glossy, lacquered look. This is the choice when you want people to ask "what IS that?"
Grate the garlic clove into the 1 tbsp lemon juice and let it sit for 5 minutes. This mellows the raw garlic bite — treat it like a secret.
In a medium bowl, whisk ½ cup mayonnaise with ½ cup sour cream until smooth. Add the garlic-lemon mixture, the dill, chives, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper.
Taste. Adjust. If it's too thick, loosen with 1 tbsp milk. The ranch should be spoonable, not pourable. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving — the flavors need time to marry.
Traditional ranch gets its tang from buttermilk, but here we're using sour cream (already tangy) plus fresh lemon juice. The result is thicker, more luscious, and the lemon adds a clean brightness that buttermilk can't match — especially next to smoky, spicy wings. The acidity also serves double duty by taming the raw garlic.