These delicious Gluten-Free Chicken Wings are oven-baked, extra crispy, and super versatile. Toss them in your favorite buffalo, or barbecue sauce, or enjoy them on their own as the perfect easy dinner or game day appetizer.
Jump to:
- What I Love about these Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
- Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
- How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
- Commonly Asked Questions
- Serving Suggestions
- Dipping Sauces
- Dietitian Notes
- Recipe Tips
- Try These Other Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes
- Did you try these Gluten-Free Chicken Wings?
- 📖 Recipe
These delicious oven baked gluten-free wings make the perfect appetizer for football season, or a tasty family meal to spice up your weeknight meal rotation. With minimal prep and very little active time, these wings are quick to make. They crisp up perfectly in the oven, no need for frying. Serve them with your favorite dipping sauce and some raw veggies that pair well with the dip to balance out the meal.
Looking for other healthier appetizers? Try these Gluten-Free Meatballs, these Wagyu Beef Meatballs, these Tikka Masala Chicken Meatballs, or this Mediterranean 7-Layer Dip.
What I Love about these Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
This is my favorite way to make chicken wings. Here is why I love them:
- Crispy & Delicious - These flavorful wings have the perfect crispy skin and can be pair with a variety of dipping sauces, or enjoyed on their own.
- Oven Baked - These wings aren't fried, just lightly brushed in oil for a healthier alternative.
- Versatile - Serve them as an appetizer or an easy family dinner that everyone will love.
Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions
Split Chicken Wings
Use 2.5-3 lbs of split chicken wings for the best crispy chicken wings. Using over 3 lbs will result in less crispy wings because that ratio of starch and seasoning to chicken will be off. Whole chicken wings can be used but should be split before starting and the wing tips should be removed.
Tapioca Starch
Arrowroot starch or gluten-free cornstarch will work in this recipe in place of tapioca starch.
Baking Powder
Be sure to use aluminum-free baking powder and not baking soda. Baking powder sometimes contains gluten (not usually, but check your labels to be sure).
We use baking powder in this recipe because it is alkaline, so it raises the pH level of chicken skin which breaks down the peptide bonds and aids in the browning process. It creates little air bubbles in the skin that give the chicken wings a delightedly crispy texture. Usually recipes that call for baking powder will require an oven temperature of 425 F or greater. Cooking on the very bottom rack of the oven at 400 F will allow the bottom of the wings to get hot enough to achieve the chemical reaction from the baking powder without drying them out.
Seasonings
There is not a ton of salt in the seasoning for this recipe because most people will dip the wings in a sauce. Most dipping sauces tend to be fairly salty. Feel free to add a little more salt if you do not plan use a dipping sauce or if you choose to omit the baking powder (which adds a little saltiness). You can also try using smoked paprika for some added flavor, or a pinch of cayenne pepper for a kick.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
Mix Seasoning
- In a small bowl, mix together tapioca starch, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Coat in Seasoning and Place on Baking Sheet
- Remove chicken wings from package and pat dry with paper towels. Once completely dry, place the chicken wings in a gallon-sized resealable bag. Pour the seasoning/starch mixture in the bag and seal. Shake to evenly coat the chicken wings in the seasoning.
- Place the chicken wings on a parchment paper lined baking sheet skin side down, leaving some space between each piece (use two pans if needed).
Baste with Oil and Bake
- Using a basting brush, lightly coat the tops of the chicken wings in oil.
- Place the wings on the lowest rack of an oven preheated to 400 F and bake for 35-40 minutes (or until they are crispy and reach an internal temperature of 165 F), flipping halfway through with tongs.
Storage
Store leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 3-4 days. You can reheat them in the oven or air fryer at 350 F until warmed to allow them to crisp up again.
Commonly Asked Questions
Yes! If air frying, you can omit the baking powder and will likely need to work in batches to ensure that the wings are not touching.
To air fry, preheat air fryer to 400 F for about 4 minutes. While the air fryer is preheating, prep the wings as written in the recipe card (omitting baking powder). Transfer the wings to the air fryer, skin side down, leaving about ½-inch between each wing. Baste the tops of the wings with oil and air fry for 10 minutes. Flip the wings using tongs, and air fry for another 8 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165 F. Cook time will vary based on the size and type of air fryer you are using and how close the wings are positioned next to one and other.
Whole wings can be used, but you should cut the wings, removing the wing tip and separating the drumette and flat.
I don't recommend putting sauce on the wings before baking. This will prevent them from getting crispy. You can warm the sauce and then toss the fully cooked wings to lightly coat, or serve the sauce on the side for dipping. With thin but sticky sauces, you can baste the wings in sauce after about 35 minutes of baking, and then return them to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, flip the wings and baste the other side and repeat for another 5 minutes so that the sauce thickens and adheres to the wings.
Baking chicken wings is a healthier alternative to frying because you use less oil. However, it is also a great way to achieve crispy skin on the outside and tender, juicy meat on the inside.
This helps achieve extra crispy wings. Because we are only cooking at 400 F, the lowest rack setting helps the bottom of the wings get crispy without drying out (but don't forget to flip!). Moving the rack takes only a couple seconds but do so before the oven is turned on so that it is cool to touch.
You might have noticed that most recipes using baking powder will require an oven temperature of 425 F or higher. I have found that you can create a similar reaction by moving the rack to the bottom of the oven. The bottom of the wings get hotter at the bottom of the oven, and the baking powder works to break down peptide bonds creating crispy skin. The wings cooked at 400 F were just as crispy as those cooked at higher temperature, but much more juicy.
Serving Suggestions
These wings are a game day favorite, but I often serve them as an entree. If serving as the main course of your meal, pair the wings with one of these great sides:
- Cucumber and Bell Pepper Salad
- Carrot and Cucumber Salad
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad with Walnuts and Avocado
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Green Beans Almondine
- Maple Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Dipping Sauces
These wings are versatile and pair well with so many sauces. Use your favorite, or try one of these:
- Your favorite BBQ sauce
- Cottage Cheese Ranch Dressing
- Easy Tzatziki Sauce
- Primal Kitchen Chicken Dipping Sauce (my current obsession)
- Homemade aioli
- Hot honey
- Spicy Tahini Sauce
- Paleo Teriyaki Sauce
- Peanut sauce
- Chili Crunch Oil
- Buffalo sauce
Dietitian Notes
- Each serving of chicken wings contains 23 grams of protein!
- Baking these wings instead of frying yields juicy chicken wings with a perfectly crispy skin and a lot less added oil.
Recipe Tips
- Mix the starch, baking powder and seasonings in a bowl, before adding to the Ziploc bag to ensure the seasonings are evenly distributed on the wings.
- Be sure to dry the wings completely before adding the starch mixture. This helps them get crispy!
- Move the rack to the bottom setting in the oven if using baking powder, so that you can achieve the chemical reaction that creates the most irresistible crispy skin.
- Because the skin of the chicken contains most of the fat, baking skin side down initially allows for some of those fats to render. This means you only have to coat the tops of the chicken wings with oil. The wings will release some of the fat and the chicken will cook in it creating flavorful chicken wings with less added oil.
- Do not forget to flip the chicken wings after about 20 minutes, or halfway through!
- Use a meat thermometer to check internal temperature and prevent overcooking. Usually, if the skin is crispy, the meat will be done, but you want to ensure it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Overcooking can result in drier wings.
Try These Other Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes
Looking for other tasty recipes? Here are a few you might like:
Did you try these Gluten-Free Chicken Wings?
I would love to see how it went! Share a photo and tag me on Instagram or leave a comment on Pinterest.
Love this recipe? Connect with me by leaving a comment below! 😊
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Gallon-size resealable bag
- Large baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Basting brush
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 3 lbs Split chicken wings (2.5-3 lbs)
- 1 tablespoon Tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon Aluminum-free baking powder gluten-free (not baking soda!) - optional, see notes
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- 2 tablespoon Avocado oil or olive oil
Instructions
- Move the oven rack to the bottom setting and preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together tapioca starch, baking powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Remove chicken wings from package and pat dry with paper towels. Once completely dry, place the chicken wings in a gallon-sized resealable bag. Pour the seasoning/starch mixture in the bag and seal. Shake to evenly coat the chicken wings in the seasoning.
- Place the chicken wings on the lined baking sheet skin side down, leaving some space between each piece (use two pans if needed).
- Using a basting brush, lightly coat the tops of the chicken wings in oil.
- Place the wings in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes (or until they are crispy and reach an internal temperature of 165 F), flipping halfway through with tongs.
- Once crispy and fully cooked, remove from the oven and serve plain or with your favorite dipping sauce. You can also warm a sauce in a saucepan over low heat, and then toss the wings in the sauce.
Suz says
They turn out crispy and juicy! Thank you!