Old Bay Chicken Wings

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Old Bay Chicken Wings bring a little bit of Maryland into your life. With a mouthwatering blend of herbs and spices, Old Bay Seasoning adds incredible flavor to these baked wings.

This post and recipe card updated August 16, 2019

Chicken wings are one of my favorite restaurant dishes. I’ll share them as an appetizer, but I’ll also eat them as a meal. I usually go simple with just a dry dust seasoning, but a good wing sauce is hard to beat.

For the longest time when I bought wings at the grocery store, I always got the pre-seasoned wings in the frozen section. And quite honestly, I thought that my only options.

Once I figured out you can buy raw wings either fresh or frozen in the meat section, it opened up a whole new world! Baked Spicy Honey Chicken Wings have incredible flavor and a kick of heat. And Grilled Honey Bourbon Chicken Wings are delicious on the grill or even in the oven.

I love Old Bay Seasoning, and I’m always looking for new ways to use it. So I created Old Bay Chicken Wings

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• You can use fresh or frozen wings
• The wings have a beautifully crisp skin, and tender meat inside
• You control the level of heat, and the Old Bay Seasoning adds incredible flavor

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT OLD BAY SEASONING?

Old Bay Seasoning is a Maryland tradition. If you’ve ever eaten at a seafood restaurant in Maryland, you’ve had Old Bay.

Old Bay is a glorious mix of herbs and spices that makes your mouth water. It’s not spicy on its own, but it definitely wakes up your taste buds.

The original name of Old Bay was “Delicious Brand Shrimp and Crab Seasoning”. No real surprise, the name didn’t stick. The Old Bay name was inspired by a steamship line that traveled the Chesapeake between Maryland and Virginia.

Old Bay isn’t just for seafood. It’s delicious on all kinds of foods, and many people use it in place of salt and pepper. What’s even better is that it’s available in grocery stores nationwide, and online.

INGREDIENT TIPS FOR OLD BAY CHICKEN WINGS

Old Bay is the star of the show, but I also add fresh-cracked black pepper. You don’t need to add any extra salt.

It’s important to add All-Purpose Flour and Baking Powder to the seasoning. Flour creates a very light coating, and baking powder extracts excess moisture for a crispy wing.

Place the wings on a Baking Rack placed on top of a Baking Sheet. This allows the air to fully circulate and crisp both sides of the wings.

Toss the wings in the sauce after they come out of the oven, to preserve the crisp skin.

I use the small-batch hot sauces created by my friends at Caulfield Provision Company. The sauces are delicious and have a bold kick. But you can use your favorite hot sauce. Just a remember a little goes a long way.

FRESH OR FROZEN WINGS?

The fresh wings I’ve found in the grocery store are much smaller than the frozen wings, so they get even smaller when they cook. I prefer the large, meatier wings so I buy them frozen.

Don’t thaw the frozen wings! It won’t hurt the wings if you do, but the bag recommends cooking from frozen. And since I can never seem to plan ahead when it comes to wings, this is perfect for me.

Rinse frozen wings quickly under cold water, to remove the top layer of ice and help the seasonings adhere to the wings.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a baking rack on top of a foil-lined baking sheet, and spray the rack with cooking spray so the wings don’t stick.

Rinse wings quickly under warm water, and pat dry.

In a large Ziploc bag add flour, baking powder, black pepper, and Old Bay Seasoning, and mix together.

Add wings in batches, shaking bag to thoroughly coat wings. Transfer wings to the baking rack. Space wings apart so they cook and crisp properly.

Bake wings in the oven for 50 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove wings from oven

While wings bake, melt butter in a bowl and add hot sauce, lemon juice, and Worcestershire Sauce. Add wings to the sauce, and toss well to combine.

Sprinkle with more Old Bay Seasoning, and serve.

SERVING OLD BAY CHICKEN WINGS

Serve Old Bay Chicken Wings immediately, as they are best right out of the oven.

Coconut Milk Ranch Dressing is my favorite dipping sauce for the wings, but if you’re feeling zesty you could also use Chuy’s Creamy Jalapeno Dip.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I have to use hot sauce? Not at all! I use it because I love it, and the added flavor is fabulous. But if you don’t want extra heat, then omit it

How long should I cook fresh chicken wings? I recommend 30 minutes at 375 degrees, turning once halfway through.

How can I make these wings gluten-free? Simply substitute regular flour and baking powder for gluten-free varieties of both

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