Make incredibly juicy wings with the perfect char in your oven! These Broiled Chicken Wings are coated in a simple citrus marinade and baked under a hot broiler to achieve a smokey, charred flavor - and they take less than 20 minutes!
Check out my Air Fryer BBQ Chicken and my Spicy Chicken Bites for more delicious chicken recipes!
Making chicken wings from scratch is a great way to enjoy restaurant-quality wings for a fraction of the cost. With the help of your oven broiler, you can make homemade wings that capture the essence of grilled chicken wings.
First, you'll make a simple flavor-forward marinade to coat the wings in. Then, you'll cook them under the broiler for about 20 minutes. This method results in succulent meat and crisped lightly charred skins. Your game day guests will think they were grilled outdoors!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is the best way to make crisp and juicy homemade wings.
- Wings are perfect for family dinners and game day gatherings.
- They pair with a bunch of healthy side dishes.
- You'll make crisp wings in the oven. No deep frying!
- The marinade can be used with other meats and seafood.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken Wings: Wings typically come as the whole wing or cut into flats and drumettes. They are usually pretty easy to source at grocery stores. If you can't find fresh chicken wings, you can use a bag of uncooked, unbreaded wings from the freezer department and thaw them in the fridge beforehand.
- Spices: onion powder + garlic powder to add savory flavor to the marinade.
- Cinnamon: Adds subtle warming taste and brightens up the other flavors.
- Brown Sugar: Adding brown sugar to the marinade will encourage it to caramelize under the high broiler heat and create crispy charred edges.
- Lime Juice: Enhances the marinade with a zesty citrus flavor.
- Olive Oil: Is the base of the marinade. You can also use avocado oil here.
- Salt & Pepper: Enhance every flavor!
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare for broiling. Preheat the oven for about 20 minutes on high broil. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the marinade. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a medium bowl and mix.
Step 3: Toss wings in the marinade. Add the wings, toss to coat them evenly, and place them on the wire rack, leaving space between them.
Step 4: Broil chicken wings. Transfer to the oven on the third or fourth rack from the top. Broil for 10 minutes on high, flip each wing, and then continue broiling on high for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Serve. Remove from the oven and transfer to a serving platter. Serve immediately while they're hot and crispy. Enjoy!
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Make extra marinade. Double up on the marinade recipe, so you have plenty of extra to serve on the side and use for marinating other foods like shrimp, pork tenderloin, and veggies.
- Baking powder. Tossing uncooked wings in cornstarch or baking powder (NOT baking soda) is one of the best homemade chicken wing hacks. It helps draw out the skin's moisture, getting extra crispy.
- Marinate wings. If you have time to let the wings hang out in the marinade, go for it. Let them marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight in a covered container in the fridge.
- Grease wire rack. To help keep the skins from sticking to the wire rack, grease it with a generous amount of cooking spray.
- Let the wings rest. After broiling, let your wings rest on the wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes to lock in all the juices.
Variations & Serving
Spices: Feel free to customize the marinade as you see fit with different spices and seasonings. Ground spices like paprika, cayenne pepper, and cumin are good to spice things up.
Toss in sauce: If you prefer a wet wing, toss the broiled chicken wings in your favorite wing flavor (buffalo, BBQ, teriyaki, etc.).
Serving: The truth is, broiled chicken wings pair with just about anything, but if you need some ideas, here are a few of my favorites:
- Fresh veggies slices
- Air fryer carrot chips
- Air fryer homemade fries
- Healthy onion rings
- Healthy air fryer pickles
Storing & Freezing
Storing: After cooling, transfer the cooked wings to an airtight container or resealable bag and keep them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Freezing: Place cooled wings in a large, freezer safe airtight bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQ‘s
Typically, broilers heat to 500 ℉, so broiling is much quicker than baking. The closer your rack is to the broiler, the faster they'll cook. The middle of the oven will take about 10 minutes per side.
To reheat your wings, preheat the broiler and then place the wings about 10 inches below the heat source and broil for about 5 to 6 minutes. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
Chicken Recipes You'll Love
Broiled Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds raw chicken wings
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 limes juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Turn oven on high broil. Let heat up for about 20 minutes.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Add the wings and mix well until they are evenly coated.
- Line baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a wire rack on top.
- Place the wings evenly on the wire rack, leaving some space in between the wings. Cook wings on the third or fourth rack from the top.
- Let them broil for 10 minutes on high, then flip them and continue broiling on high for another 10 minutes.
- Remove wings from the oven, transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tossing uncooked wings in cornstarch or baking powder (NOT baking soda) is one of the best homemade chicken wing hacks. It helps draw out the skin’s moisture, getting extra crispy.
- If you have time to let the wings hang out in the marinade, go for it. Let them marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight in a covered container in the fridge.
- To help keep the skins from sticking to the wire rack, grease it with a generous amount of cooking spray.
- After broiling, let your wings rest on the wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes to lock in all the juices.
- Be sure the internal temperature reaches 165 ℉ before eating.
- Storing: After cooling, transfer the cooked wings to an airtight container or resealable bag and keep them in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
- Freezing: Place cooled wings in a large, freezer safe airtight bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Lisa
This sounds so good. I have one question: if I were to toss the wings in cornstarch, do I do that before or after marinating them? I haven't done this before, so I'm not sure.
Thanks!
Erika
Hi Lisa! I have not tested this out, but I think tossing them in cornstarch after marinating would probably work out. Let me know if you give it a try.
Anita
These are delicious chicken wings. And I love that the wings don't require marinating time at all, so this is totally doable as a last minute dish. 🙂
Roxana
Such a simple recipe with few ingredients and yet to flavorful. I like how approachable your presentation is.
Jessica | Primal Edge Health
Delicious! I LOVE broiling but haven't done chicken wings yet. I would use a sugar replacement to make these low-carb/keto. Thanks for the tips about freezing - it's really helpful for meal prep!
simplylowcal
Using a sugar replacement would be so easy in this recipe. I hope you enjoy them. 🙂
thisiswholesome
those chicken wings are so delicious! I paired them with some grilled veggies, so good!
Morgan
These wings look SO good! I love how easy they are to put together with just a handful of ingredients!
Kim
I have a bag of frozen wings that I always thought I would have to fry. So instead I'll give broiling a try!
Tamara J.
I loved broiled chicken wings! Crispy and still guilt free. I’m going to give your recipe a whirl.