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These oven-baked Chinese Chicken Wings are baked until crispy and then tossed with a spicy, smoky dry rub. They are FULL of flavor with strong cumin and fennel notes and plenty of heat from Sichuan peppercorns.
If you’re tried of standard Buffalo Sauce or just excited to try something new, Chinese Chicken Wings should be your next project.
There is something powerful and magical about the cumin, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorns here. They are all packed with flavor, fighting to overpower the rest, and none ever does. It’s just a punch of flavor, spice, and heat in every bite, wing after wing.
After wing after wing. It’s hard to stop eating them, they taste GREAT, surprisingly delicious. But spicy! If you don’t love heat, these aren’t the wings for you. And personally, I think no dipping sauce is required, but feel free to add one if you want to.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken wings: Flats and wings; wing tips removed. The tips tend to overcook and don’t have much meat on them anyway, so remove them yourself or ask your butcher to tackle the task for you. Most supermarkets sell chicken wings with the tips already removed, so you may not even need to ask.
- Baking powder: This baking staple, sprinkled onto very dry chicken wing meat, is the secret ingredient for the crunchy texture, no deep-frying required.
- Sichuan peppercorns: Also called Szechwan or Szechuan peppercorns, this spice is the pink-red dried outer husk of the prickly ash shrub. Not only is it incredibly aromatic and flavorful, but it has a numbing property, which in China is known as “ma”, which produces a light tingling sensation in the mouth. Buy Sichuan peppercorns online, in Asian markets, or in your local grocery store (I found them in my local Ralph’s, a Kroger store).
Step-by-step instructions
- Arrange two oven racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Coat rack with nonstick spray.
- Pat wings dry with paper towels. In a large zipper-top plastic bag, add baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and wings and toss to coat.
- Arrange coated wings skin-side up on rack. Transfer baking sheet to lower-middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine cumin, fennel seeds, peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns in a small skillet and toast over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer to a spice grinder, add the sugar and the remaining salt and grind into a rough powder (or use mortar and pestle).
- Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Transfer baking sheet to upper middle rack and bake until the wings are golden and crispy, about 45 to 50 minutes longer, flipping after 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add oil and half the spice blend and toss to coat. Taste one wing and add more spice blend to taste, if desired. Garnish with cilantro.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 32 wings (depending on the size of actual chicken wings), enough for 4 entree-sized servings (8 wings each) or 8 appetizer-sized servings (4 wings each).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I love to reheat chicken wings in my air fryer.
- Make ahead: The wings can be coated with baking powder and stored uncovered, in the refrigerator, a day in advance (this will actually lead to even crispier skin).
- Buffalo Wings: For a more traditional take on wings, try my Baked Buffalo Wings.
- Air Fryer Chicken Wings: Omit the baking powder and follow these instructions to cook the wings in your air fryer, then toss with oil and the Sichuan spice blend.
- Preheat air fryer to 380 degrees for 3 minutes. Pat 2 pounds wings dry with paper towels, then add to a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Arrange wings in an air fryer basket. Air fry until skin is crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes per side or 20 to 24 minutes total, flipping the wings halfway through. Increase heat to 400 degrees and cook 5 minutes longer.
Recipe FAQs
Compared to eating deep-fried chicken wings, oven-baked chicken wings are so much better! I think this is the best baked chicken wings recipe ever, and here’s the reason: this recipe uses a tiny dusting of baking powder to make the most delicious, impossibly crispy chicken wings you’ll ever eat outside of a deep fryer.
You don’t need to go to your favorite bar to get crispy wings; you can do it in your kitchen, even in your very own oven. The secret to the crisp is baking powder. Tossing the wings in a small amount of baking powder, and then letting them sit overnight (or the morning) in the refrigerator draws a lot of the moisture out of the chicken skin. After a few hours, you’re guaranteed professional, crispy results.
Be sure to store leftover Sichuan peppercorns or ground Sichuan peppercorn in a clean, dry, sealed jar away from light. If the peppercorns have lost their tingle, more than likely they’ve gone stale. Time to reorder.
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Chinese Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings cut into drumettes and flats (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon Salt or to taste, divided
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole fennel seed or anise seed
- 1 tablespoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon whole Sichuan peppercorns (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup cilantro loosely chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Arrange two oven racks in the upper middle and lower middle positions. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Coat rack with nonstick spray.
- Pat wings dry with paper towels. In a large zipper-top plastic bag, add baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and wings and toss to coat.
- Arrange coated wings skin-side up on rack. Transfer baking sheet to lower-middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine cumin, fennel seeds, peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns in a small skillet and toast over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder, add the sugar and the remaining salt and grind into a rough powder (or use mortar and pestle).
- Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Transfer baking sheet to upper middle rack and bake until the wings are golden and crispy, about 45 to 50 minutes longer, flipping after 20 minutes.
- In a large bowl, add oil and half the spice blend and toss to coat. Taste one wing and add more spice blend to taste, if desired. Garnish with cilantro.
Notes
- Chicken wings: Flats and wings; wing tips removed. The tips tend to overcook and don’t have much meat on them anyway, so remove them yourself or ask your butcher to tackle the task for you. Most supermarkets sell chicken wings with the tips already removed, so you may not even need to ask.
- Baking powder: This baking staple, sprinkled onto very dry chicken wing meat, is the secret ingredient for the crunchy texture, no deep-frying required.
- Sichuan peppercorns: Also called Szechwan or Szechuan peppercorns, this spice is the pink-red dried outer husk of the prickly ash shrub. Not only is it incredibly aromatic and flavorful, but it has a numbing property, which in China is known as “ma”, which produces a light tingling sensation in the mouth. Buy Sichuan peppercorns online, in Asian markets, or in your local grocery store (I found them in my local Ralph’s, a Kroger store).
- Yield: This recipe makes about 32 wings (depending on the size of actual chicken wings), enough for 4 entree-sized servings (8 wings each) or 8 appetizer-sized servings (4 wings each).
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I love to reheat chicken wings in my air fryer.
- Make ahead: The wings can be coated with baking powder and stored uncovered, in the refrigerator, a day in advance (this will actually lead to even crispier skin).
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe.Great blog!!!