Coca Cola Chicken Wings

Crispy baked chicken wings are possible. Discover the one secret ingredient for crunchy chicken wings, then toss them in a sweet and tangy soda-based sauce for a game-day snack idea that will have everyone cheering (and asking for the recipe).

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 25

Servings servings (8 wings each)

Calories 698kcal

Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the wings:

4 pounds chicken wings flats and wingtips removed (see note 1)
2 tablespoons baking powder (see note 2)

For the Coca Cola glaze:

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices bacon
½ red onion sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 (12 ounce) can Coca-Cola (see note 3)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch (see note 4)
Scallions thinly sliced, for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the wings:

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 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.
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.

To make the Coca Cola glaze:

In a 3-quart saucepan or deep skillet, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add bacon and onions and fry until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in Coca Cola, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Stir in brown sugar and soy sauce. Transfer 2 tablespoons Coca Cola glaze to a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch until smooth.
Add back to pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Keep warm on stove until wings have finished baking. Toss the baked wings with Coca Cola glaze and serve.

Notes

Chicken wings: Flats and wings; wing tips removed. Most supermarkets sell chicken wings with the tips already removed, so you may not even need to ask. But if they're still on the chicken wings you are planning to purchase, ask your butcher to tackle the task for you or use a chef's knife to trim this portion off before proceeding with the chicken wing recipe.
Baking powder: Toss very dry chicken wing meat with this baking staple for supremely crunchy baked chicken wings, no deep-frying or extra oil required.
Coca-Cola: Classic, not Diet or Zero, please. The sugar is crucial for the best flavor and the glaze consistency.
Cornstarch: This helps give the soda glaze a rich, syrup-like texture.
Yield: My Coca Cola Chicken Wings recipe makes approximately 32 wings (this will vary based on the size of your individual chicken wings and how many come per pound); enough for 4 entree-sized servings of 8 wings each or 8 appetizer-sized servings of 4 wings each.
Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Make ahead: The Coca Cola glaze can be made and refrigerated a day in advance. Reheat on the stove before tossing with the wings.

Nutrition