Inspired by an obsession with Korean dramas, these Oven Fried Wings in Red Pepper Sauce deliver a sweet crispy heat that’s finger licking yum. These wings are baked to a crisp in the oven and tossed in a sweet, savory and spicy red sauce so good that it’ll be gone in no time.
If there’s one thing I love about K-dramas, it’s that conversations, deals and arguments are all had around food (and drink), but especially fried chicken. And because it always looked so good I could eat it off the screen, my curiosity led me to the ‘fried chicken’ of Korean cuisine.
However since I am not a fan deep frying in my kitchen, in particular dealing with the grease splatter, the clean up or the smell, I had to explore the alternatives. Enter oven baked fried chicken.
What makes these wings crispy in the oven?
How do you get the fried or crispy effect in the oven? The answer is cornstarch, to pull moisture from the skin and baking it at a low temperature before turning it higher to crisp up the skin. Genius right?!
After frying an entire batch of chicken in baking powder thinking it was flour, when I was 16 years old, and it being so bitter it had to be thrown away, I swore I’d never fry chicken again. But since learning that cornstarch (also an ingredient in baking powder) is often used as a ‘coating agent’ to fry chicken in Korean cuisine, and doesn’t leave a bitter taste, it changed fried chicken for me.
I love the thinner yet still crispy coating it offered compared to using flour. And that you can achieve a similar ‘crispy’ outcome in the oven? Game changer! Sorry to my ‘roots’, but I don’t see myself going back.
Ingredients for the Fried Wings:
Cornstarch: plain cornstarch
Salt: use fine sea salt or Adobo seasoning (my secret hack for a little extra yum)
Chicken wings: flats and drums, separated, cleaned and patted dry
To Make the Red Pepper Sauce:
Chili paste: Fermented red chili paste you can find in Asian grocery store or the Asian aisle in your local grocery store.
Ketchup: Any favorite plain ketchup.
Soy sauce: Any brand you can find at your local grocery store. Use reduced sodium if needed.
Oyster sauce: this is optional
Brown Sugar: Can substitute with your favorite brand of honey or maple syrup.
Red pepper flakes or powder: this is optional
*Garlic: about 2 cloves minced
How To Make Crispy Red Pepper Wings in the oven
In a nutshell:
- Pat wings dry.
- Toss in salt and cornstarch.
- Bake at 250F for 30 minutes then turn up to 425F and bake for around 45 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Brush or toss in red pepper sauce
Can these be made in the air fryer?
Yes they can! Simply fry them in a 360 degree air fryer for 20-30 minutes, turning them over at the halfway point.
Oven Baked Red Pepper Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Baking rack
- Mixing bowl
- Aluminium foil
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 lbs chicken wing flats & drums separated, cleaned and patted dry
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- Non-stick oil spray
Sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp gochujang or red chilli paste
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sesame oil optional
Instructions
- Set up oven racks so that one is in the upper middle position and the other in lower middle position.
- Preheat oven to 250℉/120℃
- Line the baking tray with foil and set the oven safe rack wire rack on the foil. Spray the rack with non-stick oil spray or brush with oil.
- Pat dry wings with a paper towel then place them in a large mixing bowl.
- Add salt and cornstarch to wings then toss until evenly coated.
- Arrange wings in a single layer on the rack in the baking sheet. Bake on the lower middle rack for 30 minutes.
- Move wings to the upper middle rack and raise oven temperature to 425 ℉/ 220 ℃. Bake for an additional 40 – 50 minutes making sure to rotate them at the halfway point (20-25 minutes).
- While wings are in the oven, make the sauce. Place all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil/bubble. Remove and set aside.
- When wings are golden brown, remove from oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Then place immediately in a bowl and pour warm sauce over tossing until evenly coated. See notes.
- Serve immediately!
