Korean-Style Chicken Wings

Total Time:

50 mins

Yield:

8 to 10 servings

Frequently asked questions

Do you put the sauce on the wings before baking?

Before they're baked, the wings simply get coated in canola oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, which sets the stage for golden, crispy chicken. Once they come out of the oven, the hot wings are tossed in the chile sauce, giving the scallion and sesame seed garnish something to adhere to. If you'd like, make the sauce a day ahead and store it in the fridge; let it come to room temperature as the chicken bakes.

What temp should you cook chicken wings at?

For perfectly crisp exteriors with juicy insides, these Korean-style chicken wings are baked at 450°F for about 45 minutes. Though you can bake wings at lower temperatures, they'll take longer to crisp up and cook all the way through. To maximize crispiness, be sure not to crowd the chicken on the pans so that the moisture can escape instead of steaming the adjacent wings.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Crispiness is the name of the game for chicken wings, and we have another couple of tips to help facilitate the goal. First, make sure you start with dry chicken. That might mean patting it down with paper towels before tossing it with the canola oil so that the oil covers the wings evenly. It's also important to position the chicken skin side up on the baking sheet — the skin acts as a barrier to the direct heat, becoming deliciously crackly and preventing the meat from drying out.

Suggested pairing

Wings and beer really were made for each other. Have spicy gochujang wings with a malty brown ale to cool the heat, such as Ellie's Brown from Avery Brewing Company.

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Ingredients

6 pounds chicken wings (about 24), tips discarded and wings split
1/4 cup canola oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup gochujang (Korean chile paste)
2 tablespoons gochugaru (Korean chile powder)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, toss the wings with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the wings, skin side up, to the prepared baking sheets and roast them for about 45 minutes, until they are cooked through and crisp.
Meanwhile, in another large bowl, whisk all of the remaining ingredients except the garnishes with a pinch of freshly ground pepper.
Add the crispy wings to the chile sauce, toss to coat, and garnish with the sesame seeds and scallions. Serve hot.