These baked chicken wings are crispy, smoky, and packed with chipotle spice, served with a creamy cilantro lime dipping sauce. Easy oven-baked wings recipe- a delicious appetizer! Low-carb, gluten-free.
These healthier, oven-baked chicken wings are on the menu this Super Bowl Sunday. My husband Brian loooooooves these! Served with a cool and creamy cilantro sauce, they are flavorful and delicious, and surprisingly EASY to make. See the notes for a vegan option. I’ll often make some with tofu for myself and leave the wings to him. We are both happy!
Make the spicy smoky chipotle rub, rub them down, then place them in a 425-degree oven for 30 minutes, and while they are baking, whip up the flavorful cilantro dipping sauce.
That’s it! No frying involved! Healthy –but not lacking on the flavor front, these guys will not disappoint! Enjoy …..and hope have a great and exciting weekend! These baked chicken wings are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside….and are full of amazing flavor!
🍗 Baked Chicken Wings Ingredients
- Chicken wings - The star of the recipe. Baking them at high heat gives crispy edges and juicy, tender meat without deep frying.
- Kosher salt - Essential for seasoning and helping the wings stay juicy while developing flavor.
- Smoked paprika - Adds deep, smoky flavor and beautiful color to the wings.
- Chipotle powder - Brings a gentle heat and smoky spice that makes these wings extra crave-worthy.
- Granulated garlic - Adds savory depth and classic wing flavor.
- Brown sugar - Balances the spice with a touch of sweetness and helps the wings caramelize in the oven.
- Black pepper, coriander, and cumin - Layer in warm, earthy spice for complexity and depth.
🌿 Cilantro Dipping Sauce
- Mayonnaise + sour cream - Creates a creamy, tangy base for the dipping sauce.
- Garlic + jalapeño - Add punchy heat and freshness.
- Fresh cilantro - Brightens the sauce with herbal flavor.
- Lime zest + salt - Add acidity and lift, balancing the richness of the wings and creamy dip.
How to Make Baked Chicken Wings
- Pre-heat oven to 425F
- Place salt, sugar, and spices in a medium bowl and mix.
- Toss each wing in the spices to coat all sides, then place them on a wire rack inside a foil-lined baking sheet.
- When the oven is hot, roast wings for 20 minutes, turn over, and bake for 10 more minutes, or until done. (165F) For extra crispy skin, turn over again, broil for a couple of minutes, careful not to burn.
- While the chicken roasts, place all dipping sauce ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the wings with the cool, creamy cilantro sauce! To make a meal out of this, serve with a hearty green salad or veggie side dish!
Storage
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, bake in a 350F until warmed all the way through.
A much healthier way to serve up my husband’s favorite snack… and believe it or not, he absolutely loves them! Give them a try!
More recipes you may like:
- Sticky Asian Chicken Wings
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- 35+ Chicken Breast Recipes
- Baked Chicken Shawarma (vegan adaptable!)
- Easy Chicken Enchiladas
Baked Chicken Wings
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Diabetic, Gluten Free, Gluten-Free, high protein, Keto, Low-Carb
Description
Baked Chicken Wings w/ Smoky Chipotle Rub & Creamy Cilantro Dipping Sauce. A fast and healthy approach to chicken wings, packed full of deep smoky flavor!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 lbs chicken wings (thawed)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 jalapeno
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp lime zest
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425F
- Place salt, sugar and spices in a medium bowl and mix.
- Toss each wing in the spices, coating all sides, and place them on a wire rack placed inside a foil-lined baking sheet.
- When oven is hot, roast wings 20 minutes, turn over, and bake 10 more minutes, or until done. (165F) For extra crispy skin, turn over again, broil for a couple minutes, careful not to burn.
- While chicken is roasting, place all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a food processor and pulse until smooth.
- Place in a bowl and serve on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
For vegans, use the rub to coat tofu. Pan fry. See this Crispy tofu recipe!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 wings with sauce
- Calories: 187
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 770.9 mg
- Fat: 17.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.8 g
- Fiber: 1.4 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 17.6 mg
A BIG hit for dinner tonight and so easy. My husband liked the Cilantro sauce so much that we will have it mixed into a slaw with fish tacos tomorrow night! Thank you for all the amazing recipes!
Glad you are enjoying!
Do you recommend using the oven air fryer mode for these and if so what temp and time? Plan on making these for NYE. Many thanks.
HI Helen-I bet that would work great! I would keep it at 400F but have not tired this.
Very good. Like all the recipes I’ve tried on this site. BIG COMPLAINT: This site is extremely SLOW. Please take off ALL these ads!!
Hi Stacy- ads are how we “make a living”. But I am happy to report we now have an ad free option, just click the link at the top that says “ad-free”.
Very tasty! The best recipe of chicken wings!
Glad you enjoyed Dana!
Delicious! Will definitely make again!
Glad you enjoyed!
Hi Sylvia,
I made these along with the corn fritters and they were so awesome! My carnivore loving husband could not stop talking about them!! They were such a huge hit and tasted amazing with fritters! I just recent came across your blog and I am in LOVE with your recipes! Thank you so so much for sharing your expertise!
Thanks so much Lisa! Glad you enjoyed these!
Can’t find chipotle powder, can I replace with something else?
Try a mix of chili powder and smoked paprika. 🙂
Delicious! These were wonderful for Super Bowl Sunday—yummy alternative to traditional wings!
Great to hear!
These wings have been a staple at my house since the first time we made them for a Super Bowl party back in 2015. They couldn’t be easier and are so delicious. They literally taste as if they’ve been smoked overnight and the dipping sauce is a fantastic compliment as well. I can’t recommend these enough.
Awesome Ben! I always forget about these… my husband loves them too. I should surprise him this weekend… Thanks!
Yum, yum, yum! These wings are easy to put together and so tasty. I have to admit, I can’t do cilantro, but I used a mix of basil and parsley. The leftover sauce is a great dip for lots of treats including veggies.
I’m so happy you enjoyed this John!
These are so so good and they turn out every time! I’d love to try the dipping sauce but don’t keep mayo or sour cream on hand. Are there any alternatives I can use?
How about yogurt?
This is out-of-this-world good and so easy! What a great alternative to fried wings, and that sauce is the best I’ve ever had. For sides, I used your recipe for Mexican slaw and baked sweet potato fries sprinkled with chili powder and sea salt. Fabulous! You’ve done it again, Sylvia! Thank you!
These wings were so flavorful! My husband kept raving about how delicious they were. It was perfect in the oven but my husband loves to grill and wants to grill them next time. Thank you for another delicious recipe!
Perfect and thanks Diane- glad you both liked!
Made wings for Super Bowl appetizer. They were a hit!
Spicy, smokey rub and refreshing, cooling cilantro dip complimented each other so well…
Hi Gail- thanks so much for this!
Delicious wings! We loved the flavor and the dipping sauce.
Awesome Ann!
Hi Sylvia….I love it all! Lindy
Thanks Lindy!
Looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Do you have the nutrition information when made with tofu?
Use the info based on the Crispy tofu recipe!
I can’t wait to make these for my husband. I don’t eat chicken, could I use shrimp or tofu?
thank you for your wonderful recipes and inspiration!
Yes, tofu! See notes!
Oh yes, I see that now. Thank you!
Do you use thawed wings or frozen wings for marinating?
Thawed!
So easy to make and really tasty! Can’t get chipotle easily in the UK but they’re good even without it.
Oh, great to hear!
These are the best chicken wings I have ever had! The sauce compliments the wings and the taste is fantastic. I can’t wait to cook these again!
Thanks so much Jim!!!
Love the sound of this recipe. What else can I substitute for the brown sugar since I’m trying to avoid all sugars?
Thanks!!
Well, you can leave it out if you must?
What an incredibly delicious and flavoursome marinade – I have to make these wings!
thanks so much!
Digging that this is a rub rather than a marinade. Looks terrific!
You are welcome…it’s an easy one for sure!