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IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings 

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

You’ve got to dig a little deeper.

At first blush, this seems like a cop-out. It’s beer and chicken wings, it’s such an obvious pairing you want to scratch your eyes out, scream "Milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, jalapeño and avocado! Give me something new!" But calm down, it’s more than that. It’s a revelation.

Really, it’s because I’m a nerd. Which is what drew me to craft beer, the geeky side of beer: the what, the why, and the how of beer. It’s the same with food. I don’t just want to know how to brine a chicken, I want to know why it works.

I want to know what the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and I want to know how temperature affects meat. That’s why I read Cooks Illustrated. It’s not food porn, really there aren’t too many pictures, it’s food nerd porn. It’s the why, it’s not just the how.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Cooks Illustrated did a story on how to bake chicken wings in a way that the skin gets just as crispy as when you fry it. The fat is rendered, the skin is so crisp it makes a thump sound when you tap it with your nails. They nerd out on food in a way that makes me feel like I’m not alone. They tell you the kitchen fails, the reason they tried what they did, and what finally worked.

For this: baking powder that draws out moisture, low temperate to render fat, and high temperate to make the skin golden brown. If you’re still reading this, you might just be as big of a nerd as I am. And next time we meet, I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll talk all kinds of food nerd talk.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs party wings
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup IPA beer
  • 4 tbs melted butter
  • ¼ cup Sriracha
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • up to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250.
  • Add the wings to a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking powder and salt, toss to coat.
  • Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, brush with oil or spray with cooking spray.
  • Place the wings on the wire rack.
  • Bake in the lower section of the oven for 30 minutes. Move to the upper 1/3 of the oven, increase oven temperature to 425. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
  • In a large bowl stir together the beer, melted butter, sriracha, honey, cayenne pepper (as little or as much as you want for the heat level you want) and cornstarch.
  • Toss the wings in the sauce, serve warm.

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Comments


JudyP June 10, 2015 um 5:49 am

I will have to try this method. We love our wings crispy and spicy. Where does the beer come in to the recipe?

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Jackie June 10, 2015 um 7:55 am

It’s in the sauce

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Joe November 6, 2015 um 9:20 pm

Problem here. If you add up the cooking time these will be in the oven for over an hour. An entire chicken can be cooked in about an hour and 20 minutes. This really needs to be reviewed and reposted. It does however sound like a great dish.

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Jackie November 7, 2015 um 10:14 am

This is a heavily tested reicipe put out by America’s Test Kitchen. The first cooking time is at a very low temp just to render the fat. I’ve made them dozens of times, it works amazing well. Just google "America’s Test Kitchen Baking Powder Wings" and read the hundreds of people who have made this with perfect results.

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Gloria February 6, 2016 um 7:09 am

I’m definitely going to try this recipe for the Superbowl tomorrow. They look delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

Karla March 4, 2016 um 2:46 pm

Review it yourself Joe, after you try making them and repost your comment. These are perfect every time.

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Keith June 10, 2015 um 5:55 am

Where do you use the 1/4 cup IPA?

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JJ June 27, 2015 um 7:12 pm

The IPA is used in Step #6

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Denise June 10, 2015 um 6:55 am

I love that you learned how to bake crispy chicken wings and just taught me all in that one paragraph! I have always wanted to know but have never researched….this is perfect! I will be making these as soon as wings go on sale at the store….CAN’T WAIT!

Reply

kelly | kelly’s ambitious kitchen June 10, 2015 um 9:18 am

these made my mouth water! we’re huge ipa fans AND huge wing fans.. can’t wait to try these! thanks for the awesome tips!

Reply

Dan June 10, 2015 um 12:30 pm

If I buy the big bag of frozen wings, do I tinker with the recipe or do I need to defrost them first?

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Jackie June 10, 2015 um 12:37 pm

Defrost first. Leave them in the fridge for at least 24 hours prior to using. If you don’t the will still be raw on the inside.

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Moish June 10, 2015 um 1:52 pm

Thanks for that, diff going to give it a go.

P.s. Is the a Jewish prayer shawl ? 😉

Reply

Jackie June 10, 2015 um 2:08 pm

No but it does totally look like it!

Reply

Moish June 11, 2015 um 7:19 am

Too true!

Tell me please, when will you have your book back in stock so I can order a signed copy? Big fan!

Reply

Mary Ann June 11, 2015 um 5:33 am

Jackie, could you brine your wings first (maybe adding a little IPA to the mix there too) or would that just introduce too much liquid to the mix?

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Jackie June 11, 2015 um 9:29 am

Absolutely! I thought about that after I’d started. Definitely going to try that next time.

Reply

Berlin June 11, 2015 um 11:28 am

did we just become best friends?!

Reply

Capo June 26, 2015 um 1:28 pm

I’ll buy the beer if we meet! 🙂

Cheers

Reply

JJ June 27, 2015 um 7:15 pm

30 minutes at the low temp, and then another 45 at the higher temp on top of that? For wings? They’ll be sawdust after 75 minutes, no?

Or is it 30 minutes then another 15, for a total of 45?

This is not clear: Bake in the lower section of the oven for 30 minutes. Move to the upper 1/3 of the oven, increase oven temperature to 425. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

I do look forward to trying these.

Reply

Jackie June 28, 2015 um 5:24 pm

No. Cooks Illustrated is put out by America’s Test Kitchen, the recipes are the most heavily tested recipes there are, all tested by chefs. The first 30 minutes doesn’t do much to cook them, just renders fat. You can google the "crispy cooks illustrated chicken wings" recipe and see the countless amount of people that have made this recipe, all with outstanding results.

Bake for 30 minutes at low temp.
Bake for an additional 45 minutes at a higher temp.

Reply

Tommy September 11, 2015 um 5:07 pm

I do wings this way but straight up for 1 hour at 400 and they come out crispy yet still juicy in the middle.

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Sean Judge November 7, 2015 um 7:38 am

What do i do with the left over beer?

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JAMES November 7, 2015 um 11:06 pm

Hello Jackie can I put the wings in a smoker?

Reply

Jackie November 8, 2015 um 11:38 am

If you want to do smoked wings, it’s best to use a recipe for that. I’ve never smoked wings before, so I’m sure of the cooking times. It does sound like a great idea!

Reply

Matt February 2, 2016 um 3:42 pm

I have heard of people making smoked wings and that people have said they were good.
My personal experience however….took part in a family wing off competition, with a total of ten wing varieties. My brother in law decided to make smoked wings….I immediately thought he was a God and I would be toast…thinking they would be amazing. But to tell you the truth….they came in last place. No one in our family really seemed to care for the smoked flavor at all. Seemed like a great idea, but be careful if say…just my 2 cents. Cheers.

Reply

reggie December 27, 2015 um 8:13 am

what is IPA beer?

Reply

Jackie December 27, 2015 um 9:09 am

It’s a light in color beer with a high amount of hops which gives it a really intense flavor. You can substitute any light in color beer and it will be fine (pale lager, pale ale, wheat beer, hefeweizen).

Reply

Dan January 20, 2016 um 4:43 pm

Holy $#!@ ! Just made these. AMAZING! Made your Mac N Cheese with it and the only thing I regret is I can’t eat any more because I’m too full.Need to go to bed so I can wake up and eat more tomorrow!

Reply

Jackie January 20, 2016 um 5:25 pm

I love that!

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Maren May 13, 2016 um 2:26 pm

Best comment ever.

Reply

Matt February 2, 2016 um 3:36 pm

This sounds like a great addition to my planned Guinness wing recipe for this coming Super Bowl weekend. I’m a big fan of baking the sauce on the wings so the sauce gets nice and Carmelized(personal pref I guess) Can’t see why you couldn’t do the same recipe but start the oven with the sauce on eh??? Thanks…sounds great!!(I might add a hint of lime…but that is my inability to leave things well enough alone. Lol) cheers!

Reply

gabe March 13, 2016 um 8:50 am

Made these wings with my own homebrew for a night of brewing. Everyone loved them and couldn’t believe they were not fried. Thanks for the great recipe.

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Jackie March 14, 2016 um 10:26 am

That’s awesome! I love this method so much that I’ll never cook chicken wings another way.

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brandon July 6, 2017 um 10:37 am

I cannot believe this wasn’t mentioned yet, but do not to use baking powder with any aluminum in it or you will get a metallic taste.

Reply

Noël January 28, 2018 um 6:37 pm

All I have to say is…. America’s Test Kitchen are the gods of the cooking world. These came out AMAZING! The only thing I would change is the sauce. While I followed all the rules for the first time at it, I must admit, the honey killed it for me. I like my wings spicy and this was just too sweet. However, the crunch, the crisp, the juice was all there. Plus, I had some delicious Celebration IPA to share with it. The hubs also approved and we will make this again, only spicier. Cheers!

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Kristie January 5, 2020 um 2:48 pm

As a fellow beer and food nerd (and an appreciation for the Test Kitchen’s commitment to trying a recipe 50 bazillion times—with documentation!), I look forward to the day we bump into each other at a brewery. Until then, I’m really looking forward to serving these at the beer event we’re hosting in a couple of weeks. Thank you!

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Jackie January 6, 2020 um 11:06 am

I hope so too!

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Wendy Sanchez October 22, 2020 um 8:49 am

Made these last night and they were delicious. The cooking method is on point!

Reply

Jackie October 22, 2020 um 9:11 am

Great! This is literally the ONLY way I make wings now!

Reply

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