Skip to content
Ketogenic Chef

Recipes

Chili-Garlic Chicken Wings (Oven-Crisped, No Flour)

Oven-crisped chicken wings with no flour, tossed in chili-garlic butter. Costco wings plus pantry spices, with Foodland, Times and Don Quijote shopping notes.

Wings are my game-day plate. Big tray in the oven, everybody grabbing from the middle of the table, and nobody missing the breading. The skin gets crisp from a dry rub and a hot oven, then the wings get tossed in chili-garlic butter right before they hit the plate.

I'm Mark. The only trick here is patience: dry the wings well and give them room on the rack.

Yield: 4 servings | Prep: 15 min, plus optional fridge rest | Cook: example 45-55 minutes

Hawaii grocery notes

  • Costco: the big bag of wings, or party wings already split into flats and drumettes. Garlic in the big jar or fresh heads. Butter.
  • Foodland / Times: smaller wing packs if you're cooking for two. Green onion and cilantro.
  • Don Quijote: chili garlic sauce and chili flakes. Read the label and pick one with no added sugar or corn syrup.
  • No flour, no cornstarch, no sweet glaze.

Ingredients (4 servings)

  • About 3 lb chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili flakes, more to taste

Chili-garlic butter:

  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp chili garlic sauce (no-sugar label)
  • A squeeze of lemon or a splash of rice vinegar (unseasoned)

To serve:

  • Sliced green onion and cilantro
  • Celery or cucumber sticks

Instructions

  1. Dry. Pat the wings very dry with paper towels. Wet skin steams instead of crisping.
  2. Season. Toss the wings with the salt, garlic powder, pepper and chili flakes.
  3. Rest (optional). Example: lay them on a rack over a tray, uncovered in the fridge, a few hours or overnight. The skin dries further and crisps better.
  4. Heat the oven. Example: 425°F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined sheet pan.
  5. Bake. Spread the wings on the rack, skin side up, with space between them. Example time: 45-55 minutes, flipping once halfway, until the skin is deep golden and crisp. Wing size varies, so go by color and crunch, and cook chicken through.
  6. Make the butter. While the wings finish, melt the butter in a small pan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two until fragrant, not brown. Stir in the chili garlic sauce and the lemon or vinegar.
  7. Toss. Put the hot wings in a big bowl, pour the chili-garlic butter over, and toss to coat.
  8. Serve. Pile on a plate, top with green onion and cilantro, and put the celery or cucumber sticks on the side.

Notes

  • Crowding the rack is the number one way to get soft skin. Use two pans if you need to.
  • Toss in the sauce right before serving. Sauced wings that sit go soft.
  • Want it hotter? Add more chili flakes to the rub, or chili pepper water at the table.
  • Leftovers: reheat on a rack in a hot oven or an air fryer, not the microwave, to bring the crunch back.

Mark Souza
Honolulu