Baked Turkey Wings
Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
95 minutes (plus dry brining)
Having a good baked turkey wings recipe in your back pocket means an affordable crowd-pleasing dinner is never far from reach. While many people opt for chicken thighs, legs, or wings as their go-to dark meat, turkey wings offer up more meat, are equally as delicious, and often come in at a fraction of the cost. It’s also worth mentioning turkey wings are available all year round, not just during the Thanksgiving holiday.
In this recipe turkey wings get tossed in a simple spice rub featuring onion and garlic powders, smoked paprika, and pepper, as well as salt, sugar, and baking powder. They are left in the fridge for at least one hour before baking, ensuring they stay moist during cooking (the baking powder also helps the skin to crisp up). The wings get baked on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet scattered with onions and garlic. The rack allows hot air to circulate around both the top and bottom of the wings. While they bake, their drippings collect in the baking sheet, mingling with the onions and garlic, helping the aromatics to soften and caramelize. Then the onions and garlic get transformed into a gravy-like blender sauce to serve alongside the wings. It’s savory, slightly tangy (thanks to Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar), and remarkably creamy without any dairy. For anyone looking for a simple way to upgrade wings (or any cut of poultry), this sauce is the answer. But if all you want is juicy, crispy wings, feel free to skip this step and enjoy the turkey wings on their own.
It is important to note that turkey wings can range in size from giant 1-lb. wings to more commercially available 10-oz. ones. The latter are best suited to high-heat cooking while the larger wings are better suited for low, slow cooking techniques and not recommended for this recipe. Butterball turkey wings are a good option here.
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What you’ll need
Baking Sheet and Wire Rack Combo
$31 At Amazon
Blender
$140 At Amazon
Smoked Paprika
$8 At Hive
Ingredients
4–6 servings
Step 1
Mix 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. baking powder, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1 Tbsp. onion powder, 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, and 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper in a large bowl to combine. Add 4 lb. turkey wings (about 6), tips removed, drumettes and flats separated, and toss to coat evenly. Arrange, presentation side down (typically that’s the side with the most surface area), on a wire rack placed inside a rimmed baking sheet. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
Step 2
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 400°. Remove rack with turkey wings from baking sheet (leave wings on rack) and scatter 2 large white onions, thinly sliced, 8 garlic cloves, lightly smashed, and 2 Tbsp. thyme leaves across baking sheet. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil over and toss vegetables to coat. Place rack with turkey back inside baking sheet over aromatics. Brush top of wings with about half of remaining ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil.
Step 3
Roast turkey, turning over and brushing with remaining oil halfway through, until crisp, dark golden brown, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers at least 165°, 50–65 minutes.
Step 4
Transfer turkey wings to a platter. Pour 1¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth into baking sheet, scraping up any burnt bits. Carefully transfer liquids and solids to a blender. Add 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1½ tsp. apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1½ tsp. freshly ground pepper, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and blend until smooth. Taste sauce and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and serve with turkey wings for dipping.
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