Crispy baked turkey wings recipe, comforting and incredibly delicious! Learn how to cook turkey wings in an easy, fuss-free manner!
A super easy recipe for baked turkey wings, involving just three ingredients and very few cooking steps.
I cooked a turkey in every possible way! Often a whole turkey. I’ve roasted the thighs, drumsticks, or breast; I use the bones to make stock or bone broth; I make goulash, stir-fries, or soups. I make gizzard stew, fry the liver, and cook the bird parts in the Dutch oven, cast-iron skillet, air-fryer, slow cooker, and so on.
And, except the heads and the feet, I’ve cooked any part of the bird there is, including offal, like heart, liver, or gizzards, all the bird’s bones, the neck, and the wings.
I often keep the wings to make stock and then turkey fricassee, but recently I’ve started roasting them as well. So if you like chicken wings (and who doesn’t?), you will absolutely love this turkey wings recipe.
Why make these easy-baked turkey wings?
They taste just as delicious as chicken, but there is more meat on the bones, more crispy skin, and more sticky fingers … So good, so much flavor, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
The perfect dish even for Thanksgiving dinner. If you don’t want to cook a whole Thanksgiving turkey, cook some crispy wings. The recipe is cheaper, faster, yet equally delicious. Or try some turkey legs instead.
Your whole family will love this dish, including the kids; delicious comfort food for any time of the year, not only for holiday cooking.
Ingredients
Turkey wings:
- They can be really large or regular-sized, which is much larger than chicken wings but not as large as the giant wing (only one) that I use to make stock and fricassee, enough to feed four people.
- For this recipe, I use regular-sized ones, which weigh about 600 g/ 1.3 oz each, so they are still quite large.
- Three wings weighing a total of about 2 kg/ 4.4 lbs were enough to feed 4 adults with leftovers.
- Turkey wings are not always available; you might want to ask your local butcher in advance if you are planning to cook some.
Dry rub:
- I often use lemon pepper (if I happen to have it).
- Otherwise, use your favorite dry rub, either homemade or store-bought. Regular poultry seasoning, something spicy like cajun seasoning, anything you like.
- Or make a dry rub by mixing garlic powder and onion powder, sweet (or hot) paprika, salt, and pepper. You can even add a little brown sugar if you like the dish to be sweeter. Or some chili powder, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper for a spicier dish.
- And if you don’t want to use any spices, salt, and pepper are all it takes, and the dish will still be delicious.
Other ingredients: olive oil, some turkey, or chicken stock. You will probably not be able to buy turkey stock, so chicken broth or stock will be fine unless you’ve already made your own turkey stock in advance.
How to bake turkey wings?
This recipe could not be easier; the only step involving a little effort is separating the wings at the joint if they are not cut already.
How to separate wings at the joint?
- Place the whole wing on a cutting board and cut the skin and meat around the joint to reveal it slightly.
- Grab the wing with both hands and break it at the joint. (1, 2)
- The two parts will probably still be attached here and there. Take the knife again and cut it around to release them completely. (3)
- Now you have a wingette and a drumette. (4)
How to roast?
- Place turkey wings in a deeper, large roasting pan; they should fit in a single layer (1). A flat baking sheet is not recommendable, as you will have a lot of turkey drippings.
- If they are wet, rub them with a paper towel until dry.
- Rub them well with a few tablespoons of olive oil.
- Sprinkle with the dry rub and use your hands to coat with the spices thoroughly. (2)
- Pour about 250 ml/ 1 cup hot stock into the roasting tin, making sure that you pour it around the meat so that you don’t wash away the seasoning. (3)
- Cover with aluminum foil and roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. (4)
- Remove the foil and continue roasting for 45 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the meat is cooked through.
- After this time, they should be ready. However, if they are much larger than the ones I used, make sure you check. The cook time depends on the size of the parts and on your oven.
- The safest way of checking is using a meat thermometer; the internal temperature should be 74 degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit (Amazon affiliate link).
- If you don’t have a thermometer, make a small cut into the thickest part of a wing, the juices should run clear, the meat should be soft, and the skin brown and crispy.
So, there you have it! An easy recipe, cheap and comforting, and so good it could replace a whole Thanksgiving turkey! Trust me, nobody will complain!
What to do with the leftover bones?
Never throw them away; they make the most wonderful stock. If I don’t have enough of them at one time or have no time to cook the stock immediately, I freeze them until I have enough.
- To make the stock, place the bones in a large pot.
- You can add a piece of fresh meat (either another raw wing, a few chicken wings, or 1-2 chicken legs). However, this is not mandatory; you can make a perfectly good stock using just roasted or fresh bones.
- Add 2 carrots, 1 small onion, a piece of celeriac, or 3-4 ribs of celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, and other spices, if you like. I always add some cloves, allspice, juniper berries, and sometimes some fennel seeds.
- Cover with cold water, don’t be tempted to use warm water to speed up the process. The stock started with warm or hot water will be cloudy.
- Bring to a simmer on high heat, reduce the heat to a minimum, and add some kosher salt. Cook gently, uncovered, for at least 4-5 hours and up to 12.
- To make bone broth, simmer for 24 hours.
- The stock can be made in the slow cooker as well. I usually place all the ingredients inside it late in the evening and let it cook on low until the next morning.
- You can use the stock to make any kind of soup you like, homemade gravy, add to stews, or to a casserole dish.
Can you reheat them?
Definitely! Place them on a baking tray or in a roasting tin and reheat in the oven at about 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through about 20 minutes, but check.
What to serve with?
I love the baked turkey wings with mashed potatoes. And any kind of veggies, from boiled or roasted Brussels sprouts or broccoli to fresh green salads.
You can also serve them with roasted potato wedges, cornmeal potatoes, carrot rice, or BBQ rice.
More turkey recipes
Check out the web story for this recipe.
Baked Turkey Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 lbs turkey wings 2 kg, Note 1
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry rub of choice Note 2
- 1 cup chicken stock 250 ml, Note 3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Separate the turkey wings at the joint if they are not already divided. Cut the skin and meat around the joint to reveal it slightly. Grab the wing with both hands and break it at the joint. The two parts will still be attached here and there. Retake the knife and cut around to release them completely.
- Season: Place the wing sections into a large (deeper) roasting tin. Rub them well with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dry rub, and use your hands to coat them completely with the spices.
- Bake covered: Pour the hot stock into the tin around the wings so that the spices are not washed away. Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour.
- Bake uncovered: Remove the foil and continue roasting for 45 minutes or until the wings are cooked through and the skin is crispy.
- Check internal temperature: If the wings are larger, prolong the cooking time until the turkey's internal temperature is 74 degrees Celsius/ 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Check that with a meat thermometer or by cutting into the thickest part of a wing, the meat should be soft, and the juices should run clear.
Notes
- I had 3 wings, each weighing about 600 g/ 1.3 lb.
- I often use 1 tablespoon lemon pepper mixed with sea salt and about ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika. Otherwise, use your favorite dry rub or just salt and pepper.
- Or turkey stock, if available.