Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings Recipe

Game day? Or are you just having some friends over? Regardless, these succulent wings will be packed with flavor to get you and your guests going! It’s spice-friendly, especially for those of us that can’t handle the heat. I reckon these wings would win over those of us that like spicy wings too. It’s garlicky. It’s cheesy. It’s fragrant with lots of herbs. The only thing it’s not is… hard to make.

Chicken Marinade Ingredients:

4 lbs. chicken wings

1 tbsp baking powder

Salt to taste

½ tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp paprika

Splash of olive oil

Wing Sauce Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

3 cloves of garlic minced

¼ to ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

½ tsp dried oregano

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp garlic powder

Red chili flakes to taste

1.5 tbsp maple syrup

• On a cutting board, chop all the wings into drumsticks and flats. Pat the chicken dry if needed. Place all the wings in a bowl.
• Add the baking powder to the wings and give it a good toss. Coating the wings in baking powder ensures crispiness and good coloring on the chicken.
• Next, add the salt, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika to the chicken. The ingredient amounts mentioned for these seasonings are recommended. But feel free to adjust the seasoning amounts. You can rarely go wrong with lots of garlic. Add a splash of olive oil to the chicken mixture as well. This will help the seasoning stick to the wings.
• Preheat the oven to 400 F and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Add another splash of olive oil and spread it out on the baking sheet. Doing so ensures the wings will not stick.
• Place the wings on the baking sheet. Spread them out as much possible. That’ll be a bit difficult with 4 lbs. of wings, but try, nonetheless. Pop the wings into the middle rack oven.
• After about 20 to 30 minutes, flip all the wings to ensure both sides are evenly cooked. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. The cooking time depends on your oven and how colored you want your wings.
• While the wings are baking, we can make the sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic to the butter and let it cook for a few minutes. Make sure the garlic does not brown. Turn off the heat.
• In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic powder, chili flakes and maple syrup. Add more chili flakes if you like it spicy. You can also use light corn syrup or honey instead of the maple syrup. Mix all of these ingredients well and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Add the melted butter and minced garlic mixture to the sauce and mix well.
• Once the wings are done in the oven, take them out and carefully remove them from the baking sheet. Toss all the wings in the bowl with the sauce. Use large tongs to coat the wings well. There tends to be more sauce at the bottom, so try to get all the sauce to coat the wings.
• Optionally, grate some extra parmesan cheese and finely chop some parsley to garnish the wings. Dig in and enjoy!

It’s hard not to smother my face in those wings. Don’t be embarrassed if all of your fingers and your face have sauce on it. We’ve all been there. I highly recommend having some ranch on the side to dip your wings in. An ice-cold beer to accompany those wings are heavenly as well.