Appreciation post: the cornstarch trick for crispy wings finally clicked for me

I kept seeing people in this sub say their wings come out soggy, and I was nodding along because mine did too for like 6 months. Then I tried patting them dry with paper towels and tossing them in a tablespoon of cornstarch before seasoning. Last night I made 12 wings at 380 degrees for 18 minutes, flipping halfway, and they had that crackly skin I always see in the photos. Has anyone else found another ingredient that helps with crispiness or is cornstarch the main go-to?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_hall1mo ago

Cornstarch is fine and all but people act like they invented fire because they dusted some powder on chicken wings. 18 minutes at 380 sounds like a recipe for leather honestly unless your oven runs hot or you're using some tiny wings. Also "crackly skin" - it's chicken, not a bag of chips. Try baking powder instead of cornstarch (like a 50/50 mix with salt) and let them sit uncovered in the fridge for a few hours first. That's the real game changer, not tossing some cornstarch on right before you throw them in.

janah831mo ago

Wait, you're saying letting them dry out in the fridge first does more than any powder?

jenny471mo agoTop Commenter

Wait, HOURS in the fridge? That's insane. I always just tossed them in the seasoning directly. I had no idea you were supposed to let chicken hang out in the fridge that long.