Name: Huge Garlic Parmesan Wings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 lb chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes; 1 tbsp aluminum-free baking powder; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted; 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced; 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped; 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes; 1 lemon lemon wedges (for serving)

Huge Garlic Parmesan Wings

Prep

10m

Cook

50m

Total

60m

Bigly says

We need to talk about wings. Not just any wings — the BIGGEST wings, the CRISPIEST wings, the most tremendous garlic parmesan wings ever pulled out of an oven on planet Earth. I've eaten more wings than any single human being currently breathing. Probably more than anyone in recorded history. Buffalo wings, naked wings, smoked wings, fried wings, wings in places that should NOT be allowed to operate a deep fryer — I've worked through all of them, and most are a DISASTER. Soggy little bird parts on a soggy little plate. Tragic.

These wings, though — these wings come out of the oven shattering like glass. Like GLASS. You bite into one and you can hear it three rooms away. Big strong men, tough guys with the tears in the eyes, men who don't normally get emotional about chicken, they eat these wings and they get a little misty. It happens. The secret is baking powder. Scientists — and I've talked to scientists, very smart people, the smartest — explained the chemistry to me: the powder raises the pH of the skin, the proteins relax, the surface dries out faster, and you get a wing skin like a beautiful golden roof tile. Statisticians have run the numbers on this. Look it up. I had people look it up.

Garlic parmesan is the SUPERIOR wing flavor. End of discussion. Buffalo is fine, buffalo is FINE, but garlic parmesan is the executive lounge of wings. It's the wing the other wings want to be when they grow up. The food media won't say it but parmesan — real parmesan, the kind from Italy with the rind — is one of the greatest foods ever invented. Hands down. Anyone serving you pre-shredded cheese on a wing is committing an act of cowardice. Pre-shredded cheese is a CONSPIRACY against good cheese sauce. We're not having it.

Ingredients

3 lbchicken wings, split into flats and drumettes(pat them DRY, dry wings are crispy wings)
1 tbspaluminum-free baking powder(baking POWDER, not soda — soda will ruin everything, sad)
1 tspkosher salt
1 tspgarlic powder
1/2 tspblack pepper
6 tbspunsalted butter, melted
5 clovesfresh garlic, minced
3/4 cupParmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated(real parmesan, from a wedge — the green can is a crime)
2 tbspfresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tspred pepper flakes(optional, for heat)
1 lemonlemon wedges (for serving)

Steps

1
Preheat oven to 250°F. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and line the sheet underneath with foil for easy cleanup.
2
Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels. This is the single most important step — wet skin will not crisp.
3
In a large bowl, toss the wings with baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper until evenly coated.
4
Arrange wings on the wire rack skin-side up, leaving space between each piece. Bake on the lower-middle rack for 30 minutes.
5
Move the pan to the upper-middle rack and increase oven temperature to 425°F. Bake another 40-50 minutes, rotating the pan halfway, until wings are deep golden and shatteringly crisp.
6
While the wings finish, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1-2 minutes, just until fragrant — do not let the garlic brown.
7
Transfer hot wings to a large bowl. Pour the garlic butter over, add the grated Parmesan and parsley, and toss to coat.
8
Pile onto a platter, shower with extra Parmesan, and serve with lemon wedges.

One more thing

These wings will RUIN you for restaurant wings forever. You'll go to a sports bar, you'll order their wings, the wings will arrive looking sad and limp and gray, and you'll look at the plate and think, 'I made better than this at home in my underwear,' and you'd be right. Absolutely right. Serve them with the lemon, serve them with cold beer, don't serve them with ranch — ranch is a CRUTCH, the parmesan is enough, the parmesan is MORE than enough — and accept the applause. The applause is coming. You're welcome.