Garlic Butter Wings

Why This Chicken Wing Recipe Works

• It is versatile: You can cook the chicken in the oven or outside grill. You can even make air fryer chicken wings! Either way, the hot air gives you crispy results. Dare we say: crispy perfection.
• It is loaded with flavor: The chicken is garlicky, buttery, and well-seasoned. A flavor explosion and finger-licking good!
• It can be served in different ways: You can serve these Garlic Butter Wings as appetizer party wings. They are perfect for game day and just football season in general! Or serve them as a quick dinner. It’s also a great recipe for entertaining.
• No need for additional dipping sauces: The garlic butter is enough to coat the chicken wings with enough left for dipping the chicken in. worth making again!

For another appetizer recipe that could serve as a main dish, also check out this Salmon Bites Recipe.

Ingredients Needed

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make impressive and well-seasoned Garlic Butter Wings!

• Chicken wings: Drumettes and flats will work here but if you have only drumettes, those will work as well. If you have whole chicken wings, cut them into sections and save the wing tips for making chicken stock.
• Chicken Bouillon Powder: This adds extra flavor to the chicken, something you won’t find in other recipes. The bouillon powder we use and recommend is Knorr Chicken Bouillon Powder, but that is just our personal preference. We highly recommend you use it unless you are allergic to MSG, which it contains.
• Onion Powder and Garlic Powder: Our secret for adding flavor to most proteins, whether pan-seared, grilled, or cooked in the oven.
• Minced fresh garlic: For the best flavor, mince your own garlic. You could finely mince the garlic on a chopping board with a knife or you could grate the garlic using a microplane zester, or press the garlic using a garlic press.

For the full list of ingredients with measurements, check out the recipe card below.

How it comes together

Here is how to make Garlic Butter Wings in 6 easy steps.

• Prepare and season chicken. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove extra moisture then season the chicken with table or kosher salt, black pepper, chicken bouillon powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.

• Bake, low-broil, grill, or air fry the chicken. Place wings onto a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and top with a wire rack or a large-rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with olive oil (or other cooking spray). Use foil because parchment paper might make them stick.
• Then, cook the chicken using the method of choice. If baking, bake wings at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 to 30 minutes, flipping at the halfway mark. This high temperature is necessary for crispy garlic butter chicken wings.

• Make the garlic butter sauce: Melt room temperature butter in a medium skillet (larger than just a small saucepan) on medium heat then add minced garlic to the melted butter and stir. Turn off heat then add lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper.

• Toss chicken and sauce: Add the homemade garlic butter sauce to a large bowl with the cooked chicken wings, and then toss together to combine. Try to scrape out every last bit of remaining butter sauce, because you want to enjoy every drop that you can! Also, avoid using a small bowl because you need enough room to toss wings comfortably.

• Garnish and serve. Garnish with fresh parsley or chives and serve warm.

Easily mince garlic by grating it using a microplane zester or by pressing the garlic with a sturdy garlic press.

Other ways

• Spicy: Add some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick. You can also add a dash of buffalo sauce or other hot sauce to the melted butter mixture. Who doesn’t love spicy buffalo wings?

• Different seasoning: Seasoning the chicken with other seasoning blends like cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, or all-purpose seasoning.

• Teriyaki chicken wings: Toss the cooked chicken wings in teriyaki sauce to make teriyaki chicken wings.

• Parmesan chicken wings: Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the chicken wings for a satisfying parmesan flavor. Garlic parmesan wings are lovely. While you’re at it, sprinkle on some lemon zest, too!

Also, check out these recipes: Lemon Butter Salmon, Pan Seared Chicken Tenders, and Chicken Macaroni Salad.

Cook notes

• Always pat chicken wings dry before seasoning them so they bake up crispy under the high heat.
• When sauteeing minced garlic in butter, ensure that the heat is on medium and turn off the heat 15 seconds after the garlic enters the pan to prevent the garlic from burning. Sauteeing the garlic a little bit removes the rawness and helps the flavors bloom.
• For more flavorful Garlic Butter Wings, consider swapping plain unsalted butter for more flavorful butter like European butter. Irish butter and president butter are two favorite brands of European butter we use when we can find them.
• To make the wings ahead, the best way is to bake the wings the day before and store in the fridge then the next day, bake to reheat and toss with the garlic butter sauce.
• To test the chicken for doneness, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. The internal temperature should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit for the chicken to be considered done.
• Keep leftover wings in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for 3-4 days. We recommend reheating them in the oven or air fryer to restore the extra crispy skin. Make sure they are in a single layer on the sheet pan or in the air fryer basket. Overfilling the baking tray will cause uneven heating.

• Yield: 4 servings
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken wings
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

Garlic Butter Sauce

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic, about 4 garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 Tablespoon freshly minced parsley or chives, for garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to low broil. Broil uses the upper heating element of the oven. If your oven doesn't have this function, then preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit instead.
2. Prepare and season chicken: Pat chicken dry using paper towels. To the chicken, add the ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of black pepper, chicken bouillon powder, onion powder, and garlic powder. Toss the wings together with the seasoning well, ensuring that the seasoning evenly coats the chicken.
3. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil then place a rack on the baking sheet. Add the seasoned chicken wings on the rack in a single layer. If you don't have a rack, you could bake the chicken directly on aluminum foil brushed or sprayed with oil.
4. Bake or low-broil the chicken in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes to 30 minutes, flipping the chicken to the other side after 15 minutes.
5. Make the garlic butter sauce: Place a medium or large skillet on medium heat on the stovetop. Add the butter and let it melt. Add the minced garlic and stir for 15 to 30 seconds. Turn off the heat so the garlic doesn't burn. Stir in the lemon juice then season with a pinch of salt and black pepper. For a little spicy kick, you could also season with a little crushed pepper flakes.
6. Toss chicken and sauce: Place the cooked chicken in a large mixing bowl, add the garlic butter sauce then toss to combine, ensuring that the garlic butter sauce coats every chicken wing.
7. Garnish: Garnish with chopped chives or minced parsley.
8. Serve: serve as is because the garlic butter sauce underneath the chicken also makes a great dipping sauce or serve with a dipping sauce of your choice.