Salt and pepper are the foundation of all good things. In Chinese cooking, the “pepper” is usually white pepper, rather than your standard black pepper. These simple, perfectly crispy Baked White Pepper Chicken Wings let both flavors really shine.
Add a beer, or maybe a big scoop of white rice, and you’ll be wondering how these simple baked chicken wings can be so tasty.
What does white pepper taste like?
While freshly ground black pepper has a certain floral, pungent aroma, white pepper has an earthy, more uniformly hot/spicy character that gets right to the back of the throat.
I think white pepper’s heat gives it an edge relative to black pepper. Greater quantities of white pepper = spicier, whereas greater quantities of black pepper = simply more “seasoned,” if that makes sense.
For example, if you’ve ever made our Hot and Sour Soup, you may have been surprised to realize that the “hot” flavor comes from white pepper rather than chilies!
How to Bake Crispy Chicken Wings In The Oven
Anyone who’s ever bitten into freshly fried Salt and Pepper Pork Chops or Salt and Pepper Squid knows that white pepper adds a great spicy kick to fried dishes!
While I love fried foods as much as the next animal brain, the mess of frying and unpredictable oil temperatures can sometimes be too much for this food blogger.
However, attempting “baked” equivalents of fried foods can feel like rolling the dice on non-crispy results.
Not to worry, though! We did some careful experimenting in the kitchen—I’m talking side-by-side, single wing comparisons with carefully controlled variables—to create the right formula for perfectly crispy baked chicken wings:
- Seasoning: It’s important to marinate the wings in advance for at least 20 minutes and then dredge them in a seasoned coating. Note, if you’d like your wings less spicy, you can reduce the amount of white pepper. I’ve provided a range in the recipe.
- Temperature: The oven should be HOT. 475 degrees F/245 degrees C does the trick.
- Coating: A mixture of flour and cornstarch makes for a great crisp coating. The cornstarch lends crispness, and the flour lends heft. Tossing the wings in the marinade bowl allows the flour to cling to them with the help of the liquid pooling in the bowl.
- Brushing: Brushing the wings with a light coating of oil helps get the crisping process started.
- Baking: Parchment paper on the baking sheet prevents the wings from burning and cooking unevenly! Flipping them halfway through also makes sure they have a chance to sizzle and crisp on the baking sheet.
Baked White Pepper Chicken Wings: Recipe Instructions
In a large bowl, marinate the chicken wings with ½ – 1 tablespoon white pepper, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon Sichuan pepper powder (if using), and 2 teaspoons oil for at least 20 minutes or up to a day in advance.
Next, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F/245 degrees C. Combine ½ cup flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ – 1 tablespoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (if using).
Toss the chicken wings in the flour mixture, adding a few handfuls to the marinade bowl until the wings are thoroughly coated. Using the same bowl as the one the wings marinated in is key, as the accumulated liquid in the bowl helps the flour coat them. You may not need all the flour, so add it a handful at a time.
Space the chicken wings evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the wings lightly with oil.
Bake the chicken wings for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through, and cooking until they’re crisp and golden. These would also be great in an air fryer!
Season with salt to taste before serving, if desired.
Baked White Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 3 pounds whole chicken wings (about 14 wings)
- 1-2 tablespoons white pepper powder (divided)
- 2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (optional)
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil (plus more for brushing)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, marinate the chicken wings with ½ - 1 tablespoon white pepper, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon Sichuan pepper powder (if using), and 2 teaspoons oil for at least 20 minutes or up to a day in advance.
- Next, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F/245 degrees C. Combine ½ cup flour, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ - 1 tablespoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder (if using).
- Toss the chicken wings in the flour mixture, adding a few handfuls to the marinade bowl until the wings are thoroughly coated. Using the same bowl as the one the wings marinated in is key, as the accumulated liquid in the bowl helps the flour coat them. You may not need all the flour, so add it a handful at a time.
- Space the chicken wings evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the wings lightly with oil.
- Bake the chicken wings for 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through, and cooking until they’re crisp and golden. These would also be great in an air fryer! Season with salt to taste before serving, if desired.
These turned out great in the air fryer (380F, 20 min (flip halfway). I only made about 2lbs so I didn’t use all the flour/cornstarch mixture. I guess I’ll just have to make more for New Years!
Sorry, I didn’t like this one. The flour soaked up all the grease that is usually produced with only baking powder to make it crisp. Everything else is ok.
Sorry this one didn’t work out for you! Cornstarch is what you might be referring to, rather than baking powder. Feel free to try that next time instead of the blend!
I adapted the seasoning a little and used the general contours of this recipe to bake 8 pounds of wings (not whole — they came with flats and drumettes already separated), then topped them with four different sauces/rubs, including your honey sriracha sauce from another baked wings recipe. They turned out great, especially later batches when I let them bake a little longer to get a better color and crisper texture. When I’m not tasked with trying a bunch of different sauces, I’ll definitely have to give the original, white pepper-seasoned version of this recipe a try!
Sounds like an awesome spread, Luisa!
Super yummy! Very easy to make and very crispy! Kids loved it!
Thanks for another brilliant recipe as always!
Thanks, Ling! The kids are always the ultimate test :)
Hi Kaitlin,
I’m excited to try this recipe! The only thing is, I’m not keen on wings (purely for health reasons–they are delicious and dangerously addictive!) Do you think I could I substitute chicken tenders? Thank you!
Hi Len. Chicken tenders don’t have quite enough fat. The chicken skin on the wings really does a lot of heavy lifting here, and I worry that the coating wouldn’t stick well to a clean piece of chicken breast. You could try chicken thighs or legs. I know that’s probably not ideal, but hope it helps!
wow! follow the twol rules and reap a huge reward! these wings are a knockout! used a convection oven and absolutely perfect!. crisp, light, flavourful…and…and you included the tips, which everyone else discards for stock or?! love those extra crispy bits!
ps love the new blog format too!
Thank you, Essell!!! :D Couldn’t agree more!
Grandiose es lo mejor que he encontrado dios los bendiga
Muchas gracias! :)
Thanks for the recipe! I used this recipe and adjusted for 670 g of chicken in a 3.6L capacity airfryer and cooked it for 20 min (turning twice) at 180oC. Delicious!
Yummm we’ve made this in an airfryer too! Turns out awesome!
Was a hit with the fam, and was so easy to make too!
Woo! Glad you enjoyed, Isabelle!