This is, hands-down, the BEST Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings recipe you will ever find. Unlike other recipes, this is made with garlic confit and good-quality parmigiano-reggiano cheese! Plus, there is no frying necessary, these oven-baked wings will change your life.
I've never been a big chicken wing fan, until I had flavorful wings like this. Inspired by my favorite garlic parmesan wings of all time at Swordfish Cocktail Club in Greenville, SC, these wings are easy to make and they have the most satisfyingly delicious garlic parm sauce. These are a perfect party appetizer and great for game day! Because these are so saucy, you definitely won't feel the need for a dipping sauce on the side!
This recipe uses garlic confit, which is a delicious slow-cooked method of preparing garlic. Confit means to 'cook in it's own fat,' like how duck confit is cooked in duck fat. Garlic confit is slowly cooked on a very low temperature in olive oil until it becomes soft, mashable, and golden in color. Follow my Garlic Confit recipe to make it!
Table of Contents:
Ingredients
- Chicken wings - This recipe uses cut chicken wings ("normal" wings in the U.S.), but you could use whole wing pieces if desired.
- Confit Garlic Cloves - Cook garlic cloves submerged in olive oil at a low temperature until golden and soft.
- Softened Salted Butter
- Lemon juice
- Salt
- Cracked Black Pepper
- Onion Powder - Garlic powder would work here just as well, if desired.
- Vegetable oil - or another high-heat neutral oil like canola oil
- Parmigiano reggiano cheese - For best results, use high quality parmigiano reggiano. Please, do not use the "green tube cheese" for this chicken wing recipe.
- Chopped parsley - Finely chopped chives would work here as well.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Make the confit garlic if needed. To do so, submerge garlic cloves in olive oil and cook on very low heat until garlic cloves become soft, jammy, and lightly golden colored. Remove cloves and save 1-2 tablespoons for this recipe and remaining oil for another use.
Pre-heat oven to 400º Fahrenheit
Pat chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. Add wings to a large bowl with a pinch of kosher salt, onion powder, and about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Toss to combine.
Lay wings in a single layer on a wire rack lined sheet tray, skin side up. Roast in oven at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and with crispy skin, with an internal temperature of at least 165ºF.
In a separate bowl, mash the confit garlic into a paste with about 1-2 tablespoons of the garlic cooking oil. Add softened butter, a pinch of salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Add parmesan cheese incrementally, stirring and tasting periodically.
Once the garlic parmesan sauce is to your liking, add the cooked wings to the bowl and toss to coat. Once coated add more cheese to the wings, along with about ½ of the chopped parsley. Stir again.
Serve wings on a platter or in a large bowl, adding any excess sauce on top of the pile of wings. Garnish with a bit more cheese and the remaining parsley.
Hint: This is one of those recipes where your taste is the guide. As you add cheese, salt, lemon, etc, continue to taste until it is how you like it!
Variations
I think this recipe is perfect as is, but if you want to tweak it, here are some options.
- Spicy - add some red pepper flakes into the butter sauce for a little kick.
- Optionally add some more lemon zest and lemon juice for a bit more tangy flavor!
Equipment
- 2 Large bowls
- Wire rack
- Sheet tray
Storage
These aren't great for storing, so I recommend eating them all without leftovers. However, if you must, store in an airtight container and re-heat on a low temperature in the oven.
Top tips
To make the chicken extra crispy, pat them dry and and heavily salt all sides with diamond crystal kosher salt the night before making this recipe. Store salted chicken wings on a wire rack lined sheet tray in the refrigerator. This will help draw out excess moisture, making the end result super crispy!
The original wings that these are based on actually uses whole wings, which are much larger than the typical chicken wing we're used to. If you can get your hands on whole chicken wings (think from the shoulder to the end of the wing, rather than cut in half), I recommend it! You may need to bake for slightly longer. Serve about 3 whole wings per person.
FAQ
For this recipe, no. The sauce is a buttery garlic sauce, so baking the sauce would only cause it to melt and potentially burn. You want to roast the wings alone first to get crispy wings, then toss in the parmesan wing sauce.
400 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature to roast wings. This helps it cook the wings all the way through while also achieving a crispy exterior!
This recipe has not been formulated for air fryer chicken wings, so I cannot say for certain. However, if you would like to try to make baked chicken wings in the air fryer, follow the same method: toss wings in oil, lay skin side up in the air fryer basket, air fry, until crispy and cooked through then coat in the sauce at the end. As far as the time and temperature for the wings, I have not tested that.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Parmesan Garlic Wings:
Love a recipe you've tried? Please leave a 5-star🌟 rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe
Crispy Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings
Equipment
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 Sheet Pan
- 1 Cooling rack
Ingredients
- 15 Chicken wings
- 8-10 cloves Garlic confited
- 1½ tablespoon Garlic olive oil from the garlic confit, or just plain olive oil
- 3 tablespoon Salted butter softened
- ½ Lemon juiced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt divided in half, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder optional
- 2 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- ½ cup Parmigiano reggiano cheese grated
- 1 tablespoon Parsley minced
- 3-4 Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Make the confit garlic if needed. To do so, submerge garlic cloves in olive oil and cook on very low heat until garlic cloves become soft, jammy, and lightly golden colored. Remove cloves and save 1-2 tablespoons for this recipe and remaining oil for another use.
- Pre-heat oven to 400º Fahrenheit.
- Pat chicken wings completely dry with paper towels. Add wings to a large bowl with a ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Toss to combine.
- Lay wings in a single layer on a wire rack lined sheet tray, skin side up. Roast in oven at 400ºF for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and with crispy skin, with an internal temperature of at least 165ºF. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, us the back of a fork to mash the confit garlic into a paste with 1½ tablespoons of the garlic cooking oil and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Add softened butter, black pepper, and lemon juice. Stir and mash to combine into a mostly smooth paste. Add parmesan cheese incrementally, stirring and tasting periodically. Reserve a small amount of parmesan for later.
- Once the garlic parmesan sauce is to your liking, add the cooked wings to the bowl and toss to coat. Once coated add more cheese to the wings, along with about ½ of the chopped parsley. Toss again.
- Serve wings on a platter or in a large bowl, adding any excess garlic sauce on top of the pile of wings. Garnish with a the remaining parmesan cheese and the remaining parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- Make the confit garlic by submerging cloves in olive oil and simmering at a low temp.
- To make the chicken extra crispy, pat them dry and and heavily salt all sides with diamond crystal kosher salt the night before making this recipe. Store salted chicken wings on a wire rack lined sheet tray in the refrigerator. This will help draw out excess moisture, making the end result super crispy!
- The original wings that these are based on actually uses whole wings, which are much larger than the typical chicken wing we're used to. If you can get your hands on whole chicken wings (think from the shoulder to the end of the wing, rather than cut in half), I recommend it! You may need to bake for slightly longer. Serve about 3 whole wings per person.
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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