Baked Turkey Wings

Having a good baked turkey wings recipe in your back pocket means an affordable crowd-pleasing dinner is never far from reach. While many people opt for chicken thighs, legs, or wings as their go-to dark meat, turkey wings offer up more meat, are equally as delicious, and often come in at a fraction of the cost. It’s also worth mentioning turkey wings are available all year round, not just during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

In this recipe turkey wings get tossed in a simple spice rub featuring onion and garlic powders, smoked paprika, and pepper, as well as salt, sugar, and baking powder. They are left in the fridge for at least one hour before baking, ensuring they stay moist during cooking (the baking powder also helps the skin to crisp up). The wings get baked on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet scattered with onions and garlic. The rack allows hot air to circulate around both the top and bottom of the wings. While they bake, their drippings collect in the baking sheet, mingling with the onions and garlic, helping the aromatics to soften and caramelize. Then the onions and garlic get transformed into a gravy-like blender sauce to serve alongside the wings. It’s savory, slightly tangy (thanks to Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar), and remarkably creamy without any dairy. For anyone looking for a simple way to upgrade wings (or any cut of poultry), this sauce is the answer. But if all you want is juicy, crispy wings, feel free to skip this step and enjoy the turkey wings on their own.

It is important to note that turkey wings can range in size from giant 1-lb. wings to more commercially available 10-oz. ones. The latter are best suited to high-heat cooking while the larger wings are better suited for low, slow cooking techniques and not recommended for this recipe. Butterball turkey wings are a good option here.