How to prepare tasty chicken wings this Christmas
By Cynthia Lodite, December 22, 2025Spice up your Christmas menu with a crowd-pleasing favourite: tasty, flavourful chicken wings. Whether you like them sweet, spicy, or sticky, chicken wings make the perfect appetiser or party snack for holiday gatherings.
Easy to prepare and full of festive flavour, here’s how to make delicious chicken wings that will have everyone reaching for more this Christmas.
Ingredients
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup yellow mustard
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 5 pounds chicken wings, cut into thirds and tips discarded
Step-by-step guide
Mix brown sugar, mustard, and soy sauce together in a bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup to a small bowl for basting; cover and refrigerate until needed.
Pour the remaining marinade into a resealable bag. Add wings, coat with marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Remove wings from the marinade, shake off any excess, and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the remaining marinade.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Baste wings with reserved marinade, then continue to cook, basting every 10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Key steps in making the perfect wings
Dry the wings thoroughly: This is arguably the most important step for crispiness. Pat the wings extremely dry with paper towels to remove all surface moisture. For even better results, arrange them on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate them, uncovered, for at least 8 hours or overnight to air-dry.
Use a crisping agent: For oven-baked or air-fried wings, tossing them in a small amount of aluminium-free baking powder (not baking soda) or cornflour is key. These alkaline agents raise the skin’s pH level, which helps it to brown, form bubbles, and crisp up like a fried wing.
Seasoning Beyond the Surface: While a good sauce adds flavour, seasoning the meat from the inside out yields the best results.
Brining: soaking the raw wings in a saltwater brine for a few hours or overnight seasons the meat deeply and helps it retain moisture.
Dry Rubs: Applying a flavourful dry rub after drying the wings (but before cooking) creates a delicious, crunchy crust.
Use a wire rack for baking/air frying: placing wings on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet allows hot air to circulate evenly around each wing and lets rendered fat drip away, preventing the wings from getting soggy.
Don’t overcrowd: whether baking, air frying, or deep frying, cook the wings in a single layer with a little space between them. Overcrowding the pan or fryer basket traps steam, which results in a soggy exterior.