Preheat the oven to 120C/250F (fan) and place a rack on a large baking tray.
Cut each wing at the joint so you have a mini wing and a drumette. Dry the wings with paper towels, then place in a large bowl and add the baking powder, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Note - it's important to dry the wings first so they only get a light coating. Discard any remaining coating once tossed together.
1 kg (2.2 lbs) chicken wings, 2 level tbsp aluminium-free baking powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper
Place in a single layer on the rack. It's fine for them to be touching slightly. Place on the lower shelf of the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, turn the oven up to 220C/425F (fan) and rotate the tray for even cooking. Cook for a further 45-50 minutes until the wings are lightly golden and crispy (if your wings aren't particularly meaty, cook for 10 minutes less). Take it out of the oven.
Whilst the wings are baking, make the barbecue sauce. Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and mix together.
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) tomato ketchup, 4 tbsp white wine vinegar, 5 tbsp dark brown sugar, 2 tbsp black treacle or molasses, 3 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp black pepper
Heat over a medium-high heat, until boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Toss the barbecue sauce with the wings and serve straightaway.
Video
Notes
How to scale up and scale down this recipeYou can scale up and scale down this recipe with the same ratios. So if you're only looking for 12-13 wings, you can halve all of the ingredients. If you're looking for 48-52 wings, double all the ingredients.The cooking times will be the same.Note:this recipe makes extra sauce. The recipe makes approx 2 cups of sauce altogether. You only need one to cover the wings, then I like to serve any remaining sauce with the wings and sides. So bear in mind that if you're doubling ALL of the recipe, you'll have 2 extra cups of sauce leftover.Note on baking powder:I get lots of messages on my other crispy wings recipe on how delicious the wings are, but also the occasional message that the wings tastes bitter - despite assurances the recipe was followed to the letter and baking POWDER not baking soda was used. After doing a little research, it seems that some people can be sensitive to the taste of sodium aluminum sulfate - which can be an ingredient in some baking powders. People who are sensitive to it notice a bitter taste. If you are sensitive to it, you may have noticed certain cakes taste bitter. However, cakes contain a lot less baking powder then this recipe, so you may not have noticed it before and still been sensitive to it.My tips would be to:
Thoroughly dry the wings before dusting with the baking powder - so they only get a light coating.
Measure the amount of baking powder used exactly, and discard any excess left after tossing together with the wings.
Use aluminium-free baking powder - make sure it has no aluminum sulfate in it.
Can I make barbecue wings ahead?I prefer these wings fresh out of the oven, but you can make the wings ahead - without the sauce- then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Reheat them on a wire rack over a tray for about 5-6 minutes at 200C/400F until they're crisp again.You can also make the barbecue sauce ahead, then cool cover and refrigerate. Reheat in a pan until it's warm before tossing with the wings.How do I make boneless barbecue wings instead?Use my Crispy Buttermilk Chicken tenders recipe for the base recipe, then make the barbecue sauce as per the recipe in this recipe card. If you prefer oven baked - use my Oven-Baked Chicken Tenders for the base recipe, then make the barbecue sauce as per the recipe in this recipe card. Nutritional information is per wing (approx 24-26 wings in this recipe), including half of the sauce poured on the wings (as per the recipe - we toss with half the sauce, then we have half sauce leftover over to serve with the wings or to save).