These chicken wings are rubbed with ghost pepper spice then baked to crispy perfection, served with a buffalo-blue cheese sauce and crumbled blue cheese. Here is the recipe.

Crispy Baked Ghost Pepper Wings with Buffalo-Blue Cheese Sauce

Time for something extra spicy today, friends and chili pepper lovers. We're talking ghost pepper hot. Do you have a favorite buffalo wing joint? Most people do. I have a few different favorites, depending on my mood, though each one is different.

Some focus on the rubs, some focus on the sauce, though the one thing almost all of them have in common is that they deep fry everything. I've mentioned in the past, I don't mind frying, but prefer to stay away from it when I'm at home. So for this chicken wing recipe, we're baking them.

Yes! I present to you, Crispy Baked Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings. Just look at these babies. Don't they look nice and crispy?

Crispy Baked Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings looking extremely delicious

The chicken wing rub here is super simple. It is just a combination of ghost pepper powder, garlic powder, salt and some baking powder. If you can't find ghost pepper powder, you can sub in any other chili pepper powder or seasoning, though really? You WANT ghost pepper heat today. You just know you do.

Let's talk about that crispiness, shall we?

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings Ingredients

Chicken Wings. Separated and wing tips removed.
Baking Powder.
Garlic Powder.
Ghost Pepper Powder.
Salt.
Butter.
Louisiana Style Hot Sauce.
Blue Cheese Dressing.
Crumbled Blue Cheese.

How to make Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Wings

There are 3 important factors in achieving crispy chicken wings when baked in the oven. They are:

Drying the Chicken Wings. Pat them very dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible. You can also set them in the fridge after this step and leave them overnight to dry out even further.
Baking Powder and Salt. Baking powder and salt help to draw the extra moisture out of the skin where it can evaporate. Moisture is the key reason why oven baked chicken wings don't crisp up as desired.
The Baking Process. Bake the wings first at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) for 30 minutes, then turn up the heat and bake another 30 minutes (or until they are cooked through and nice and crispy) at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

If you're looking for even MORE crispiness, turn on the broiler at the very end of the cooking time for a couple minutes. Just be careful to not burn them.

You can see the crispiness when you take them out of the oven. You can feel the crispy dryness on the skin. It is awesome!

Baking Your Chicken Wings in the Oven

But, it is the process of how you bake the chicken wings that makes the difference between crispy wings and soggy wings. Nobody wants soggy wings. What you do is bake the chicken wings at a lower heat for half the cooking time, then crank the heat up to a higher heat and bake until they are finished.

The result? Crispy chicken wings! Yes! Success! I can't decide if I prefer baked chicken wings or grilled chicken wings, so I guess I will just have to keep trying them until one day I make a decision.

You can serve them just like this, or toss them with a sauce of your choice. In this recipe, I've decided on a Buffalo-Blue Cheese Sauce, made with hot sauce, blue cheese dressing and some crumbled blue cheese.

I like the addition of the tang this sauce brings to the chicken wings, though next time, maybe I'll toss them with my ghost pepper chili sauce recipe and REALLY spice things up. Yes!

Don't forget some extra blue cheese crumbled over the top.

Crispy Baked Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings with Buffalo-Blue Cheese Sauce served

Recipe Tips & Notes

The chicken wing rub here is super simple. It is just a combination of ghost pepper powder, garlic powder, salt and some baking powder.
If you can't find ghost pepper powder, you can sub in any other chili pepper powder or seasoning, though really? You WANT ghost pepper heat today. You just know you do.
Toss the wings with a sauce of your choice. In this recipe, I've decided on a Buffalo-Blue Cheese Sauce, made with hot sauce, blue cheese dressing and some crumbled blue cheese.

Storage & Leftovers

Storing your Crispy Baked Ghost Pepper Chicken Wings with Buffalo-Blue Cheese Sauce in an airtight container in the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate the dish promptly.

Check Out Some of My Other Popular Chicken Wing Recipes

Got any questions? Ask away! I'm happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.