A college favorite re-made: Crispy Maple Garlic Chicken Wings
- Chef Josh Gale
- 10 hours ago
- 2 min read
There was a pub near my college campus that had the wings. Crispy, sticky, sweet, garlicky—basically everything you could ever want after a long day of pretending to study. I used to find the most creative excuses to go: group project “meetings,” catching the game, a casual Tuesday... the wings were always the real reason.
I hadn’t thought about them in years—until one random morning when I woke up literally dreaming of that maple garlic glaze. And once the craving hit? Game over. I had to bring them back, but better. These crispy maple garlic chicken wings are my grown-up take: extra crispy, a little more balanced, but still just as messy and addictive as I remember. The best part? You can skip the deep fryer and still get that golden, crispy magic right in the oven. Perfect for game day, date night, or just because it’s Tuesday.
Crispy Maple Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe
Ingredients
1lb chicken wings
15 cloves garlic
1 tbsp chopped red onion
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
Maple syrup
Instructions
Blend 5 garlic cloves with red onion and water to make a paste.
Toss the wings and the remaining garlic cloves with the paste, then add garlic powder, paprika, salt, baking soda and cornstarch.
Convection Bake or Air Fry at 300F for 30 minutes, then crank the heat to 425F and bake for another 10 minutes until they're perfectly crispy.
Add a drizzle of maple syrup before serving for that extra hit of sweetness.
Chef Tips!
Baking the wings slowly at a lower temperature allows all the moisture to evaporate off the surface of the chicken wing, so when you crank the heat they can get extra crispy without ever having to deep fry.
A tiny amount of baking soda included in your wing seasoning will provide an extra layer of crispiness. Not only will it help draw out moisture, but it creates tiny air pockets on the surface of the chicken skin that get super bubbly and crispy when baked.
Enjoy...and let me know what you think!
