Crispy Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

These Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings are crispy, savory and loaded with peppery flavor, with little bits of garlic, shallot and red chile clinging to every wing. They’re fried until golden, then tossed in a quick buttery white-pepper finish instead of a sticky sauce.

White pepper is what gives these wings that warm, lingering pepper flavor, while the fresh red chiles, garlic and shallot add just enough heat and aroma. They’re a great change of pace when you want game-day wings that aren’t covered in Buffalo or barbecue sauce.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love These Salt and Pepper Wings
• What You’ll Need
• How To Make Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
• Why White Pepper Matters
• Do You Need To Marinate Them?
• The Extra-Crispy Trick
• Baked Salt and Pepper Wings
• Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Wings
• Easy Substitutions
• Make Ahead, Store & Reheat
• Serving These For Game Day
• Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings Recipe
• Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
• More Wing Recipes

Why You’ll Love These Salt and Pepper Wings

• Super crispy: cornstarch, flour and baking powder create a craggy coating that fries up golden and crunchy.
• Big pepper flavor: white pepper seasons both the coating and the final garlic-chile finish.
• No heavy sauce: the wings stay crisp because they’re tossed with aromatic garlic, chile and shallot instead of a wet glaze.
• Game-day friendly: the marinade, dry coating and finishing mixture can all be prepped ahead.

What You’ll Need

The recipe has three flavor layers: an optional marinade, a crisp dry coating and a buttery garlic-chile finish.

• Chicken wings: 2 pounds, plus canola or vegetable oil for frying.
• Optional marinade: white wine, cooking wine or beer with ginger, garlic powder, soy sauce, salt, sugar and black pepper.
• Dry coating: cornstarch, all-purpose flour, baking powder, white pepper, garlic powder and salt.
• Garlic-chile finish: butter, red chiles, garlic, shallot, white pepper and salt, finished with freshly ground black pepper.

How To Make Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings

1. Marinate if you have time. Combine the optional marinade ingredients with the wings and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. If you’re short on time, you can skip the marinade and go straight to the coating.

2. Coat the wings. Mix the dry ingredients, let any excess marinade drip off, then press the coating into each wing so it really sticks.

3. Fry until golden. Heat the oil to 300°F and fry the wings in batches for 6–7 minutes. Drain on paper towels. For extra-crispy wings, give them a second fry for about 3 minutes.

4. Toss with the garlic-chile finish. Sauté the red chiles, garlic, shallot, white pepper and salt in butter, then turn off the heat and gently toss in the wings. Spoon all those crispy aromatic bits over the top before serving.

Chef’s target: the wings are cooked to about 180°F for the finished texture. Poultry is food-safe at 165°F; the higher endpoint here is the chef’s preferred doneness for these wings.

Why White Pepper Matters

Black pepper gives a sharper, more familiar bite. White pepper is a little earthier and warmer, and its flavor hangs around longer, which is exactly what you want in salt and pepper wings. This recipe uses it twice: once in the dry coating and again in the garlic-chile finish.

Do You Need To Marinate Them?

No. The wings can go straight into the dry coating when you need a faster appetizer. But if you have 30 minutes—or even better, overnight—the wine-or-beer marinade adds soy, ginger, garlic and pepper flavor underneath the crispy coating.

The Extra-Crispy Trick

The optional second fry is worth it when crunch is the goal. After the first batch has cooked through and drained, fry the wings again for about 3 minutes. That second trip through the oil crisps the exterior even more before the wings get tossed with the garlic and chiles.

Baked Salt and Pepper Wings

For a no-fry option, heat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Prepare the wings through the coating step, arrange them so they aren’t touching and bake for 30–35 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes. Once cooked, toss them with the same garlic-chile finish.

Air Fryer Salt and Pepper Wings

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F and lightly oil the basket. Arrange the coated wings in a single layer and cook for 25–30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Work in batches so the wings don’t crowd each other, then finish them in the skillet with the garlic, chile and shallot mixture.

Easy Substitutions

• No white pepper? Use black pepper, or cayenne if you want noticeably more heat.
• No shallot? Yellow, white or red onion—or scallions—can stand in.
• Dairy-free: use dairy-free butter, margarine or oil for the finishing mixture.
• Gluten-free: use a gluten-free all-purpose flour in place of regular flour.

Make Ahead, Store & Reheat

Make ahead: Marinate the wings overnight and mix the dry coating in advance. The garlic-chile finish can also be prepared ahead; refrigerate it if you’re holding it for more than 3 hours, then gently reheat while the wings cook.

Store: Keep leftover wings in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. They can also be frozen for 3–4 months; thaw completely before reheating.

Reheat: Warm refrigerated wings at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until heated through to 165°F, to help bring back some of the crispness.

Serving These For Game Day

These wings are especially good when the rest of the spread already has a few saucy appetizers—they bring crunch and big flavor without adding another sticky glaze. Put them out with a cool ranch dip, celery and something saucier like these Hot Honey Wings or Buffalo Ranch Wings. For a bigger football menu, use the football party appetizers collection or these football watch party ideas.

Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings Recipe

More Wing Recipes

See all four chicken wing recipes for game day, or keep the wing spread going with Sticky Gochujang Chicken Wings, Crispy Hot Honey Wings or Buffalo Ranch Wings.