5-Star Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

If you think getting restaurant-quality, shatteringly crispy skin on your baked chicken wings means deep frying, well, I’m here to tell you you’re missing out! We’re getting that perfect, crunchy exterior and super juicy interior with these Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings—all thanks to a little magic we achieve right in the oven. My secret weapon? A tricky little dry rub that screams fresh flavor.

I remember the excitement of my first foraging adventure on my little Brooklyn balcony. As I gathered fresh herbs for a special family dinner, I stumbled upon a cluster of wild mint that had crept in amongst my garden’s carefully tended plants. Inspired, I decided to whip up a batch of these Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings, using not only my balcony’s bounty but also my newfound treasures. The aroma wafting through my apartment was intoxicating, bringing back memories of feasts at my aunt’s farm.

That evening, sharing those flavorful wings with friends, we marveled at the fact that such delights were growing right outside our doors—and the joy of urban foraging was born. I’m Alexandra Bennet, your Hyperlocal Ingredient Specialist, and I promise this easy oven-baked recipe will become your go-to starter!

Why You Will Love These Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

Seriously, when you’re looking for the perfect appetizer, especially when you want that satisfying crunch without soaking your kitchen in oil, this recipe is a total winner. I’ve tried just about every dinner trick out there, and these wings nail it every single time. Trust me on these points:

• They are unbelievably crispy! We use a specific dry rub that mimics that deep-fried texture, even though they are just simple oven baked recipes.
• Forget bland chicken! The robust flavor from the fresh herbs—some foraged, some from my garden—creates an incredible garlic herb seasoning that you’ll crave all week long.
• They are so much less fuss than pan-frying. You just toss them, bake them, and then smother them in that beautiful garlic parmesan coating. Easy cleanup, maximum reward!
• Even though they are technically an appetizer, these are hearty enough for dinner. They are tender inside thanks to the magic the dry ingredients play on the chicken skin, producing amazing buttermilk marinated wings texture without the actual soaking time.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

Okay, gathering the right bits is where half the battle is won, especially when we need that crispiness without deep-frying! This recipe relies on a super simple coating that does all the hard work when it hits that hot oven air. Don’t skip the oil or that little bit of baking powder—that’s my little trick for getting that cracked, crunchy skin that usually only comes from soaking chicken in buttermilk marinated wings for hours.

Once they are piping hot and crunchy, we shower them in the sauce. That sauce is where the fresh, foraged flavors really sing. A good quality butter is key here for that rich mouthfeel. You just need a few humble things to pull off something truly spectacular.

For the Wings Coating

• 2 pounds split chicken wings
• 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil (or whatever neutral oil you have handy!)
• 1 tablespoon baking powder (This is your secret weapon for crispiness, trust me on this one.)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

For the Garlic Parmesan Sauce

This sauce comes together in minutes right while the wings are finishing up in the oven. You want your garlic finely minced so it blooms nicely in the warm butter!

• 4 tablespoons butter, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• Zest of 1 lemon (This brightness cuts through the richness—so important!)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (Use that wild mint if you found some, too!)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnish

Step-by-Step Instructions for Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

Putting these together is actually ridiculously simple, which is why they’ve earned a weekly spot in my rotation. The crucial part is making sure your oven is screaming hot before those wings even think about going in. We’re aiming for that nice, fast heat that renders out the fat beautifully.

Preparing and Seasoning the Wings

First things first, get that oven cranked up to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. You also need to line a big baking sheet with parchment paper—this helps with cleanup later, trust me! Now, take your chicken wings and pat them down really well with paper towels. We need them dry so that coating sticks! Into a large bowl they go. Drizzle on that avocado oil, then dump in the baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika. Toss everything like you mean it until every single wing is evenly coated in that pale, spicy mixture. That little bit of baking powder is what gives us the texture you’d normally only get from a true deep fryer!

Baking the Wings to Crispy Perfection

Lay those seasoned wings out on your prepared sheet pan. Listen, they need space to breathe! Don’t crowd them together, or they’ll steam instead of crisp up. Bake them for a solid 40 to 45 minutes. About halfway through—say, at the 20-minute mark—you need to flip every single wing over. This ensures both sides get gorgeously golden brown and bubbly. While they’re in there getting happy, we can whip up the sauce.

Creating the Flavorful Garlic Herb Sauce

This sauce is lightning fast! In a small saucepan, melt your diced butter gently over medium-low heat. You don’t want it browning, just melting smoothly. Once it’s liquid gold, pull it off the heat immediately. Now, you can either mix your minced garlic, lemon zest, and fresh parsley straight into the warm butter, or you can pour the butter over those three ingredients in a separate bowl—I like the bowl method so I can see everything combining. Just stir it all up so the garlic starts to perfume that butter.

Tossing and Finishing Your Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

When your wings come out looking perfectly golden and crispy, transfer them right away to a clean, large mixing bowl. Drizzle that amazing garlic herb butter right over the top. Follow that up by sprinkling on all the grated parmesan cheese. Toss everything together tenderly but thoroughly until those buttermilk marinated wings look glossy and fully coated. Get these onto a serving platter right away and maybe shake a little extra parmesan over the top before you hand them off!

Expert Tips for the Best Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

You’ve got the steps down, but you want those wings to truly sing—I get it! Getting wings right when you’re relying on the oven instead of a deep fryer takes a tiny bit of insider knowledge. These tips pulled from my years experimenting with dinner ideas are what separate a good wing from a legendary one. If you decide to look up some other great recipes to compare techniques, you might find another fantastic garlic parm option over at this highly-rated recipe!

Achieving Maximum Crispiness in Oven Baked Recipes

The secret to great oven baked recipes is surface area and physics! The single most important thing you can do is not crowd the pan. If those wings are touching, they steam. You need space between every single one so the air can circulate and crisp that spice coating. If you have a huge batch, please, bake them in two separate sheets. You’ll thank me later!

Also, keep that baking powder in the rub—it raises the skin temperature slightly, which helps dry it out fast and results in that glorious, brittle crunch. Oh, and if you happen to have a wire rack that fits inside your baking sheet? Use it! Lifting the wings off the pan surface allows air to hit the bottom, guaranteeing 360 degrees of crispiness. If you decide to use your air fryer instead, just pop them in at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes—they cook even faster that way!

Ingredient Spotlight: The Power of Buttermilk Marination

Now, I know our recipe uses baking powder and oil to get crispy quickly, which is why we call them buttermilk marinated wings in flavor profile even if we skip the actual soaking! Traditionally, buttermilk is amazing. Why? That lactic acid works wonders breaking down the tough proteins in the chicken really gently, making the meat incredibly tender. Your chicken stays moist and takes on flavor depth.

If you ever want to try the full soak method before tossing in the dry rub next time, go for it! Marinate your wings in actual buttermilk for at least four hours, maybe even overnight. Just drain them really well before applying the dry rub mixture we used here. It’s an extra messy step, but the resulting juiciness rivals any wing I’ve ever had. For this recipe, though, just relying on the dry rub and quick bake gets us 99% of the way there, and doesn’t require planning ahead!

Serving Suggestions for Crispy Chicken Appetizers

When a platter of these golden, garlicky wings hits your table, people will be looking for something cool and creamy to balance that intense flavor. Don’t overthink it! These are simple, fun crispy chicken appetizers, so the sides should be too.

You absolutely need a good dip. Traditional blue cheese dressing is always top-tier, but if ranch is more your speed, go for it. I usually make a big platter of fresh crudités—lots of crisp celery sticks and maybe some colorful carrots—to give everyone something crunchy to dip and a little palate cleanser between wings. Keep it fresh, keep it cool, and watch them disappear fast!

Storing and Reheating Your Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

Nobody ever *plans* on having leftovers of these wings, because let’s be honest, they vanish! But if you manage to squirrel a few away, you definitely don’t want to ruin that perfect crispiness on reheat. The biggest enemy of crispy chicken is the microwave—it turns everything soft and sad instantly. We aren’t doing that here!

You can store any leftover wings in an airtight container in the fridge for about three to four days max. They’ll still be delicious, but they lose that oven-crisp texture.

Restoring That Beautiful Crunch

To bring them back to life, you need dry heat. Skip the microwave entirely. The best way to revive them is using the oven or, even better, the air fryer if you have one. If you’re only reheating a small batch, place them on a small baking sheet in a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them so the parmesan doesn’t burn!

If you’re working with a slightly larger amount, setting up that wire rack over a baking sheet (just like we did for the initial cook!) and popping them in the 375-degree oven works wonders. This allows air to hit the bottom, bringing back that excellent texture. I usually check mine around the 12-minute mark to see if they are back to their crispy best. It’s amazing how they come back to life! Remember, you want them hot and crackly, not just warm enough to eat.

If you’re prepping meals ahead of time, check out my guide to meal prepping for the week for other great make-ahead ideas so you remember what you stored!

Frequently Asked Questions About Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

I get so many questions about tweaking this recipe because everyone wants it to work perfectly for their household, and honestly, these wings are super adaptable! Whether you’re out of avocado oil or want a serious kick for your garlic herb seasoning, I always have a trick up my sleeve.

Can I use a different oil in this oven baked recipe?

Absolutely! Avocado oil is my favorite because it has a super high smoke point, which is fantastic for high-heat oven baked recipes like this one. But if you don’t have it, don’t let that stop you! Neutral oils like canola or vegetable oil work just as well here since the flavor is masked by all those herbs and garlic anyway. I’d say avoid olive oil unless you’re using very light olive oil, as regular olive oil can sometimes smoke too much at 425 degrees and give you a strange off-flavor.

How do I make these wings spicier using the garlic herb seasoning?

Oh, you want to turn up the heat? I love that energy! We keep the core flavor profile of the garlic herb seasoning the same, but right when you’re mixing the dry rub spices—right after the salt and pepper go in—toss in about half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. If you want a deeper, slow burn, use smoked paprika instead of regular paprika, or stir in a hearty pinch of crushed red pepper flakes with your garlic in the sauce.

What is the best way to ensure these are crispy chicken appetizers when serving a crowd?

This is the real hurdle when making crispy chicken appetizers for more than four people! Remember how I stressed not crowding the pan? If you have a huge group, you must bake the wings in shifts or on multiple sheet pans. If you try to cram too many on one sheet, they steam, and you lose the glorious crispiness we worked so hard for.

My absolute best tip for a crowd, though, is to bake them all, then right before you need to serve, arrange all the wings on one giant wire rack set over a baking sheet. Slide the whole thing back into a 400-degree oven for about five minutes. That blast of dry heat wakes up that skin instantly and makes them taste freshly fried again. It’s a lifesaver!

Estimated Nutritional Information for Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

Listen, while these Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings are absolutely phenomenal in flavor, remember that we are using butter, parmesan cheese, and chicken skin here, so they definitely fall into the indulgent category! It’s important to know what you’re diving into when you grab a serving, but don’t stress too much—you deserve every last bite of that crispy skin.

I always calculate these numbers based on total recipe yield divided by the four servings we set out for. Keep in mind, these are just estimates, because if you forage wild mint or use low-sodium parmesan, the numbers will shift a little bit. But this gives you a solid idea for tracking your macros for these amazing oven baked recipes.

• Calories: Approximately 580-620 per serving
• Total Fat: Around 42g to 46g (That butter and chicken skin are working hard!)
• Protein: Roughly 40g to 45g (Chicken is packed with it!)
• Total Carbohydrates: About 3g (Pretty low carb, especially since we kept the sauce simple!)

Keep in mind, these figures don’t account for any extra dips like ranch or blue cheese dressing you might pair with your crispy chicken appetizers. Enjoy them thoughtfully!

Share Your Urban Foraging Inspired Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings

Wow, we made it through! I hope you’re already planning when you can make a batch of these wonderfully crispy, garlicky wings. Seriously, I get so much joy out of hearing how recipes turn out for you all, especially when you bring a little bit of your own adventure into the kitchen. Did you find any amazing wild herbs to swap into the parsley?

When you finish up your batch of these sensational Garlic Herb Buttermilk Baked Wings, please don’t keep that success to yourself! I love seeing your photos and hearing your feedback. Did the baking powder trick actually work wonders for you? Was the lemon zest bright enough?

Drop a star rating right down below—that helps other folks feel confident trying out these easy oven baked recipes. And if you have any questions, pop them in the comments section. I try to pop in personally and answer everything I can!

If you made these and they were a total hit, would you mind sharing the post with a fellow foodie friend? A quick share on social media goes such a long way when you’re trying to build this community of adventurous home cooks! Happy baking, and I can’t wait to see your crispy creations!