Baked turkey wings have become a staple in my kitchen every Thanksgiving.
I wish I could find turkey wings year round – but I can only find them easily during the holiday season. We treat them like gigantic holiday chicken wings. They are so meaty, crispy, and flavorful! And there is a lot more meat on a turkey wing so it feels a little like cheating. 🙂
These are also baked (there is a trick to getting them crispy in the recipe!) so no splattered greasy mess to deal with… This recipe starts with raw turkey wings.
How to cook turkey wings in the oven
Baking turkey wings is a lot like baking chicken wings. The turkey wings are obviously bigger and will take a bit more time, but the key is to raise the oven temperature at the end of the bake to make them nice and crispy.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Pat your turkey wings dry, brush them with olive oil, then season them with poultry seasoning and kosher salt and pepper.
- Place your turkey wings in a casserole dish. The wings are going to release their juices so you want them in a pan with sides so the juice doesn’t run over! Cover them in foil and place in the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the turkey wings from the oven, raise the oven temperature to 425°F, remove the foil and put them back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. SO IMPORTANT!
- When you remove them from the oven, you should have nice, crispy wings! Check that each wing reaches at least 165°F before serving. Dress them just like you would chicken wings! Toss them in your favorite sauce with carrots and celery or eat them just like they are right out of the oven.
Sauce them and spice it up
We like these turkey wings right out of the oven, tossed in Roasted Pepper Wing Sauce – or sprinkled with what we Southerners call pepper sauce. It is not hot sauce, though it is hot and it is a sauce. Basically, it is the hottest peppers you can find (like so hot they would make you cry), halved with the seeds left in, a little salt for pickling, some whole peppercorns – and time for the peppers to flavor the vinegar. Sprinkle the hot vinegar over anything you would like to be hotter. Be careful if you have never done this… just sayin’.
I also like this recipe from Everyday Family Cooking for Buffalo Sauce.
Helpful Tips for Perfect Turkey Wings
- Thaw ahead of time: Start with fully thawed wings for this recipe. Thaw them completely in the refrigerator, never on the counter.
- Marinate if you like: It’s not completely necessary, but if you want to marinate turkey wings it’s simple to do overnight in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. Just add in your marinade of choice. A simple apple juice, wine, or standard wing marinade will work great!
- Cook them on high to make them crisp: To avoid bland wings that have a mushy texture, heat that oven up to 425°F and allow them to really sear under the intense heat. That will give them a BBQ type texture.
- Use a thermometer for perfection: You will want the wings to reach at least 165°F at the meatiest part, away from bone. Use a meat thermometer to check in multiple places to make sure they are done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make poultry seasoning?
Yes. If poultry or turkey seasoning is not something you keep handy in your spice drawer, it is easy to make yourself. Here is a quick recipe for homemade poultry seasoning!
How do I reheat baked turkey wings without drying them out?
The best way to reheat baked turkey wings is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 325°F, place the wings in a baking dish, and add a splash of chicken broth or water to help retain moisture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and heat for approximately 15–20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. For crispy skin, remove the foil during the last few minutes and increase the oven temperature to 425°F. This helps bring back that delicious crispy texture without drying out the meat.
Baked Turkey Wings
Ingredients
- 8 medium whole turkey wings
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tbsp poultry seasoning
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place turkey wings in a large casserole dish or on a baking sheet, keeping in mind that the turkey will release its juices and you don’t want them to run over – so it should be a pan with sides!
- Brush both sides of the wings with olive oil. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Cover wings with foil and place them in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove wings from the oven, raise the temperature of the oven to 425°F, remove the foil and put them back in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. This should give you nice crispy wings! Treat these just like you would chicken wings. Check that each wing reaches at least 165°F before serving.
- Toss them in wing sauce, hot sauce, whatever you like. But these are also delicious right out of the oven!!
II don’t like crisp skin. Are there any recipes or guidelines for roasting turkey wings with soft, moist skin?
Good question! If you don’t want crisp skin, cover the wings with tin foil during the bake. It’s the open air plus heat circulating inside the oven that crisps the skin. Also, there is no need to turn the heat up at the end. Just cook them evenly.
I’m certainly going to try some this holiday season. I usually cook a whole 🦃 turkey, but only have myself now.
I’m I’m am sitting On my deck waiting for the last few min. I’ll let you know with my mouth watering
thanks for the turkey wings recipe. i went to 3 store before i found done. i am going to follow you directions. w i’ll try to remember to take a photo .
Delicious . Too bad I couldn’t post a pic
This was the easiest recipe to follow and the turkey wings came out better this way for me than they ever have before (and before I used to sometimes sauté them a bit first before putting in the oven). Thanks sooo much for this recipe!
Do turkey wing have to be brined, if so, for how long.
No ma’am! I just cook them like they are!
I think this is a good recipe, but needs some definition as to the size of the wings. The ones I used were huge, about 2 lbs each (I prepared four wings), and the cooking instructions got them to 165 degrees, or supposedly done according to the USDA. I took them out and let them cool, but the pink juices were not appetizing so back into the oven they went at 400 degrees until the temperature reached 175.
I sure wish the stores marketed turkey wings like they do chicken wings! We love them at our house.
Good point. I think the size plays a big contributor to exactly how long they cook.