Baking powder the secret to crispy Super Bowl wings

Come Super Bowl Sunday, we all love a heaping platter of wings. They’ve got to be crunchy. They’ve got to be a little bit greasy. They’ve got to be so delicious that we can’t stop eating even after we know we’ve eaten too many.

What we don’t love about the day of the big game? The work involved in making those wings, because perfectly crisped and seasoned wings typically require a fair amount of effort, not to mention vats of hot oil. And dealing with that is so much less fun that cracking a beer on the couch with your friends.

So we created these hands-off chicken wings that require very little effort from you, yet they are every bit as crispy and addictive as a traditional recipe.

The secret is baking powder. You start the recipe a few hours ahead of when you want to serve the wings. Just toss the wings in a large bowl with some salt, pepper and baking powder, then refrigerate them for a while. The baking powder reacts with the skin, helping to draw out moisture. Less moisture equals crispier wings.

When it’s time to cook, just arrange the wings on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. The rack keeps the air circulating around the wings and keeps them up and out of any liquid that drips onto the pan. Again, less liquid (and more air) is key to getting the skin perfectly crisp. When the wings are done, dunk them first in our honey-Sriracha sauce, then into cilantro-sour cream dip. But if you’d prefer the more traditional Buffalo sauce and blue cheese, go for it.

Hands-Off Party Wings

Start to finish: 3½ hours (15 minutes active); Makes 30 wings

For the wings:

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

5 pounds chicken wings, split and wing tips removed

For the honey-Sriracha sauce:

⅓ cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons Sriracha

3 tablespoons honey

1½ tablespoons minced fresh garlic

1½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

For cilantro-sour cream dip:

¾ cup sour cream

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

3 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped

Line 2 baking sheets with foil, then arrange a wire rack over the foil. Coat the rack with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the baking powder, salt and pepper. Add the wings and toss to coat evenly. Spread the wings over the rack and refrigerate for 2 hours, uncovered. Then heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake wings for 60 to 70 minutes, flipping them halfway, or until very crispy and golden brown.

For each sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until uniform.

Serve the wings on a platter accompanied by the sauces for dunking.

Per wing: 110 calories; 60 calories from fat (54 percent of total calories); 7 g fat (2.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 50 mg cholesterol; 400 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 8 g protein.