Chicken wings are simple and delicious, but figuring out how to replicate bar-style wings at home has become a hard task for pro and home cooks alike. Deep-frying can be intimidating and messy, but oven-baking can lead to underwhelming results — unless you follow this tip for crisp and crunchy wings straight from the oven.

The key to perfect oven-baked wings is keeping the outside of the wings dry before and during cooking, since the enemy of crispy skin is moisture. Before you cook your wings, make sure to pat them dry on all sides with a paper towel, or you can go a step further by drying them in the fridge overnight and dusting them with baking powder.

When it's time to cook, don't crowd your baking pan with too many wings, and cook them at a high temperature to start, around 500 degrees F, and drop it down to 350 F for the second half of cooking. By following these steps to keep moisture at bay, you can make oven wings every bit as crispy and delicious as ones from a deep-fryer.