Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are baked, not fried, using one ingredient to fool any deep fried buffalo wing fan!
These Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are exactly what they claim to be. C.R.I.S.P.Y. Without deep frying? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS! Using a special ingredient you have in your kitchen pantry already! Tossed in a delicious Buffalo Sauce, these wings are a hit and a reader favourite!
BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
This extremely popular creation came out of a New York restaurant in the 60’s by Teressa Bellissimo, who covered them in her own special sauce and served them with a side of celery and blue cheese. Since then, Buffalo wings have become the quintessential game day food in the United States served at bars, restaurants or ordered as take out.
Of COURSE this recipe includes serving them in a Blue Cheese Dressing (or Ranch dressing).
These wings were not only a hit at the dinner table, they were ordered again the next day! Just when I thought this little experiment wouldn’t be well received!
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS
The magic ingredient to crispy wings without a lot of oil is aluminium free baking powder. It may sounds unappealing, but coating chicken wings in seasoned baking powder is what makes the skin super crispy. You won’t taste it in the end results, so long as you use aluminium-free. To be clear, make sure you use baking powder, NOT baking soda, because there is a big difference!
You’re going to pimp yours up with added flavours:
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- You an also add a dash of Cayenne pepper.
Toss them until they are coated evenly.
HOW DO YOU COOK CHICKEN WINGS IN THE OVEN
After your chicken wings are coated, place aluminium foil on your baking sheet to catch any drippings, then arrange a wire rack over the top. Place your wings in an even layer to allow the heat to be evenly distributed.
You’re then going to bake your chicken wings on a rack so the fat can drip off, creating ultra crispy wings all over.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BAKE CHICKEN WINGS?
Chicken wings can take about 50 minutes or more to bake, flipping them halfway through cooking time to allow even crispness. Why so long? To allow the fat to render out from the chicken wings so that the skin crisps to a delicious golden brown.
HOW TO MAKE BUFFALO SAUCE
To get the best baked buffalo wings, you’re going to toss them in an incredible buffalo sauce, with just three ingredients!
- Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce
- Melted unsalted butter
- Honey or sugar (white or brown)
Whisk it all together until combined, then pour the sauce ALL over your CRISPY baked wings and serve! So easy and no deep fryers or entire kitchens to clean up afterwards.
SERVE BUFFALO WINGS
Serve your buffalo wings with blue cheese dip, ranch dipping sauce or a creamy garlic mayo. Don’t forget the celery and/or carrot sticks on the side! Game day has never looked so easy and so good!
To serve wings as a family meal, we normally keep some separate without sauce so the kids can enjoy super crispy chicken wings. You can also dip theirs in bbq sauce or honey garlic butter sauce. A win-win!
You will love having your favourite restaurant indulgences right in the comfort of your own home with minimal effort.
CRISPY BUFFALO WINGS ON VIDEO!
More chicken wings!
Sticky Thai Chicken Wings
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken Wings
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Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are exactly what they claim to be. CRISPY without deep frying, using one special ingredient you have in your kitchen pantry!
- 2 Kg (4 pounds) chicken wings cut into drumettes and flats
- 1 tablespoon aluminium free baking powder (NOT baking soda)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Pinch of cracked pepper
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons honey, white sugar or brown sugar (adjust to suit your tastes)
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese softened
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cracked black pepper
- Ranch dressing
- Blue cheese dressing (RECIPE AS ABOVE) for serving
- Celery sticks for serving
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Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil and set a heat-proof wire rack inside.
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Pat dry chicken wings liberally with paper towels, squeezing out as much moisture as you can. Transfer them to a large bowl.
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In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together, whisking well to combine, and sprinkle the mixture over the wings. Toss wings through the baking powder mixture until evenly coated.
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Arrange on rack, leaving about 1-inch of space between each wing.
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Bake for 30 minutes; flip and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, (about 20-30 minutes longer), until golden browned and crispy.
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While wings are cooking, whisk together hot sauce, butter and sugar. Toss wings through the sauce to evenly coat.
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Serve wings immediately with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing, and celery sticks.
For crispier wings, follow steps 1-4. Then refrigerate wings uncovered overnight. This ensures they are thoroughly dried out.
I tried both methods, and only noticed a slightly crispier texture in the refrigerated wings!
Inspired by Serious Eats.
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Erik Thompson says
I have been frying chicken wings with my own recipe for ten years. fry for 20 minutes at 215 degrees to reduce the collagen and then re-fry later at 475. Fryer broke down on Superbowl Sunday 2018 and had to scramble to find a oven bake recipe. The genius of using chemistry (backing Powder) to make the skin extra crispy without frying is amazing. The wings were fare better than i usually make. Juicy and filled with flavor. Karina; you are the bomb! My friends could not stop eating these wings. Since then I have made at least 10 of your other recipes (Cajun Steak Bites!!!!!). Thank you Karina; I am a loyal follower. Keep the love of cooking coming.
James says
I’ve used potato starch on them in the airfryer. Think I can use that instead of the baking powder?
Luna says
Very good recipe, made it in half quantity and was very good.
Maureen DeMateo says
I made these wings yesterday. I’ve never made wings before because I hate to fry. They were a hit! I’d like to know what is the best pan and rack to use. I need something bigger than what I have. ( I used my oven broiling pan lined w/ foil and the rack from my toaster oven). It worked well, but I want to make a bigger batch…need a bigger pan and rack. Can you suggest where I can find this?
Deborah Levesque says
Absolutely the best wing recipe ever! Thank you!!!
Karen says
I made these tonight. I didn’t have aluminum free baking powder but it didn’t make a difference in the taste. The hubs doesn’t like spicy, so I made buffalo sauce for myself and your honey garlic recipe for him (with Parmesean). He loved them. I don’t think I’ll make wings any other way after tonight.
Marcus Lyons says
Aluminium free is for health reasons!
Joanna says
What is the amount you use when using brown sugar instead of honey. I’m bringing these to a party and I just want to make sure they turn out as great as everyone says. They sound great!
willie says
I am not a Franks fan, I love Anchor Bar wing sauce, it is ready to go without adding anything!
V says
My husband accidentally bought chicken wings instead of leg quarters, so I went looking for how to cook chicken wings and found this recipe. I was skeptical about cooking such a small meat for an hour, but we were all very impressed with the results. We did not add the sauce afterwards; we just ate the crispy chicken and marveled at how great it was.
Now I want to do this with leg quarters, but I am worried that it won’t turn out as well since they are so much bigger and thicker than wings. Should I cook them longer, or will the hour be enough?
Karina says
They should be fine baking for an hour with about 15-20 minutes added. If juices run clear when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, they are cooked through!
Lisa says
Hi,
A friend of mine asked me to “cater” for her sons 21st birthday party and he requested super crispy hot wings. This recipe sounds perfect! 1 quick question, she brought me 2, ten pound bags of wings! can the sauce be made a day in advance so that the day of i can focus on cooking the wings?
Karina says
Hi Lisa… yes it can be made in advance!
Betty says
These sound amazing. The only thing I will change is to add the wing sauce before baking so the flavor will cook into the wings. Should I make any changes in cooking time and temperature?
Judy Sturm says
Hi – I want to try these – I don’t like sauce on mine, (I like for instance Buffalo Wild Wings just spun in the dry buffalo seasoning) Can I add some of that seasoning to the bowl – will that work?
Brenda Miller says
Made these for the Alabama Clemson game tonight. Awesome. Cooked them just right for hubby to eat, 1hour 20 min. He loved them and so did my 10 year old grandson. Used the brown sugar in grandson’s sauce. He loved it. Full strength in ours. Will be making these again.
Karina says
Hi Brenda,
Sounds great!
Nikki says
We love these!! I leave the sugar out as we don’t eat a lot of it. The only question I have is- does anyone else’s stove smoke up? The drippings seem to smile up my entire hour making my dog nervous and the smoke alarm go off lol. Not sure what I’m doing wrong? But this is the second time I’ve made them and they taste great. Thanks for any help!
Karina says
Lol your poor dog! Mine don’t smoke up, I’m not sure what could be happening, but I’m glad you’re enjoying them!
Tana says
So good! I did place the wings in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes first then followed your recipe. Delicious!
Ken says
Hi, I might suggest a variation of the sauce which is the most accurate for true Anchor Bar, buffalo wings. One part unsalted butter, one part Franks, and 1/4 part white vinegar. That way, you get the heat, buttery and tangy flavours that make buffalo wings what they are. If it needs more heat just add a little more Franks, to taste.
Karina says
Thanks Ken! Sounds amazing, I’ll definitely try it out!
Electra says
Omitting the sugar?
Mike says
I made this recipe tonight. It was very good. Wings were cooked all the way through and they were as crispy as if they had been deep fried. Very good. Will be making it again; my new go-to recipe for wings!
Karina says
So glad to hear that Mike. Thank you for your feedback!
Fran says
Can Tabasco sauce be used? I don’t think I can find Frank’s hot sauce here in Germany.
Karina says
Yes, that will be great too! Thank you for choosing one of my recipes! Enjoy! XO
Joanne says
Hi. Love your site and recipes. I am wanting to make these but am wondering how hot I can expect them to be. I don’t enjoy really hot food but do love medium wings I order in restaurants. Thanks for your response!
Karina says
Hi Joanne! It really depends on your idea of hot is! I find these hot enough to need water after two mouthfuls, where as my husband loves them! I suggest adding the hot sauce a little at a time, stirring it through as you go and taste testing to reach your desired level of heat! I hope that helps!
Victoria says
I’m a little skeptical about cooking wings for an hour! Is everyone really leaving them in this long?
Bill says
I have had good experiences – crispy and still a bit juicy – with 35-40 minutes at 450, rack in the middle, measuring the bigger wings with an instant read thermometer to ensure they’re fully cooked. I’ve tried 45 minutes and, while it certainly was a little crispier, the meat itself was overdone (unless the wing was huge).
Ellen says
do you have a recipe for homemade Blue Cheese Dressing?
Karina says
Here is a blue cheese recipe I have that is a recipe with Crispy buffalo chicken wings.https://cafedelites.com/crispy-buffalo-chicken-wings-baked/.
BLUE CHEESE DIP:
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese softened
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cracked black pepper
Bee says
Can these be grilled with same results?
Karina says
OH! That sounds delicious! It can be if you have a pan for the top of the grill. I worry that the drippings from the sauce may be too much on the grill but a plate over it would be perfection! Let me know what you think! XO
Tom says
I am a huge wing guy, and have never been able to make crispy enough wings in the oven. I am trying your recipe tonight and will let you know how it goes. Fingers crossed. I am trying this on full size wing and drums still attached.
Peg Stewart says
Can I use skin-ion chicken thighs instead of wings with this recipe?
Karina says
Yes, that sounds good!! Let me know how they turn out!
Peg Stewart says
Can I use this recipe for skin on chicken thighs?
Karina says
Yes, that should still work great! Enjoy!
Christine says
Wow! Wow! Wow! I Love these wings and so did my family ! We devoured them! Crispy and tastey! Thanks so much Karina! We had these wings tonight with a homemade pizza! Perfect together ! I am sharing this one!
Karina says
That is great to hear! Thank you so much for sharing and following along with me! XO
Cheryl Dijamco says
This is hands down the best recipe for buffalo wings – and I agree, the secret ingredient is the reason after trying so many other recipes.
I used a little bit of brown sugar in the sauce and it was great. I put the sauce in a tall, deep large coffee mug then dipped each wing in the sauce to really coat it. I also placed the coated wings back in the oven for a few extra minutes so the sauce would bake on and not be as messy.
Fantastic!
Corderra says
Weve made these twice and they are excellent!! First time was with baking powder that contained aluminum since that’s all I had. So yes you can make them with it! But they were even better when I made them with the aluminum free baking powder. I’m not too surprised they’re amazing since they were featured on Good Eats. Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe for wings. I won’t make them any other way. ?
Margaret Pill says
Soooooo good. Didn’t use sugar in the sauce. Drizzled the sauce on and then put in the turned off ovenfor a few minutes to prevent messy fingers !
OPG says
These were so great! My hubby and daughter loved them too! Definitely a keeper! I only had and used Brown sugar. I even Used on chicken thighs that i had. Thanks for a great recipe!
5 Stars!
Corey says
I have made these 3 times in the past few months and am about an hour away from my latest batch. I think they turn out excellent and I’m a Frank’s hot sauce junkie that makes it even better for me and I must say the addition of sugar along with the unsalted butter really is amazing!
Diana. Steiner says
Does it have to bw aluminum free baking powder for the oven baked crispy wings?
Karina says
It does help and make a difference.
Melissa Moodoyan says
These are seriously AMAZING!!! Thank you so much!!! I made them with whole chicken wings and they came out just as great as I had hoped…Best wings I have ever had <3
Alice Abbott says
I am a very picky Buffalo Wing eater. I like my wings crispy and dry. Well done like Chilis wings. These wings were the bomb. I was skeptical because I have had a few failures with wing recipes. I LOVED them. I am making them again tonight. Winner recipe. Thank You
Karina says
YAY!! That is great to hear! I am so glad that it was a hit and you are making them again tonight! Thanks so much for sharing!
Keith says
Should I use the top burner or bottom or both?
Alex says
I made these a few days ago and I’m still amazed how well they turned out. I did not change the recipe at all and they came out with a wonderful crispy exterior and a nice juicy inside. An hour seemed a bit of a long time to bake (30 minutes on each side) but they turned out perfect. I would definitely recommend flipping them over half way! I’ll be making these again soon.
Ek says
These were fantastic! Great recipe. Did not try the blue cheese dip but that sounds amazing as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Karina says
That is great to hear! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! The blue cheese dip is just as delicious if you like blue cheese. Thanks for sharing!
Luanne says
My husband loves wings and has been trying different recipes. He says this one is a keeper! Be sure to dry off the wings as much as possible before tossing them in the baking powder mixture. We used regular baking powder (had aluminum in it) and it was just fine. Baked them in a rack, on top of a cookie sheet. I don’t eat anything even remotely spicy so I didn’t even taste them but he was very happy! 🙂
Karina says
Yes! That is great to hear! I am so glad that he loved them and that you made them your own! Thanks so much for sharing!
Sandra says
Thanks for adding your comment about using the aluminum baking powder. That’s all I have in my cabinet and did not want to go to the store.
Pauline says
I made these for Super Bowl 2018. The Super Bowl when the Eagles deflated the Tom Brady and the Patriots. Theses wings were great! So crispy with out frying. I would suggest spraying the cookie rack with non stick cooking oil. Makes for easier clean up and wings don’t stick when turning over. I did use Tapatio for the hot sauce. Made the blue cheese but will use Ranch dressing next time, just my preference. Thanks for the great recipe, my go to, no more searching.
Lori Howe says
Made this tonight. Put 1 /2 tsp honey into the sauce. The wings were crispy and tasted wonderful. Next time I will decrease the garlic powder in the coating by 1/2 tsp. because of personal taste. This is a winner recipe!!!!
Tymeron Smith says
MMM!! That sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!
Iris says
Can I use regular baking powder that has aluminum in it
Tymeron Smith says
Yes, of course! You are always welcome to make your own recipe from mine! Hope that helps! Enjoy!
Amber says
I made these tonight, and my husband said, “I don’t remember ever enjoying wings this much.” AND he LOVES wings! The thing is, we live in Nepal and can’t get them at any restaurants. I was so happy to make these. I had tried the BWW copy cat recipe but wasn’t thrilled. Tons of work just to feel guilty and have a smelly house. We were all doing a happy dance, and SUPER PICKY 5 year old daughter asked me to make them for her birthday! All around a win. Thank you so much! Love this site.
Tymeron Smith says
That is awesome to hear! I am so glad he loved them so much! Thanks so much for sharing!
Sue c says
How much flour should I use
Tymeron Smith says
There is not any flour in this recipe. It is baking powder. Hope that helps!
Valorie says
Made these tonight and they were great. I will be making these again. Thank you for the recipe.
Jane Barcus says
Do these wings really bake for almost an hour? Seems like an awfully long time.
The Thai wings only bake for about 25 min. total.
Lizabeth says
Made these tonight and WOW! Amazing. Best wings I have ever had. Used Wing Time sauce. Thank you!!!
Victor @ ifoodblogger.com says
Very nice recipe from Serious Eats, I’ve tried it. If you want your wings really crispy, like deep-fried, you’ve got to use convection mode. Another thing, if you put the sauce on them a few minutes before the wings are done and then continue with convection , they start tasting like grilled. Really cool how small things have big impact final results.