No false promises here – these are seriously crispy Baked Buffalo Wings that are made entirely in the oven! Using a now-world-famous Cooks’ Illustrated technique, the skin is so shatteringly crispy it’s hard to believe they aren’t fried.
Don’t believe me? I don’t blame you! See and hear it for yourself in the recipe video……
Super Crispy BAKED Buffalo Wings!
The great thing about the internet is that there are loads of options for any recipe your heart desires.
The bad thing about the internet is sifting through all those Google search results to find a recipe that actually works as promised and is exactly what you are after.
So here is what I promise you: If you love perfectly seasoned crispy buffalo wings, tossed in a classic spicy, buttery Buffalo Sauce with a tinge of sweetness, and you prefer to avoid the mess and calories of deep frying, this is The One.
These aren’t just “quite crispy but still not like they’ve been deep fried”. These wings are seriously crispy. Read hundreds of testimonials from people who have tried it!
You can’t see how crispy the skin is when I’ve smothered them in that glorious Buffalo Sauce so here’s a photo of them plain, straight out of the oven. And if you have 90 seconds, watch the recipe video below the recipe so you can hear how crispy they are!
The recipe is ridiculously simple, and it’s a genius discovery by the amazing folk over at Cook’s Illustrated who used science to figure out how to make truly crispy wings in the oven.
How to make Ultra Crispy Buffalo Wings in the Oven
The 2 unique steps in this recipe that make all the difference are:
1. baking powder (secret ingredient!) – tossing the wings in baking powder which draws moisture to the surface of the skin and helps make it crispy. Rest assured you can’t taste the baking powder at all; and
2. bake on low then high – usually, the fat under the skin is part of the reason why baked wings don’t get really crispy. In this recipe, we start at a low temp first which melts the fat under the skin, then we crank up the oven which makes the skin super crispy!
What you need for Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
And here’s a visual for what you need.
1. The crispy baked wings
2. The Buffalo Sauce
That perfect combination of spiciness from Franks hot sauce, buttery goodness and and hint of sweet.
3. Blue Cheese Dip
I know some people aren’t a fan of blue cheese dip – but I’m all in!! In fact, I love blue cheese dip so much, I like to keep mine a bit lumpy so I get little pops of blue cheese. But usually, restaurants serve it completely smooth. Go with what rocks your boat!
Celery?? YES!
Crispy wings + spicy, buttery Buffalo Sauce + earthy, creamy blue cheese dip + fresh, crunchy celery = MAGICAL COMBINATION
I don’t know who discovered it, but they deserve a Nobel Prize. I remember the first time I tried it, I squinted at the celery sticks and thought, “who would bother with them?”. But they work! It’s like the perfect way to reboot your taste buds in between each wing!!
You’ll make a total mess of yourself eating them. It’s just not possible to eat wings elegantly. You’ll get Buffalo Sauce smeared all around your mouth. You’re doing well if your shirt stays clean.
But that’s all part of the Buffalo Wings experience, right?? The dramatic clatter as you toss the naked bones into a bowl. Smack you lips. Suck each finger clean.
Dive in for another.
YES PLEASE. – Nagi x
Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
Watch how to make it
PUMP UP THE VOLUME so you can hear how crispy they are!!
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Truly Crispy Oven Baked Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
Crispy Baked Wings
- 4 lb / 2kg chicken wings, wingettes & drumettes (Note 1)
- 5 teaspoons baking powder (NOT baking soda / bi-carb soda) (Note 2)
- 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt / cooking salt (not table salt, too fine)
Sauce
- 4 tbsp (60g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce (Note 3)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt / cooking salt
Blue Cheese Dip
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, softened (I use gorgonzola)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise , preferably whole-egg
- 1 clove small garlic , minced
- 1 – 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt / cooking salt
- Black pepper
To Serve
- Celery sticks
- Lots of beer!
Instructions
Crispy Baked Wings
- Dry overnight (optional) – If you plan ahead, lay the wings on a rack on a rimmed baking tray and let them dry uncovered in the fridge overnight. Alternatively, pat them dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven to 250°F/120°C (all oven types). Put one oven shelf in the lower quarter of the oven and one in the top quarter.
- Line the tray with foil. Put a rack on the tray then spray the rack with oil.
- Toss wings – Place the wings in a large bowl. Sprinkle over baking powder and salt. Use hands to toss well (or shake in ziplock bag) to coat wings evenly.
- Bake 30 minutes on low temp – Place the wings skin side up on the rack (ok if snug, they shrink). Bake on the lower shelf in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Bake 40 minutes on high – Move the tray up to the higher shelf and turn the oven up to 425°F / 220°C (all oven types). Bake for a further 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The wings do not need to be turned over. They are ready when dark golden brown and the skin is very crispy.
- Toss in sauce – Transfer the wings into a large bowl. Pour over sauce and toss to coat. (Alternatively, serve wings plain with Buffalo Sauce for dipping).
- Serve immediately with Blue Cheese Dip (for both wings and celery sticks dunking)!
Buffalo Sauce
- Whisk together the Sauce ingredients until the sugar is melted. Keep warm or reheat just prior to using.
Blue Cheese Dip
- Mash the blue cheese with sour cream until smooth (or to your taste).
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well until combined, using milk to get it to the consistency you want. Store in the fridge until required. Remove from the fridge 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes:
* Salt – only a small amount is required, it’s a phenomenon I can’t explain but this small amount perfectly seasons 2kg/4lb of wings using this baking method.
* These shrink when baked because the fat under the skin renders out (melts) which is how these become super crisp. So they can be snug on the rack.
* They are JUICY not dry, despite the long cook time. This is because the first bake at the lower temp barely cooks them, it only melts the fat.
* These bake to a golden brown, not a deep golden brown. You will know they are done because the skin will be lovely and crispy. 5. Source: The recipe for the wings is from Cook’s Illustrated “Meats Book” cookbook. The sauce recipe is my own. 6. To reheat: Allow wings (not tossed in sauce) to cool, then cover and refrigerate. The skin will wrinkle and soften. Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F. Spread wings out on tray, skin side up, and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the skin puffs up so the wrinkles smooth out and becomes crisp again. Works 100% perfectly! 7. Make Ahead: These stay crispy for as long as the wings are warm, so around 20 – 30 minutes. The skin stays crispy for around 10 – 15 minutes after tossing in the sauce, then after that they start to soften but not go soggy, up to around 30 minutes. If you reheat after tossing in sauce, they go soggy. 8. Comprehensive FAQ is available in the original Truly Crispy Oven Baked Wings. 9. Nutrition for just plain crispy wings (419 cal) and including the hot sauce (476 cal), both assuming 8 servings. Note that the wings have been adjusted to reflect the amount of fat that is rendered out (I measured the fat I poured off the tray 🙂 ).
Nutrition Information:
Originally posted June 2015. Republished February 2020 with improved video and photos, then updated with tidy ups in 2023. NO CHANGE TO RECIPE. I wouldn’t dare – it’s perfect as is!
Life of Dozer
This is what a Food Coma looks like.
Just discovered your wings book. Have purchased it, I love chicken wings
Wow. My husband and 3 teens LOVED this chicken. I used drumsticks that were on sale and it turned out great. SO CRISPY! Thank you
Really tasty and loved the ease of preparing. It was the messy oven that I didn’t love. But worth it!
Oh no Mary! Place foil down on your baking dish before placing a rack over it. It will make clean up a breeze! N x
WOWSER!! They were the best chicken wings ever and will be made again and again and again, I even did the fork trick at the end like you did and it sounded like the video. I made just over a kg for the two of us, I had 3 wings and the other half had the rest, I had to take a picture of his plate afterwards, was a tower of bones and he looked like Dozer afterwards, food-coma but in a good way. Thank you Nagi, you are a star x
Amazing wings without the fryer
Reminds me of being in Texas
Thanks Nagi, another winning recipe 🤗
Absolutely fabulous. I couldnt get the Franks Sauce so I used 190 ml of Sweet Baby Rays Wing Sauce as a substitute for your sauce. Just warmed it in a small sausepan.
Absolutely fabulous. I couldnt get the Franks Sauce so I used 190 ml of Sweet Baby Rays Wing Sauce as a substitute for your sauce. Just warmed it in a small sausepan.
I don’t have a baking rack or anything to elevate them.. will they still turn out crispy or did I mess up? Thanks!
Can the Baked Buffalo Wings be coated in wing sauce prior to baking?
Hi Susan, no they can’t sorry (they wont get crispy if you coat them in sauce) – N x
Great result on the chicken, the sauce and the celery dip. We haven’t had wings like these (and this good!) since the ’80s in Ft Lauderdale. Loved ’em!
Please tell me there is another cheese I can use. I cannot bring myself to eat blue cheese.
Hi Brenda, ranch dressing is just as good!N x
Thank you so much. You’re an angel and lifesaver all rolled into one. 🙂
Thank you so much for your delicious recipe for sharing your buffalo wings recipe. This was my very first time trying one of your recipes and my family and I was not disappointed at all. But girl, ( I had tears coming out my eyes, lol). 425 is way to high to have the oven at, I had to drop it at 375. It started getting smoky in my apartment where I had to open my patio and all windows, and turn off my A/C. ( I live in Las Vegas), so it’s already an oven in this state during the summer. Lol. Thanks again. Definitely a keeper.
I meant to say I had tears coming out my eyes lol… ( with my oven being so high), due to the smoke, which I put it at 375, and they still turned out crispy and delicious.
Thank you for your delicious buffalo wings recipe. But 425 is way to high to have the oven. My apartment got smoky, my fire alarms went off, and girl, ( I had tears coming out my, lol), where to I had to open my patio door, and windows. But AGAIN, thank you for posting a delicious recipe, for a first time visitor on your website.
These came out fantastic, my husband said I hit a home run! Followed your instructions to a tee! We do garlic Parmesan sauce. They were killer!
I’m looking forward to trying these wings, but wonder if I can put some chipotle spice right in with the baking powder.
Yes definitely Val! N x
Hello!
Would I be able to mix a dry rub with the baking soda and still have the same crispness?
Thank you!
Hi Linda, it depends what’s in the dry rub 🙂 N x
Like so many other comments about these wings – they truly are spectacular – I made them for friends on the weekend and what a huge success!
You are truly my food inspo!
Sam X
Wow. I honestly can’t explain how delicious these are. I made them for the first time in isolation when my favourite buffalo wings weren’t available at the pub because it was closed 😭 But I think these might actually be better. I made them again tonight for my friends hoping they tasted as good as they did the first time and my gosh – they were better. Thank you so much for this gem of a recipe. I’m forever grateful 💓
WOOT!!!! Awesome Maisy! N x
Amazing!!! I never thought I could make such crispy wings in the oven!!!