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.
Turned out absolutely amazing! Nicest wings I’ve ever had!
What a compliment, thanks so much Julian!!
Forgot the stars! Sorry 🙄
Thanks Nicky!
Love love love this recipe.
Wanting to make this for Christmas but is there a way to do this the night before? Or is only prepping the dip possible?
Forgot the stars! 🙄
My family LOVE buffalo wings and this recipe works every time, they’d have it every night if they could!
I wish I could eat them every night too!!! 🙌
These wings are amazing! The skin is crispy and the meat is tender and comes right off the bone! I’ll definitely be making these again. My eater normally prefers wings fried but said he’d eat these any day.
That’s great to hear Dani!
These are the best. I’ve made them at lease 20 times. Because I am lazy I now use Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce. As I write this I have 3 pounds of chicken wings in the oven. I have tried several of your recipes and every single one is not just good, but always my go to recipe. Thank you so much. 🙂
You’re so welcome Paul!!
Ok. So. This is a big one.
My husband and I are OBSESSED with buffalo wings. We actually spent our honeymoon in the US travelling to all the different BBQ joints we see on TV so that we could eat aaaalllllll the wings and ribs.
I just cooked these and my husband has declared them the most delicious wings he’s ever eaten 🤯 So crispy, so juicy… just amazing!! I have no other words except to say MAKE THEM if you haven’t already!!
Nagi, you are such a superstar! x
Woah that’s fantastic Bree!!! I’m so glad they were a hit!
I have made these a dozen times with your amazing recipe… Never ever disappoints! And the extra sauce is perfect drizzled over mashed potato! Thank you!
Perfect Julie!
I loved making these. They were delicious. I made ranch instead but still delicious. I plan on making some more for my family’s Thanksgiving dinner. A family member of mine prefers teriyaki though. Is there a way to substitute the hot sauce with teriyaki sauce or would everything have to be different?
Hi! Yes just change the sauce at the end – the wings will still be cooked the same way 🙂
So the brown sugar mixed would be the same too? Good.
Can this recipe be used for boneless wings or wing bites? If so, what variations would need to be made? I love all of your recipes. Thanks so much for this amazing site!
I haven’t tried Joann, I imagine they would need less cooking time though – N x
Hi, looking to make this for the holidays…is that baking sheet at 4 lbs? Trying to gauge how many actual pieces (approx) of wings this makes. 🙂 thanks!
Hi Lindsey, yes that’s the full amount on one baking sheet – N x
I have been using your crispy wing recipe for years, Make wings at least 16-20 times each year. It’s the best! I have some in the oven right now, and decided to send this note.
THANK YOU, these are the best! I tried many methods before I found yours, they are always a hit.
I use a sauce that is a mixture of Franks, Tabasco, and Melinda’s #4 xxxx hot( app. equal parts), with an equal amount of butter plus some garlic powder and a few drops of worchestershire.
thanks.
I’m so glad you love them Toby!!
OMG Nagi, these are soooo good! I did them last night but basically quartered the recipe as it was only for me. Did about 12 wings and afterwards felt like I could easily have another 12… or 112! I didn’t do the blue cheese sauce but these wings will be added to my all time favourite recipes. 🙂
I know the feeling all too well Mike 😂
I have a feeling this recipe was written for an oven with a heating element on the bottom – after three tries, my oven with heating element only on top works best with the following differences in cook times:
– first 30 minute cook at 250 closer to heating element – last 40-50 min cook time should be further from heating element- my convection oven made better wings when heated only to 400 for the last cook time in the middle of the oven… fantastic crispiness!
Hi Brooke, I use a fan oven for all my recipes – N x
Hi Nagi, Long time listener 1st time caller!!😃
I love the recipe and will try it soon. I have tried other Buffalo sauces but they have been really thin and that is disappointing. So looking forward to trying yours. But I will stick to my staple Blue Cheese sauce from Bobby Flay.. sorry. . But it is a fully cooked sauce and is mind blower!! Not easy to find good Buffalo wings in Brissy!! 1st comment of many. P.S. love RecipeTin Eats!!😍😍😍
Love to know what you think once you’ve tried it Ross! – N x
Hi, Nagi. I love your blog. These wings are the brainchild of Kenji Lopez-Alt. He is a former editor of Cooks illustrated, a contributing chef to Serious Eats, and author of The food Lab. He is also the genius behind vodka in piecrust. Just credit where credit is due. Thanks for all your work. Always a fan.
Hi Laura, Yes I LOVE Kenji, if you read the recipe I actually credit Cooks Illustrated – N
I made these for my dad tonight who usually turns his nose up at the “chick food” I usually make…..he was raving, as was everyone else! Followed the recipe exactly and I will never make chicken wings any other way. Once again Nagi, you made me look like a star in the kitchen! Your website is my fave, I devour it much like I do all of your amazing food. Thank you so much!!
Thanks so much Miranda, I really appreciate the feedback ❤️
Otimo. Muito bom.
Thank you!
These chicken Wing’s are fab! My 15 year old son takes them to school in his lunch box and devours what’s left on the fridge after school. I have forwarded the recipe onto the parents of several of his friends. There is another batch in the oven as I type! I run a primary school tuckshop and quite a few of your recipes have made it onto my ever changing menu of late. The cheeseburger casserole has been a particular hit with my “other” 359 babies!
Love these wings and just wanted you to know your instructions also work perfectly In a BBQ rotisserie tumble basket! Not as crispy but a great alternative when its hot and hey it’s BBQ wings. P.s also did the potato skins on the grill 😃
Woah that’s great to know Nancy!
How can I make Lemon Pepper wings using this method?