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!
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Just made it yesterday for my kids and granddaughter’s birthday celebration.Doubled the amount, as we have some big eaters. We were 8 people. But there was not much leftover! Came out perfect, cispy and delicious. Took a bit of time due to the big amount made. I used my convection oven plus regular oven to speed it up.
Just had these for dinner – delicious and so simple
Try these in an Air Fryer, they are quicker than and oven and since the air circulates like a convection oven they are more even and don’t need to flip and will not stick. You do need to give them a light spray of cooking spray just before but they are awesome.
This is how it’s done, great recipe. You can make them hotter by adding slices of jalapeño peppers to the sauce. The blue cheese dressing can come from a bottle or use ranch dressing which is customary.
Is it ok to use salted butter and eliminate the added salt later in the recipe? I never use unsalted and don’t want to buy it and have the remainder in my freezer if I don’t have to. Thanks.
Gotta be careful with the baking powder. I think I overdid it and could taste it, and the gritty texture. Next time I’ll do what another commenter suggests and add spices to the baking powder and salt, and just flip them in the oven and maybe skip the buffalo sauce altogether.
I used this recipe to make wings for New Year’s Eve and they were great! They were crispy. I noticed that they did not spatter as much in the oven, which I have to assume was due to their being baked first at 275. I made one change to the recipe, I added 2 tbsp of a southern barbecue rub (based on a recipe from “The Joy of Cooking ”) to the baking powder and coated the wings in the mixture before baking. So if anyone has a favorite rub for chicken, you may want to do the same.
First time making wings this way and will NEVER do it any other way! Absolutely PERFECT.
I’ve been following this recipe for several years and it’s really fantastic. Feel free to add some of your own spices to the salt and baking powder mix. Within the right ratios you don’t even need sauce.
The only thing I would add is flipping them at the final 10 minutes really makes a difference on the crispiness all around
I have made these twice and am actually making them right now! The recipe is so easy to follow and the wings are so crispy and tasty!
I have just tried these and am disappointed about the taste that baking powder (yes, I checked it is what I used) leaves my mouth.
I hope the sauces will mask that.
Thanks Nagi. You nailed it. Perfect little recipe that delivers Buffalo wings I would expect in a road house! Perfect for watching the World Cup.
These were hands down the best baked buffalo wings I’ve ever made. The taste and texture were perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing.
I never would have thought that making wings like this at home would be so easy. These were AMAZING! I made these with the stovetop Mac and cheese (which was also absolutely divine) for my very non foodie, couldn’t be less excited about food partner tonight and he was ranting and raving and moaning all the way through the meal lol he ate around a kg of the wings to himself and said this was the best eating experience of his entire life lol as much as I would like to take credit for that, I think the credit belongs to you Nagi. Thank you for another two perfect recipes!
I will probably never fry another chicken wing again. This recipe gets 10 stars from me from the prep time to the ease of cooking the cleanup time and the taste and crispness of these wings. No need to order wings out and get undercooked rubbery wings and usually for a hefty price. They are awesome!
I have made these twice, with much less salt, 1/4 tsp, and both times we have had to throw them away because they are simply too salty. I want to love them but they’re just far too salty.
I believe the issue is that you’re using Baking SODA, not Baking POWDER.
I once accidentally used Baking Soda in a recipe calling for Cornstarch and ended up with a salty mess.
Use no salt then and be careful with any sauce you use
Hmm… this didn’t work out well for me. The skins were tough, not crispy. I have an electric oven. Is yours gas? When you move the wings to the top of the oven, are you using a broiler setting? Trying to figure out why the recipe didn’t work for me…
I have made these twice now! This recipe is absolutely delicious my husband loves these buffalo wings and drumettes. One thing I did different I added two teaspoons of the baking powder to half of the dramats and then took those out and did the other half. I didn’t do them all at once. These were wonderful. Thank you so much this will be my go-to recipe from now on!!
Saving this page!!! Want some amazing Buffalo wings and haven’t found someone that caters to Australia! Thank you!
Cooked to perfection!! Another great recipe. Golden and juicy. About to try a couple of sauces. Stella C
These are the best wings! My husband is Canadian and I have been making Hot Wings every Canada day but have never got such a crispy result as these when baking. Absolutely delicious thank you again for another great recipe!
Hello Nagi, I have cooked this recipe yesterday the chicken wings was so moist the flavor and its super crispy I love the taste. Thank you so much your recipes always good.