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
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The best home made chicken wings we’ve ever had. Really simple to make as well. Crispy, healthier to fried and take away options. The blue cheese sauce was incredible too, perfectly balanced.
We are big fans Nagi of all your recipes and your blog. Thank you for sharing your passion and incredible recipes with us.
Made this for Super Bowl. It was a magic act – now you see them, now you don’t 😉 Never saw wings eaten up so fast…
Had avocado honey, so added 1 tbsp to the sauce. Otherwise followed the clear and detailed directions to the letter.
Thank you, Nagi ❤
Fab Recipe!
Great flavors from the hot sauce.
Love how the heat keeps increasing with every wing!
🔥🥵🔥!! N x
My wings and legs are large and meaty…any tips on adjusting the cooking time and temp? Thanks – first time I did these, the wings were smaller and turned out great. Thank you!
I used this recipe to cook the wings in my airfryer. They turned out exactly like the oven baked version but were done in 25 minutes.
That’s so good to know!! I am looking at some air fryer testing now! N x
So I brined my wings overnight in buttermilk for extra moisture. Before mixing with baking powder I thoroughly dried them out. They came out incredibly moist and magazine picture worthy. However, the skin was like leather. Maybe it was a reaction to the buttermilk and baking powder or too long in the oven?? I’d love to know your thoughts on what may have happened. Definitely want to try them again.
Made this recipe for Superbowl Sunday and with a few minor changes for personal liking was amazing, the entire family raved
I followed the directions exactly wow I am hooked. Thank you!
Hi Nagi! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe that my husband and I LOVE! I have a question…do you think this same method would work for chicken nuggets? I usually fry pieces of chicken for use in my Asian dishes, but i wondered if this would give a crispy result without frying? Thanks!
If the nuggets are boneless, skin-on thigh meat, yes, it will work fine. But boneless, skinless breast meat will be inedibly dry and will NOT crisp up, but will be leathery.
I like to pre-boil the wings until cooked through and cool on a rack. This cuts down on cooking time later when you are busy entertaining. It tends to renders some of the extra fat from the skin too, making for an even crispier wing. Otherwise, I do everything the same. Don’t forget the baking powder!
Hi, great recipe. Do you have any idea how it would work in an air frier?
Regular baking powder contains about 480 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon vs regular salt at approx 2300mg sodium. This is why you don’t need to addmuch salt for this recipe.
Thanks for all your recipes they are always awesome and turn out great
I loved these! Have never had buffalo wings before, but they were good! Curious to know if anyone has any alternative sauces to toss the wings in? My partner doesn’t do spicy food.
Great screen name lol!! I’ve got five other wing sauces here in the notes including a few that aren’t so spicy! N x https://discountspot.info/crispy-oven-baked-chicken-wings-honey-garlic-sauce/#wprm-recipe-container-20701%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Awesome recipe! They also cooked so well in my airfryer.
Another recipe on my list. Nope not surprised its so good
AMAZING!!! My family was amazed at how delicious and crispy they were. I used Kosher salt and they were a little too salty but this is the BEST recipe! Thank you!
Does this mean 3/4 of a teaspoon for the wings or 3-4 teaspoons plural as it’s typed above please
Hi Dan – it’s 3/4 of a teaspoon – I will remove the extra “s” thanks! N x
I’ve made these several times – they are great!! Have you ever done them in an airfryer? I’ve just bought one and would like to try, but I’d hate to make a mess of perfection!
Hi! Should I change the cooking time if I do 2lbs?
Not sure if you meant to put that on my comment Kat, but I’d expect the cooking time to be the same for any quantity. Cheers.
What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe exactly (awesome sauce BTW). They turned out beautifully. Hubbie loved them. But I could not eat them all I could taste was a fizzy bitterness that was dreadful. I am so disappointed. Is it me?
DO NOT mistake with baking soda /bi-carbonate soda – if you use baking soda accidentally, it is inedible.
I would reduce the cooking time a bit so the wings aren’t quite so dry
Whilst the wings were super crispy, they were as another poster said too dry on the inside. I may try with a shorter sharper heat. Unless I actually have to use ‘buffalo’ size wings?