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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Thanks for sharing this secret! I have made these a number of times and have 2 kg in the oven right now. I like them a little more moist, so I cook them just a little short of full cooking time. My brother in law likes them dry and crispy so I put the rest back on let them get just a little more done. Then I add salt and cracked pepper. Sometimes even throw them on the barbeque for a few minutes. Great with beer on a warm canadian west coast summer evening. Fantastic.
Thanks for trying my recipe Milan, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! N x
WHOAH!!! I made these on the weekend. They were amazing , so easy too (except cutting the wings) might get the butcher to do that for me next time.
Tested it out on the family and YES! This recipe’s going straight to the entertaining repertoire.
Thanks once again Naggi ???
Thank you Jacqui! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for letting me know! N x
My wings are in the oven. Taking them to our Father’s Day celebration today. Can these be put into a crock pot to be kept warm?
I’m probably too late for my response, sorry Nancy! I recommend reheating in the oven to make them crisp again. 🙂 Please refer to the recipe notes for make ahead instructions!
Hi! I have tried to bake wings forever and always failed. Your recipe is PERFECT!! I am having a dinner party the day after tomorrow and would like to know if these get soggy if reheated as I’d much prefer to make the day before? Of course not adding the sauce.
Thank you very much!!
Hi Vicki – that’s awesome! I’m SO glad you love these too!! 🙂 Thanks for the question, I had the make ahead notes in the other wings recipe!! I just added the directions to reheat in Note 5 – these reheat fantastically, you will be amazed!
When you cook these wings do you cook the whole wing section, or do you separate the wing first, cooking the 2 sections separately? Thank you.
Hi Mary! I tend to cut the wings at the joint to create a wingette and drummette for each wing but it can be made using the whole wing if you prefer, or if you can’t be bothered cutting the wings! Just following the recipe exactly as is even for whole wings! 🙂
I’ve tried a number of Buffalo wing receipts and this by far was the best. I included salt, baking powder, and Webster’s kick n chicken spice. Baked at the suggested temperature; took each piece and dipped it into Franks hot sauce, melted butter, brown sugar, and light salt. Moved chicken from oven to charcoal grill for 5-10 minutes. Absolutely perfect….best I’ve ever had!!
Thanks for trying my recipe Jonathan! I’m so glad you enjoyed it too! 🙂 N x
7 lbs in the oven now…my 2 grandsons & husbands favorite! Sounds yummy & so easy! I’ll let you know the results later!
oooh! Hope you LOVE it Debbie! 🙂
Hi there. Just stumbled on your site and love it. I made the buffalo wings today and they are truly crispy!! In regards to the nutrition facts, when you say 8 servings do you mean 8 wings? Can you clarify for this lazy calorie counter please! Thanks!!
Hi Lizzy! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 When I say 8 servings, I mean that the whole recipe serves 8 people as a starter 🙂 And the calorie counter is the calories per serving. Hope that makes sense!!
Hey I marinated my chicken wings overnight in seasonings so do I still need to add salt after the baking powder? I don’t want them to be salty if the wings are already seasoned
Hi Deborah, if you seasoned them then you won’t need the extra salt, but please note that by using seasonings the wings won’t be quite as crispy! still super crispy, much crispier than using other methods, but not quite as crispy as just using baking powder 🙂 N x
Oh my God! These were tender, juicy and SO crispy… I loved the hint of sweetness in the sauce to temper the spice. I did end up adding more Frank’s because my original mix was not spicy enough. I also added a few shakes of garlic salt in with the baking powder and liked the hint in the final product. I am definitely going to make these again!
Yay! so glad you loved them Evan! N x
I made these tonight. They were crispy and tasted fried. I won’t make wings any other way. Thanks.
YAY! So glad you’re on board with the baked wings revolution!!! 🙂 N x
Hi! Can I make these with boneless/skinless chicken breasts that I’ve cut into strips? Or what about boneless wings? Would it be the same?
Hi Autumn! Unfortunately not, this only works with chicken with skin 🙂
Does it really matter if I don’t let them sit overnight?
Hi Rose! Nope, that’s totally fine, just pat them dry using paper towels 🙂
I am wondering about experience with either par baking the wings and then finishing off or cooking them fully and reheating. I need to mostly prepare these ahead of time so trying to strategize.
Hi there! These can be made ahead, cooled and refrigerated, then reheated. They reheat great – they come out wonderfully crispy!!! 🙂
Out of this world!
So glad you loved it Kathryn!!! 🙂
The recipe sounds great! I just wish I would have found it 6-7 hours ago. I dont have an extra 8 hours to let the wings rest. Oh well maybe next time. I have to rate just to leave a comment so I am going with a 4 only because of the time it takes to make these.
Hi Lucylite! There is no requirement to rest the wings for 8 hours!!! 🙂
This a the right way to go with buffalo wings. The baking powder trick is very good to know!
Glad you loved it Marni!! N x
Can these be made frozen? Mine didn’t thaw 🙁
Sorry Kayla, these won’t work with frozen wings 🙁
I’ve not made these yet, but hope to soon. Wondering if you ever tried adding pepper, garlic powder, or anything else to the baking powder/salt coating? Sometimes we just want wings without a sauce or dip. Thanks!
Hi Sara! Yup, I sure have! I’ve made loads with rubs, I put all my favorites in the Wings cookbook 🙂 https://fast-enhancement.today/chicken-wings-cookbook/%3C/a%3E When you add a rub, it creates a thicker crust – it’s really delicious! You can totally add whatever spices you want – there is a minor reduction in crispiness but not much! Just coat in baking powder first THEN toss in spices. 🙂
They’re in the oven now!. First time making wings and I’ve been craving them. They were so easy to prepare!. Thanks from New Orleans!
Hope you LOVED THEM John!!! N x
These look so good & great !
I look forward to eating delicious!
Thanks.
Thanks Linda!!! Hope you try it!! N x