Oven Baked Buffalo Wings
These Oven Baked Buffalo Wings are super crispy and fall-off-the-bone tender. After trying this technique of cooking chicken wings in the oven, you will never go back to the traditional method of deep frying them ever again! Serve with blue cheese dip and celery sticks.
Servings 2 to 4 people
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken wings, separated into flats and drumettes, reserve the tips for homemade stock
- 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder, do not substitute with baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup Frank's red hot sauce, or any other hot sauce of choice
- 2 teaspoons honey or brown sugar, optional
To serve
- Homemade blue cheese dip or store-bought
- Celery sticks
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack in the upper-middle position. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, place an oven-safe, nonstick rack on top. Grease the rack with cooking spray or oil.
- In a large bowl, add chicken. Pat dry with kitchen paper napkins, squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Add baking powder, salt, and pepper, whisk to combine well. Add the wings and toss to coat evenly.
- Place the wings in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes, flip and cook the other side for another 20-25 minutes or until the chicken wings cook through and the skin turns golden brown and crispy.
- While the wings are baking, you can prep up the buffalo sauce. In a large bowl, add melted butter, Hot sauce, and honey or brown sugar. Mix until well combined and set aside.
- Add the baked wings and toss to coat.
- Serve with blue cheese dip and celery sticks.
Notes
- If you have time to spare, you can place the baking sheet with the wings in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 8 hours to overnight. This will dry out the skin completely. But it works just as well without the extra step.
- If using frozen wings, thaw and then proceed with the recipe. It is important to pat dry the wings thoroughly.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe as per your needs.
- We prefer our baked wings pretty saucy. Add as much of the prepared buffalo sauce you'd like, or return the glazed wings onto the rack again and broil on low for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has caramelized. Keep an eye while broiling.
- You can also air-fry the wings at 400°F for 25 minutes, tossing them every 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken wings cook through and the skin turns crispy.
- Leftovers: These oven baked buffalo wings are best eaten as soon as they are tossed in the sauce. They will remain crisp for some time after pouring the sauce, but eventually, they will begin to lose their crispiness. If you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze: Place the wings in a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out excess air, seal the bag, label, lay the bag flat so each that the wings are not sticking to each other, and freeze up to 1 month. Alternatively, you can also freeze the wings on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours, then place them in containers or freezer-safe bags. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- To reheat: Once thawed, place the wings on a rack over the rimmed baking sheet and reheat in a preheated oven at 350° F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat wings in the air fryer at 400°F for 6-8 minutes or until heated through. Do keep in mind that the wings will not turn crispy like before because they are coated with the sauce.
- Make-ahead: Bake the wings as directed in the instructions above. Once it cools down, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to eat. Reheat in the oven at 400°F on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes to crisp them up again.
- Inspired by Serious Eats