Homemade Buffalo Wings have a secret ingredient that makes them super crisp and irresistible. The easy buffalo sauce is just 3 ingredients and makes these taste like a restaurant-quality appetizer.
If you loved our Air Fryer Chicken Wings, you’ll love these Oven-Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings. You can bake a bigger batch all at once which is great for feeding a crowd. Think Super Bowl appetizer.
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Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
The beauty of baked buffalo chicken wings is that you can get the same, crispy texture without the need for splattering hot fryer oil. Using our handy baking powder trick and a wire rack, they get a wonderful crust with a fraction of the fat of deep-fried versions. Tossing the crispy wings together with a buttery, tangy buffalo sauce is irresistibly good.
Ingredients for the Crispiest Buffalo Chicken Wings
- Chicken wings – Use fresh or thawed frozen wings that are broken down into drumettes and wingettes
- Baking powder – The secret ingredient for getting your chicken wings ultra-crispy without the need for deep frying
- Salt – we use fine sea salt in nearly all of our cooking
- Garlic powder – adds a bit of zest to your wings before tossing them in the buffalo sauce
- Unsalted butter – adds a nice creaminess to the buffalo sauce
- Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce – This is the perfect base for your wing sauce. It’s tangy, a little sweet, and has just the right amount of spiciness.
- Sugar – helps the sauce caramelize and thicken on your piping hot wings.
How to Make Crispy Buffalo Wings
- Prep Chicken Wings – cut wings in half to separate the drums from the wingettes. Pat the wings dry with a paper towel. Preheat the oven and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over the pan.
- Make dry seasoning – Combine baking powder, salt, and garlic powder.
- Season the wings – Place the chicken wings in a large mixing bowl and toss them in the dry seasoning until well-coated. Assemble the wings in a single layer over the rack.
- Bake in the center of the oven for 50 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Make the Buffalo Sauce – In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar, and hot sauce.
- Toss Wings in Sauce – Transfer chicken wings to a bowl, and toss, drizzle with sauce and toss to coat. Serve with your favorite sauce.
Tips for the Best Buffalo Wings
- Remove moisture – pat dry with paper towels to remove as much moisture as you can to ensure they turn out crispy.
- Use baking powder – The baking powder creates such an incredible crust on the wings. It’s a must!
- Bake on a rack – A wire rack allows the wings to circulate and makes them crispy all around.
How to Serve
- Restaurant Style – We love to serve buffalo wings as they do at Chilis restaurant alongside some chunky blue cheese dip and celery sticks.
- Avocado Ranch – this dressing is also an amazing dip for buffalo chicken.
- Jalapeno Ranch – if you want a spicy kick to your sauce as well, adding jalapeno adds just the right amount of heat.
- Add fries – you can turn this into lunch by serving with crispy Air Fryer French Fries.
Common Questions
The temperature and timing should be adequate, but you can always use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken (at least 165˚F and tastier if 175˚F).
You can, but be sure to thaw completely before baking, or they won’t crisp up properly.
Add in a teaspoon of cayenne pepper or black pepper to the dry seasoning for a spicier wing.
You can cook the wings following the time and temperature for our Air Fryer Chicken Wings then toss with buffalo sauce to finish. You will need to cook in 3 batches or cut the recipe down to 1 lb of chicken wings.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Chicken is so versatile, from chicken wings to drumsticks, thighs, and chicken breast. My favorite thing to do is Cut a Whole Chicken, freeze the various cuts and then use the bones for the Best Chicken Stock.
If you love chicken as much as we do, you’re sure to find some new favorites in this list of our favorite chicken recipes:
- Baked Chicken Legs
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Popeyes Chicken Sandwich
Crispy Buffalo Wings Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 lb chicken wings, wings and drummettes split, wingtips removed
- 1 Tbsp baking powder, (use aluminum free)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
Buffalo Sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup Franks Original Red Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar, or brown sugar
Instructions
- Thoroughly pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over the pan.
- Combine the baking powder, salt and garlic powder in a bowl, sprinkle over the chicken and toss to combine. Arrange chicken on the prepared wire rack.
- Bake the chicken for 25 minutes, flip it over and bake for another 25 minutes or until crisp and cooked through.
- In a medium-size bowl combine sauce ingredients. Remove chicken from the baking sheet to a bowl. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken in the sauce. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi! I’m Natasha Kravchuk, a New York Times bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, food photographer, and writer. Here you’ll find delicious, reliable recipes made with simple ingredients, plus easy step-by-step photos and videos to help you cook confidently at home. 
Oh my goodness, these were PHENOMENAL!! I will never order wings from a restraurant ever again because they will never live up to what I can now make at home! Thank you for your recipe! Also thank you for your tomoato and french onion soup recipes as these are other go-to dinners that I do not know how I got by without!
So happy to hear that, Daniel! They really are so good, I agree, if you can get wings like this at home, what’s the point? Thank you for the review.
Wasn’t really believing that they would get crisp but omg they were! Best wings I have ever had…crispier than deep frying!! Amazing…thank you!
That’s fantastic feedback, thank you so much for sharing that with us!
At no point does it say at what temperature to bake the wings.
Hi Steve, we have that listed as step #1 on the instructions: “1. Thoroughly pat dry the chicken with a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack over the pan.” I hope that helps!
Great crispiness and flavor! Didn’t have aluminum free baking powder so replaced with cornstarch and they were delicious! Will be making these again!
Great to hear that it turned out great, Michelle! Thank you for your awesome comments and feedback.
Can I use cornstarch instead of baking powder. I don’t have aluminum free.
Hi Justina, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I didn’t have aluminum free baking powder so I replaced with cornstarch and they were delicious and crispy!
Made these last night for Super Bowl. SO easy and SO good! They really are crispy! Am really enjoying your recipes. Thank you.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Natalie!
So glad I found your recipe- I doubled this & served at our Super Bowl party & got so many compliments (& no leftovers)! Perfectly crispy yet tender wings!
That’s awesome, I’m glad the recipe was a hit!
Theses wings are great! Best I have ever made Natasha in my 55 years of marriage. Thank you so much. Your GREAT!
Nan G.
You’re so welcome! I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try.
These are the best wings I have ever made. My new go to recipe for sure.
Love it, Nancy! Than you for your awesome review and feedback.
Absolutely delicious Natasha. They were a hit in my house. We had them while watching the Super Bowl.
I’m happy to know that, Sandra. Thank you for your review!
Made these for the superbowl this evening, and I am so impressed! They are just delicious!! The baking powder really is important for that crispy skin, and adding that smallest amount of sugar I felt elevated the wing sauce. Made it more of an actual wing sauce flavor vs. Just a hot sauce. Hubby loved it too!
Glad it was a huge hit, April! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Natasha, I don’t have the red hot sauce. What can I use in place of this? Bar-b-q sauce?
Hi LeAnn, I have not tried experimenting on that to advise. I usually use hot sauce as it adds a tangy flavor to the recipe.
Will try it today! Why must I use aluminum free baking powder? The baking powder i have is not aluminum free so will it affect the taste and outcome of this recipe?
Hi, some people can detect the aluminum in baking powder which is why I recommend using one that does not have that in it.
Hello, is there any way you would suggest that I could do this or part of this, a few hours ahead?
Hi Suz, these are the best fresh!
Recipe is good – issue is with the smoke that pours out of the oven while baking.
I have followed another recipe which calls for steaming the wings for 10 minutes then letting the wings dry and chill before continuing.
Does no one else have a large amount of smoke while baking??
Hi Tom, be sure you are using a high smoke point oil (not extra virgin olive oil) and also make sure you are baking on conventional oven settings and not convection.
What is the oil for ? I did not see oil in the recipe , or maybe that is for the air fryer ? I’m going to use the oven
Thankyou for all your lovely recipes, its warm , comforting and truly home. Love you natasha I have learnt so much bless you and keep smiling . You’re awesome.
You’re welcome, Joan. Thank you for your lovely comments, I hope you’ll love all the recipes that you will try!
What temperature is the oven set at, please? they look so good. Making my mouth water!!
Hi Bonnie, we have that listed as the first step on the printable recipe card. Preheat the oven to 450˚F. I hope that helps!
It does!!! Now, I see it. So sorry about that! When you create your cookbook, is it going to have all of the recipes that you have posted to date?
Hi Bonnie, we will have new recipes and a few others!
Crispy buffalo wings are one of my favorite snacks ever. Such great flavor and they get perfectly crispy too!
This recipe is perfect for you then!
Love how easy these are! And so super delicious! Wonderfully tender. Perfect for Superbowl snacks!
I’m so glad you love it, Betsy!
Homemade chicken wings are the best. Great recipe – easy to make and so delicious. Can’t wait to use your recipe again this weekend for Super Bowl.
Sounds great, Melissa. Thanks a lot for your review and great feedback!