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. 
Can’t find/update original comment.
I added sauce then stuck back in oven to crisp up a bit.
What is proper proportions when doubling recipe? I think I added too much baking powder.
Hi Marcus. You can change the number of servings in the recipe card from 8 to 16 and it will convert the ingredients list for you.
Did too much baking powder for the wings. Weird coating when they cooked but, I cook for others, don’t eat meat.
Crispy wings! Delicious even without ANY sauce – love this method!
Your recipes always work out for me. I like cooking. I like it a lot more when it turns out delicious.
Hi John! I’m glad to hear that.
These were great. Served them for Super Bowl. A big hit So crispy. Making them for a game tomorrow!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Debra!
One pound chicken wings what about measurements? Instead of for 3 lbs please
Change the serving size in the recipe card and it will convert the ingredient list for you.
Have not tried this yet, but wondered if using honey instead of sugar would yield the same desired sauce.
Hi Kathie, I think that will be fine. We’d love to know how it goes!
Did this recipe tonight, ran out of garlic powder so had to use granules. Still turned out perfect! I’ll admit, we made the sauce in cup measurements because I love Buffalo sauce. My hubby couldn’t stop raving through out the meal. Perfection on the crispy ness. I’m higher elevation and had to go a few minutes longer, just kept a close eye.
Thanks!
Thank you for sharing, Amanda!
Let me first say that if you don’t love these wings YOU messed them up. Perfect but I didn’t use your sauce I use hooters hot buffalo sauce. The crisp and flavor of these wings were the bomb before I drenched them. A+ lady
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, we’re super glad that you loved these wings!
Great receipe! Very simple to prepare and tastes awesome. The whole family loved it. I like the fact that I don’t have to deep fry them like some other receipes. Thank you Natasha.
That’s great, Lorens! So glad they were a hit.
sounds like James might have used baking soda rather than baking powder.
Absolute WORST recipe I have ever tried!! Followed the directions exactly and ruined 3 dozen wings so bad that they’re not edible at all. They taste like baking powder and are complete trash. Won’t ever risk another meal from your website again!
Hi James! I’m sorry to hear that. We’ve had excellent results using this recipe and great review from other users as well. Did you use aluminum free baking powder as recommended? If not, then that could have caused the unpleasant taste.
Are you sure about the amount of baking powder that you used? It’s very salty and I have messed up before using too much. This recipe was right on and I carefully applied the dry seasonings after drying the wings . Layered each pound then adding only a teaspoon at a time, then hand mixing.
Made these for dinner tonight and they were great! Perfect amount of crispiness and it was so easy. I did use cornstarch instead of baking powder.
I will play around with the sauce a little because there was a sweetness to it that I wasn’t crazy for.
Hi Amanda! I’m glad to hear that they were enjoyed! I hope you find just the right balance of sweetness.
This Buffalo girl uses Franks , a bit of butter and a splash of white vinegar..no sugar
Sounds great!
I was looking for a good gluten-free meal for my husband and he wants this in the weekly rotation. A new family favorite!! I used thawed out 4 lb bag of frozen wings and made an assortment of flavors to try: buffalo, dry mesquite rub, and our favorite bbq sauce. My kids 13 and 11 both LOVED this recipe and asked to have for their birthday meals.
Hi Katy! That’s amazing. I’m so glad your family loves this recipe. Thank you for the feedback.
Didn’t have instructions on the portions how much baking soda how much salt for how many wings. End product was not edible perhaps because the baking soda taste took over.
I have all the ingredients, amounts, and instructions in the recipe card above. You can click “jump to recipe” at the top of this page, which will take you to the recipe card directly.
The recipe does NOT include baking soda.
This is a heads up! I made a major mistake! I used baking soda instead of baking powder!! Even added the salt to the baking soda. Obviously inedible due to my error. Can’t wait to try again. The worse part is, I’m a seasoned baker and made this crucial mistake. Ugh!
Hi Dawn! I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you get to try this again without the error.
Hot sauce to butter ratio is incorrect. Should be 2 parts hot sauce 1 part butter.
Hi Tangles, we found this combination very satisfying, but you can change it up to save calories if preferred.
These were so good. I don’t normally fry and these were perfect. Used another brand of hot sauce because that’s what I have.
Thank you so much!
You’re welcome, Diane! So glad you loved the recipe.
Great wing recipe! The only thing I changed was instead of Franks I used real Anchor Bar Buffalo sauce.. Turned out wonderful! We have wings almost every week or two, this sure saves on peanut oil and the mess.
Thank You!
Sounds great! I’m so glad that you enjoyed our buffalo wings recipe.