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Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings Recipe: Learn How to Make the BEST Baked Chicken Wings in the Oven. This Hot Wings Recipe (and Easy Hot Wing Sauce Recipe) is utterly irresistible!
Our Favorite Hot Wings Recipe Is Made In The Oven
Raise your hand if you love spicy buffalo wings!
Both of my hands are currently up, and so are my kids’ hands. In fact, my son Carson would tell you buffalo wings are the food of the gods. He would eat them every day if I let him.
Because of this, we make buffalo chicken wings a lot, and with many different methods.
Sometimes we smoke them. Sometimes we grill them. We’ve even, on occasion, pulled out the fryer to make restaurant-style fried hot chicken wings. (Although frying is my least favorite kitchen duty.)
However, I’ve find the easiest, most approachable, way to prepare buffalo chicken wings is to bake them in the oven.
Not only that, with a few tricks up your sleeve you can bake extra-crispy chicken wings, that taste like they’ve been fried!
Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings Recipe
The basic method for any great buffalo wings recipe is to:
- Make the hot wing sauce from scratch
- Cook the wings
- Then dunk the wings in the buffalo wing sauce.
That way, the hot chicken wings have the best chance of being super crispy out the outside, yet still dripping with sauce.
If you cook the buffalo wings in the hot wing sauce, the skin will never fully crisp up.
I’ll show you exactly how to make the best crispy Baked Hot Wings Recipe below.
How To Make Baked Chicken Wings Crispy
I know, it’s hard to believe you can “fry” chicken wings in the oven… And without any oil! Yet just think about how air fryers work.
It’s certainly possible, you just need to follow a few key steps.
To Make Our Ultra Crispy Baked Hot Wings Recipe
- Dry the Wings Thoroughly
- Coat the Wings with Baking Powder
Dry Wings: The chicken wings must be super dry before placing them in the oven. You can dry them by squeezing the wings with paper towels, or by placing them on a rack and letting them air-dry for hours. Or both!
Baking Powder: Baking powder (aluminum-free) is the secret ingredient to make the skins turn extra crispy in the oven. The baking powder changes the ph balance of the chicken skin, and helps to pull all the moisture out of it.
How To Make Your Own Hot Wing Sauce Recipe
Homemade Hot Wings Sauce (or Buffalo Sauce) consists of three simple ingredients:
- Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce (like Frank’s RedHot)
- Melted Butter
- Honey (or brown sugar)
That’s it.
People mix these items in different proportions to get their own secret blend, but it’s still pretty much all the same recipe.
The secret to making smooth buffalo wing sauce, is to warm it just long enough to melt the butter (or brown sugar if using.) Then whisk it well and turn off the heat.
If you simmer buffalo sauce it will separate over time, losing its silky texture.
Oven-Baked Chicken Wings Recipe Ingredients
Excited to get started? Here is everything you will need…
For the Hot Chicken Wings:
- Trimmed Chicken Wings – Often called Party Wings
- Baking Powder – Aluminum-free if you can find it.
- Garlic Powder – To add zest to the chicken skins.
- Salt and Pepper – To season the wings.
- Cayenne Pepper Sauce – Thin red hot sauce.
- Butter – To make the sauce silky.
- Honey – To make the buffalo wing sauce spicy-sweet!
Baked Chicken Wings Recipe Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Sheet
- Baking Rack
- Saucepot
- Bowl
Get The Full (Printable) Best Baked Chicken Wings Recipe Below
Best Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe Tips
So that’s how we make our BEST buffalo wings in the oven.
- We make the hot wings sauce,
- Dry the wings thoroughly,
- Bake the wings dredged in baking powder and dry seasoning,
- And dunk the wings in the sauce.
Here are a few things that also make a big difference…
Tip 1: The drying is so important I’m going to mention it again. The wings must be super dry in order to get crispy. Use paper towels to squeeze each wing so the skin is moisture-free.
Tip 2: The cayenne pepper sauce you use for the wing sauce needs to be good! I like Frank’s RedHot Original, but you can use your favorite brand.
Tip 3: You can place the chicken wings directly on a baking sheet, but it’s best if you set them on a baking rack over a baking sheet. That way, the hot air can circulate all the way around them in the oven.
More Amazing Chicken Wings Recipes
- Lemon Pepper Wings
- Chili Lime Wings
- Habanero Peach Grilled Wings
- Spicy-Sweet Chicken Drumsticks
Other Party Recipes You Will Love
- Muffuletta Cheesy Garlic Bread
- Irish Pub Cheese
- Spicy Bacon Wrapped Dates
- Mini Chorizo Chili Bread Bowls
- Best Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms
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Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Learn How to Make the BEST Baked Chicken Wings in the Oven. This Hot Wings Recipe (and Easy Hot Wing Sauce Recipe) is utterly irresistible!
Servings: 24 wings
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 2.5-3 pounds trimmed chicken wings (often called party wings)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum-free)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 5 ounces cayenne pepper sauce (Frank's RedHot Original)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 3 1/2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Set abaking rackon a large rimmed baking sheet. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Use paper towels to thoroughly squeeze and dry every single wing. The drier the wings are, the crispier they will get.
In a large bowl, mix the baking powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Add the wings to the bowl and toss to coat. Lay the wings on the baking rack, making sure they do not touch.
Bake for 30 minutes. Then use tongs to flip the wings. Bake another 15-20 until very brown and crispy.
Meanwhile, set a small saucepot over medium heat. Add the cayenne pepper sauce, butter, and honey. Once the butter has fully melted, whisk into a smooth sauce, then turn off the heat.
Once the chicken wings come out of the oven, move them to a large bowl and pour the hot wing sauce over the top. Toss to coat. Serve warm!
Video
Notes
Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing!
Nutrition
Serving: 1wing, Calories: 88kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 318mg, Potassium: 77mg, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 110IU, Calcium: 18mg
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American
Author: Sommer Collier
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