No false promises here – these are SERIOUSLY CRISPY Baked Buffalo Wings made in the oven! Using a world famous Cooks’ Illustrated technique, the skin is so shatteringly crisp, it’s hard to believe they aren’t fried.
Unbelievably easy to make, try this once and you’ll be converted for life. Watch the quick recipe video to hear how crispy these really are!
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
Baked Buffalo Wings that are CRAZY crispy!
Watch how to make it
PUMP UP THE VOLUME so you can hear how crispy they are!!
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Servings8
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Recipe video above. This recipe uses a genius technique discovered by Cook's Illustrated to make chicken wings in the oven that come out so crispy that it's hard to believe they aren't deep fried. Tossed in a classic Buffalo sauce and served with a side of blue cheese dip and celery sticks and you have one of the most genius food combinations this world has ever seen! Comprehensive FAQ is available in the original Crispy Baked Wings (scroll below recipe).
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 salt
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 salt
Blue Cheese Dip
- ▢ 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, softened (I use gorgonzola)
- ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
- ▢ 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- ▢ 1 clove small garlic, minced
- ▢ 1 - 3 tbsp milk
- ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
- ▢ Black pepper
To Serve
- ▢ Celery sticks
- ▢ Lots of beer!
Crispy Baked Wings
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. Spray the rack on the baking tray with oil.
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.
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.
Then move the tray up to the higher shelf and turn the oven up to 425°F / 220°C. Bake for a further 40 to 50 minutes, rotating the tray halfway through. The wings do not need to be turned over.
The wings are ready when they are dark golden brown and the skin is very crispy.
Toss with Hot Sauce and serve immediately with Blue Cheese Dip and celery sticks. They can be served plain, with a dipping sauce or tossed in sauce. Wings also reheat crispy!
Sauce
Whisk together the Sauce ingredients. 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.
1. Wings - While this recipe can be used for whole chicken wings, I prefer to cut them into wingettes and drumettes to make them easier to eat. See below for how to cut wings.
You will need 2.15kg / 4.3 lb of whole wings to make 2kg/4lb of wingettes and drumettes, after taking into account the wing tips which are discarded.
2. Baking powder - Use aluminium free baking powder, if you can find it, the flavour is neutral. If you can't find it, it's totally fine - just be sure to toss the wings very well to coat evenly, you do not want thick patches of the baking powder anywhere.
Baking powder is the secret to outrageously crispy baked wings, discovered by Cooks' Illustrated / America's Test Kitchen. DO NOT mistake with baking soda /bi-carbonate soda - if you use baking soda accidentally, it is inedible.
3. Franks Hot Sauce - If you are in Australia, you can find Frank's Hot Sauce at Coles and Woolworths in the section where tomato sauce, tabasco etc are. It costs around the same as other hot sauces. If you can't find Franks, then any other hot sauce will do just fine. Even sriracha works - just add 1 tsp of sugar.
4. General 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 🙂 ).
Serving: 247gCalories: 476cal (24%)Carbohydrates: 3.1g (1%)Protein: 63.3g (127%)Fat: 22g (34%)Saturated Fat: 8.1g (51%)Cholesterol: 210mg (70%)Sodium: 1195mg (52%)Potassium: 934mg (27%)Sugar: 1.3g (1%)Vitamin A: 100IU (2%)Calcium: 200mg (20%)Iron: 2.9mg (16%)
Keywords: Baked chicken wings, Buffalo Sauce, Buffalo Wings
Originally posted June 2015.
How to cut Chicken Wings
If you can only get whole wings, you can either use the wings whole or cut them into drumettes and wingettes (as pictured).
Here is how I cut chicken wings. The knife just glides through the joints – you won’t need to use any force or bang the knife with your hand to cut it through. Once you get the hang of it, it’s really fast. It takes me around 2 – 3 minutes to cut up 2 kg / 4 lb of wings (not showing off, just saying!).
Pick up the drumette end of the wing and hold the wing to form a “V”. Holding the wing this way stretches the joint open, making it easier for the knife to glide through the joint;
Cut vertically through the joint. Don’t use too much force, you knife will find the path of least resistance because the joint is stretched open;
Now repeat for the wing tip – hold it in a “V” and cut straight down through the base of the “V”; and
You’re done! Discard the wing tip – save them to make stock (or give to your pup!).
Life of Dozer
This is what a Food Coma looks like.