This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Crispy Baked Chicken Wings are so much easier than frying but they are just as crispy! With two sauces – original buffalo wing sauce or sweet and spicy honey buffalo, everyone will love these baked buffalo wings!
If you love buffalo wings but don’t want to deal with the hassle and mess of frying them at home, I have a recipe for you. Oven baked chicken wings! Yes, you can get super crispy and delicious chicken wings that are BAKED instead of fried. What is the secret to the best crispy baked buffalo wings?
How to get crispy buffalo oven baked wings?
The secret ingredient to super crispy baked chicken wings is Baking POWDER. Please be sure to use baking powder and NOT baking SODA. In addition, make sure your baking POWDER is aluminum free. Using baking soda will give your wings an off taste, so be sure you don’t mix them up. Some baking powder contains aluminum, which can also give your wings an off taste. Be sure to read the ingredients to see if it contains aluminum. The only brand I found at my grocery store that was aluminum free was the Rumford brand.
Why use baking powder on chicken wings?
Tossing chicken wings in baking powder before baking them will help them get very crispy, rivaling the texture of a fried chicken wing. Why? Baking powder is alkaline and breaks down peptide bonds, allowing the skin to get more brown and crisp. Science!
What oven temperature should chicken wings be baked at?
Although the baking powder is a very crucial ingredient in this baked chicken wing recipe, there are other factors that help us get crispy chicken wings in the oven. First of all, setting the chicken wings on a rack over a baking sheet allows the air to circulate around them better, which helps them stay crisp. The second factor is the oven temperature. We bake these chicken wings at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes, then flip and cook for another 15-30 minutes.
How do you make buffalo sauce for wings?
I made two sauces for my baked chicken wings – Original buffalo sauce and Honey Buffalo Sauce. Personally I love a sweet and spicy sauce so that was my favorite, but you can’t beat a classic either. I always use Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce.
- How to make Original Buffalo Sauce: In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt 1/3 cup of unsalted butter. Add 1/2 cup Frank’s RedHot Original, whisk to combine. Toss with baked wings and serve.
- How to make Honey Buffalo Sauce: In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt 1/3 cup of unsalted butter. Add 1/2 cup of Frank’s RedHot Original, 2/3 cup of honey, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp paprika. Whisk until fully emulsified. Toss with baked wings and serve.
Looking for more Game Day Party Appetizers? Try my Buffalo Chicken Dip, my Seven Layer Dip, or my Crab Artichoke Dip!
Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken wings
- 2 teaspoons salt (the amount of salt is 1 tsp per pound of chicken)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder Be sure to use aluminum free baking POWDER, not baking soda! Use 1 tsp of baking powder per pound of chicken.
For the Buffalo Sauce
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
For Honey Buffalo Sauce
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 2/3 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup (optional), then fit baking sheet with a rack. Spray rack with cooking spray to keep chicken from sticking.
- Pat chicken wings dry with a paper towel. Add to a large bowl and toss with the salt and baking powder until fully coated.
- Arrange wings on the rack, allowing space between each wing for heat circulation.
- Bake wings for 20 minutes. Flip wings and return to the oven for an additional 15-30 minutes, until wings are cooked through and have reached your desired crispiness.
- While wings are baking, make the sauce.
Make the sauce
- To make the Original Buffalo sauce, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add hot sauce and whisk to combine.
- To make the honey buffalo sauce, melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the other ingredients, whisk until fully combined.
- When wings are done, transfer to a large bowl and toss with the sauce until fully coated. Serve right away.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the items I recommend through the links I provide, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more info, please see my disclosure policy. Thanks for supporting Fox and Briar!
This was quick and easy to follow as a beginner, and the taste of the wings is HEAVENLY
So glad you loved them!
Every time we make these I am surprised by how crispy they are. IMHO, better than deep fried.
Yay, I am so happy to hear that!