Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

My dad was always a fan of spicy wings. If it was football season he’d have a game on the tv and wings frying on the stovetop. My son shares the same obsession. I’ve made plenty of variations over the years but these crispy baked buffalo wings are hands down the favorite in my home. This chicken wing recipe meets the requirements for the best wings – a crunchy exterior and a delicious buffalo wing sauce.

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. Can oven-baked chicken wings really get that perfect crunch without deep frying? This is really what you need to know, right? I loathe using a deep fryer because it’s so messy, I’m left with oil I have to reuse or throw out, and I don’t actually want to cook with that much oil anyway. These wings are truly crispy even though they’re made without any flour and we’re not frying them. The key to this is in baking them in a single layer on an oven-safe rack over a baking sheet at a high temperature until golden brown. When you pull them from the oven you’re going to be wowed!

So now we’ve got crispy wings. It’s time to add a spicy kick. How about we toss them in a buttery homemade buffalo sauce? Only five ingredients required! The base of this sauce is hot sauce and melted butter (or ghee). I recommend using Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce. It’s a cayenne pepper hot sauce that’s just the right consistency and spiciness.

Serve these wings with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing, celery sticks, and carrot sticks. My Air Fryer Frozen French Fries are an easy side you’ll also love with these wings.

Ingredients for Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

• Chicken wingettes: Whole chicken wings are quite large so I recommend using split wings or chicken wingettes.
• Frank’s Red Hot Original Sauce: This cayenne pepper sauce is the perfect amount of spiciness and just the right consistency for creating our homemade buffalo sauce.
• Butter, ghee, or vegan butter: Butter is essential for a good buffalo sauce. You can use salted or unsalted butter, ghee, or a vegan butter.
• Apple cider vinegar: You can substitute white vinegar if you prefer.
• Minced garlic: You can mince your own fresh garlic or use a jarred variety.
• Seasonings: Chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and salt are the only seasonings you need for these crispy chicken wings.

How to Make Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

The first step is to pat wings dry with a paper towel. Toss chicken in a large ziplock bag or sealed container with salt, chili powder, and garlic powder. Shake so each wing is fully covered with the seasonings.

Place wings on a wire rack over an aluminum foil lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Flip wings. Bake for 20 additional minutes.

While the chicken is baking, add all buffalo sauce ingredients to a small pot on the stovetop. Stir on medium-low heat for a few minutes until sauce is warmed. Add the baked chicken wings to a large bowl with your finished buffalo sauce to evenly coat. Serve the coated wings with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing for dipping!

What Kind of Wings to Use

Next time you’re in the grocery store grab a pack of chicken wings and a pack of chicken wingettes and hold them side by side. Whole chicken wings are quite large! So when you see chicken wings at a restaurant what you’re really getting is actually wingettes or split wings. They’re cut smaller and easier to eat so I prefer using those.

Can This Wings Recipe Be Dairy Free?

Yes. Just use vegan butter instead of ghee or regular butter.

Tips for Crispy Baked Wings

Anyone who says baked wings can’t be crispy isn’t doing it right! Here are the five simple things you need to do for that crispy skin.

• Pat your wings dry with a paper towel.
• Don’t add any sauce until the end.
• Spread the chicken wings in an even layer on an oven safe wire rack over a baking sheet. I use the cooling rack that’s for cookies. Really. You don’t want your wings touching the bottom of the pan so this keeps them elevated.
• Bake the wings on the prepared baking sheet at high heat. I do my wings at 450 degrees. The higher temperature is essential!
• Flip the wings at around the halfway point so both the top and the bottom get crispy.

More recipes like this:

Buffalo Chicken Bites

Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Sticky Orange Balsamic Wings

Dairy Free Buffalo Ranch Chicken Dip

Buffalo Grilled Chicken Salad

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Soup