Classic Buffalo Chicken Wings
Crackly, oven-baked wings with no deep fryer needed. A light baking powder coating dries and blisters the skin, then the wings are tossed in the classic tangy, buttery Buffalo sauce.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Wait
- 1 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 20 min
- Makes
- About 24 pieces (12 drumettes and 12 flats), serving 6 as an appetizer
Steps
Before you start
- Use baking powder, not baking soda. Baking soda leaves a soapy, metallic taste. Check that the label says aluminum-free to avoid any bitter aftertaste.
- Plan for the 1-hour uncovered fridge rest. It dries the skin, which is the secret to crisp wings. You can leave it up to 24 hours.
- Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat to 425°F (220°C) about 15 minutes before the wings go in.
- You need a wire rack that fits inside the baking sheet. Without it, the undersides of the wings stew in fat and turn soggy.
- Keep raw and cooked wings separate: set aside one bowl and one pair of tongs for raw chicken, and a second, clean bowl and clean tongs for the cooked wings. Buy whole wings and cut them yourself, or buy pre-split wings. Either way, cut off the tips (save them for stock).
Split and dry wings
- If your wings are whole, set each on a cutting board and cut through the joint between the drumette and the flat, then cut off and discard the bony tip.
- Place all pieces in a single layer on a double layer of paper towels and pat the tops and bottoms until no surface moisture remains.
- Throw the used paper towels straight into the trash.
- Wash your hands, knife, cutting board and any counter the raw chicken touched with hot soapy water before moving on.
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Ready when: Skin feels tacky and dry to the touch, with no visible wet sheen.
Tip: Wet skin steams instead of crisping, so take the extra minute to dry thoroughly.
Coat with baking powder
- In a small bowl, stir together the baking powder, kosher salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Put the dry wings in one of the large mixing bowls (your raw-chicken bowl), sprinkle the mixture over them, and toss with your hands for about 1 minute so every piece is coated in a thin, even, barely visible film.
- Wash your hands with hot soapy water afterward.
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Ready when: No clumps or white patches of powder remain; the wings look lightly dusted.
Tip: Clumps of baking powder bake into bitter spots, so rub them out and redistribute.
Air-dry in fridge
- Line the baking sheet with foil and set the wire rack on top.
- Arrange the wings on the rack, skin side up, in a single layer with about ½ inch (1 cm) between pieces.
- Refrigerate uncovered for 1 hour (up to 24 hours).
- Put the raw-chicken bowl in the sink or dishwasher to be washed, and keep the fridge shelf below ready-to-eat foods so no juices can drip onto them.
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Ready when: Skin looks matte and slightly papery.
Tip: Foil under the rack makes cleanup much easier because the fat drips onto it.
Bake first sideOven 425°F / 220°C
- About 15 minutes before the hour is up, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the upper third.
- Move the baking sheet straight from the fridge to the oven and bake the wings skin side up for 25 minutes without opening the door.
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Ready when: Skin is pale golden and starting to tighten, with fat pooling on the foil.
Tip: Do not crowd the pan. Use two sheets on two racks if your sheet is smaller, and swap their positions when you flip.
Flip and finish bakingOven 425°F / 220°C
- Using the raw-chicken tongs, turn each wing over so the other side faces up.
- Return to the oven and bake 25 minutes more at 425°F (220°C), until the skin is deep golden brown, blistered and crisp.
- Put those tongs in the sink to be washed; do not use them again for cooked wings.
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Ready when: Skin is deep golden brown and crackly, and an instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of a drumette (not touching bone) reads at least 175°F (80°C).
Tip: Chicken is safe at 165°F (74°C), but wings taste best and are more tender at 175–185°F (80–85°C).
Make Buffalo sauce
- While the wings finish baking, put the hot sauce, butter, vinegar and cayenne (if using) in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Whisk gently for 3 to 4 minutes until the butter melts and the sauce is smooth and glossy.
- Remove from the heat.
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Ready when: Butter is fully melted and the sauce is a uniform orange with no oily streaks or pools.
Tip: Do not boil. High heat can cause the butter to separate. If it does, whisk in 1 tablespoon of hot water.
Toss in sauce
- Use the second, clean large bowl and the clean pair of tongs (or wash the first bowl and tongs in hot soapy water and dry them).
- Transfer the hot cooked wings to the clean bowl, pour about three-quarters of the warm sauce over them, and toss for 30 seconds until every wing is evenly coated.
- Taste one and add more sauce if you want them saucier.
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Ready when: Wings are evenly glossy and coated, with sauce clinging rather than pooling in the bowl.
Tip: Sauce the wings right before serving. The skin softens the longer it sits in the sauce.
Serve right away
- Pile the wings on a clean platter with the celery sticks and a bowl of chilled blue cheese dressing for dipping.
- Serve immediately while the skin is at its crispest, with plenty of napkins.
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Tip: Never put cooked wings on a plate or board that held raw chicken.
Good to know
Tips
- Salt is already in the coating, so the sauce is deliberately made with unsalted butter. Taste before adding any more salt.
- For milder wings, use ¼ cup (60 ml) hot sauce plus 1 tablespoon extra butter. For hotter wings, add the cayenne or a few drops of hot pepper extract.
- If the skin isn't crisp enough at the end, switch the oven to broil (high) for 2 to 3 minutes, watching constantly so it doesn't burn.
- Wash hands, cutting board, knife, bowl, tongs and counters with hot soapy water after handling raw wings, and never reuse them for cooked wings or celery without washing.
Make ahead
Coat the wings and refrigerate them uncovered on the rack for up to 24 hours before baking. The sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept in the fridge. Rewarm it gently over low heat, whisking, before tossing.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: store sauced wings in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freezer: freeze for up to 2 months (cooked wings, ideally unsauced, on a tray first, then bagged). Reheat on a wire rack on a baking sheet at 400°F (200°C) for 10–15 minutes (20 minutes from frozen) until hot to 165°F (74°C) and crisp, then re-toss in warm sauce. Do not reheat in the microwave if you want crisp skin.
Substitutions
- unsalted butter → ghee or plant-based butter sticks. Ghee gives a nuttier flavor. Use the same weight.
- Louisiana-style cayenne hot sauce (such as Frank's RedHot) → another vinegar-based cayenne hot sauce such as Texas Pete. Avoid thick or sweet sauces such as sriracha, which will change the flavor and texture.
- blue cheese dressing → ranch dressing. A milder, popular alternative to blue cheese.
- whole chicken wings → chicken drumsticks (about 2 lb / 900 g). Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, until 175°F (80°C) at the thickest part.
