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These Baked Buffalo Wings get extra crisp in the oven using a light baking-powder dry coating on a rack, then a 3-ingredient sauce after baking: butter + hot sauce + a splash of apple cider vinegar. Plan on about 50 minutes bake time at 450°F. Toss while hot and serve with blue cheese and celery.
Table of Contents
- Why this recipe works
- Ingredients for Baked Buffalo Wings
- Equipment You Will Need
- How To Bake Buffalo Wings
- How To Make Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Sauce Tips: How do I get Buffalo sauce to stick?
- How Long To Bake Wings
- Alternative Cooking Methods
- What Are Buffalo Wings
- How To Make Buffalo Wings In Advance
- How To Serve Buffalo Chicken Wings
- More Easy Chicken Wing Recipes
- Best Baked Buffalo Wings Recipe
- Storage and Reheating
Why this recipe works
- Simple, repeatable steps: Pat dry and lightly coat then flip once, toss in sauce, easy to scale for game day.
- Baking powder equals crispy skin: Baking powder raises surface pH and draws moisture out so the skin browns and crisps in the oven.
- Wire rack creates space: Elevates wings for 360° airflow; spacing prevents steaming and soggy wings.
- High heat finish (450°F): Renders fat fast and blisters the skin for extra crispy bites.
- Overnight dry-brine (optional): Uncovered chill dehydrates the skin further for extra crunch.
- Toss while hot: Warm wings plus melted butter help the Buffalo sauce cling without making the wings soggy.
- Balanced 3-ingredient sauce: Butter tempers the heat; a little apple cider vinegar adds bright, classic tanginess.
A game day must have, Buffalo Chicken Wings are always a staple when watching football, baseball or just a general bar snack food any time of year. But let’s face it, they’re not the healthiest when they’ve been deep fried a few times. Enter my Baked Chicken Wings recipe.
I’ve tested this recipe over the years and it’s absolutely perfect in every way.
Ingredients for Baked Buffalo Wings
- Wings: Flats and drumettes, patted very dry.
- Dry Coat: Baking powder + kosher salt (light dusting).
- Buffalo Sauce: Butter and your favorite cayenne hot sauce with a little apple cider vinegar.
Equipment You Will Need
Sheet pan, wire rack, large bowl, tongs. (Rack = airflow for crisp.)
How To Bake Buffalo Wings
So, I took on the daunting task of doing some research and learning a bit of science about the way chicken cooks. And I learned a lot from Serious Eats and Alton Brown. Like how you need to dry out the chicken wings ahead of time so they don’t turn into a slippery, slimy mess.
And how baking powder is the magic ingredient needed to make all those little bubbles and pockets that hang onto the sauce once you toss them. I used baking soda on these Old Bay Grilled Chicken Wings and they turned out splendidly but the baking powder, that is the reason we now have the Very Best Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Recipe right here in front of us.
- Dry and Coat: Pat wings very dry with paper towels. Toss with a light coating of baking powder and kosher salt.
- Rack It Up: Arrange on a wire rack over a sheet pan and don’t crowd.
- Bake: Bake in a preheat oven at 450°F for 20 minutes, flip, then 30 minutes more, until deep golden and crisp.
- Make Sauce: Melt butter, whisk in hot sauce and apple cider vinegar.
- Toss & Serve: Toss wings while they’re still warm so the sauce clings; serve immediately with celery and blue cheese.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can dry-coat and refrigerate the wings (uncovered) up to 24 hours before baking.
I used this baking rack over a heavy duty baking sheet, it’s a multi-tasker in the kitchen because the baking sheet is just a workhorse that can be used for anything from this Baked Chicken recipe to making cookies. And the baking rack doubles as a cooling rack for baked goods, too.
How To Make Buffalo Wing Sauce
I came up with an easy 3-ingredient Buffalo Sauce using my favorite hot sauce. It takes minutes to make and you can even make it up to a week in advance.
All you need is your favorite hot sauce (I’m partial to Frank’s Red Hot sauce but use whatever you want), butter and apple cider vinegar. Super easy, super quick, super simple.
We like to use this sauce for everything, especially these Buffalo Chicken Wraps!
Sauce Tips: How do I get Buffalo sauce to stick?
- Toss hot-from-the-oven (heat keeps butter fluid so it coats evenly).
- Don’t drown – coat, toss, then add a touch more if needed.
- If sauce seems thin, rest 1–2 minutes, toss again.
How Long To Bake Wings
Though my recipe calls for about 50 minutes of cooking time to oven bake chicken wings, your oven temperature and time can be adjusted to fit your schedule. You’ll also want to be sure to check your chicken for doneness with an instant read thermometer because some chicken wings are smaller than others.
- To bake Chicken Wings at 350˚F, cook your wings for 90 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
- To bake Chicken Wings at 400˚F, cook your wings for 60 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
- To bake Chicken Wings at 425˚F, bake your wings for 50 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees.
My preference is to bake chicken wings at the higher temperature of 425 ˚F because the searing heat helps make the chicken extra crispy!
Alternative Cooking Methods
Air Fryer (crisp & fast)
- 390°F, 18–22 minutes, flip once at halfway; toss in Buffalo sauce.
Grill or Smoker (smoky and crisp finish)
Smoke at 250°F until cooked through, then finish with high heat (grill sear or brief fry) for crisp skin; toss in sauce.
What Are Buffalo Wings
If you’ve never tried buffalo wings, you’re in for a treat. They’re a bone-in chicken section that’s not breaded like a chicken tender but deep fried, lightly seasoned, then doused in a savory sauce.
How To Make Buffalo Wings In Advance
While you may not want to BAKE the chicken wings in advance, you can certainly get the process started by coating in the baking soda and placing in the refrigerator to dry out.
You can prep your chicken wings up to 2 days in advance and then bake just before serving for maximum crispiness. If you do bake your chicken wings in advance, you can warm them up in a 425˚F oven for about 20 minutes or until they crisp up again. Toss in your sauce of choice just before serving.
How To Serve Buffalo Chicken Wings
Toss your Oven Baked Chicken Wings in the sauce while they’re still warm so they can soak up all the wonderfulness. Now, serve your Baked Hot Wings with this easy to make Blue Cheese Dressing and a pile of crispy, cold celery sticks.
More Easy Chicken Wing Recipes
And if you’re up to the task….make the evening more fun with a buffalo wing bar and make these Honey Habanero Wings, Garlic Parmesan Wings and Grilled Old Bay Wings to add to the fun! Or just drizzle your naked wings with this easy Garlic Butter Sauce for something decadent and different!
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Best Baked Buffalo Wings Recipe
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 baking rack
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 1/2 pounds chicken wings
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup favorite hot sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Add the baking powder and kosher salt to a bowl or zip top bag. Mix to combine.
- Place the wings in the bag or bowl and toss to coat.
- Arrange the wings on a baking rack set over a baking sheet about 1/2 inch apart.
- Transfer to the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Flip the wings over and continue to bake for 30 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
- Place the cooked wings in a large bowl, set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over low heat.
- Whisk in the hot sauce and vinegar until combined.
- Pour the buffalo sauce over the wings and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with blue cheese dressing and extra wing sauce, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Pat wings very dry; lightly dust with baking powder and kosher salt (don’t overcoat).
- Arrange on a wire rack over a sheet pan; don’t crowd.
- Bake 450°F: 20 minutes, flip, 30 minutes more (to 165°F internal temperature).
- Optional: overnight dry-brine (uncovered) for extra crunch.
- Toss while hot so the sauce clings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage and Reheating
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Freeze cooked chicken wings up to 3 months (sauce after reheating for best texture).
- Reheat for Crisp: Reheat in the oven at 425°F or air fryer 375–390°F, 8-12 minutes until the skin re-crisps; avoid microwaving.
Both help dry the surface; this method uses baking powder for reliable browning and crunch.
For best results, thaw and pat dry first. If baking frozen, add time and expect less-crisp skin.
Wings are safe at 165°F; crispness is achieved with a golden brown, blistered skin.
A small splash of apple cider vinegar brightens the buttery hot sauce without extra sugar.
Hi so I’m confused. The recipe call for baking powder but then you say elsewhere that you prefer baking soda because you need less salt. So which is it? Could you please clarify thanks.
What is the serving size in the nutritional data?
It states 0 gms which is not a serving size and I’m guessing a couple digits are missing.
Thanks. BH
Hi! It’s for 5 average size wings. I’ll update the nutritional data. Thank you for pointing that out.
Just made these tonight. They are so amazingly delicious! I did bake these at 425 and they came
out perfect. So happy with the way these turned out. Everyone raved about them and definitely
will make again!
Thank you so much for your comment! I’m so happy you liked them!
Thanks for the recipe. I didn’t have wing so I tried this with thighs. It did not turn out as I expected – lol. Do you have suggestions on what I can do differently with this recipe for thighs? Thanks.
I’ve never tested this recipe with thighs so I can’t say for sure.
Love new recipes
Thank you so much!
In the narrative, you mentioned baking soda, but use baking powder in the recipe. Is there a difference?
Hi Jo, Yes, there’s a difference in using baking powder and baking soda. Baking soda is alkaline, so it raises the pH level of the chicken skin, which breaks down the peptide bonds and helps start the browning process. The wings get browner and crispier faster than they would on their own.
You can use Baking Powder but you’ll need to add more salt in order to get the chemical reaction going in the baking powder with the chicken. I prefer not to have to add more salt whenever necessary and prefer the Baking soda over baking powder.