Description
These Truly Crispy Oven Baked Buffalo Wings are a game-changer for wing lovers craving crispy, flavorful wings without deep frying. Using a clever baking powder technique, the wings come out with irresistibly crispy skin, smothered in classic tangy Buffalo sauce, and served with a creamy blue cheese dip and celery sticks for a perfect appetizer or game day snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Wings
- 4 lb / 2 kg chicken wings, wingettes & drumettes (see Note 1)
- 5 teaspoons baking powder (NOT baking soda / bi-carb soda) (see Note 2)
- 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt / cooking salt (not table salt, too fine)
Buffalo Sauce
- 4 tbsp (60g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce (see Note 3)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt / cooking salt
Blue Cheese Dip
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, softened (I use gorgonzola)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably whole-egg)
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1 – 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt / cooking salt
- Black pepper, to taste
To Serve
- Celery sticks
- Lots of beer!
Instructions
- Prep the Wings: Preheat your oven and prepare a wire rack over a baking sheet. Pat the chicken wings dry thoroughly with paper towels to remove moisture, which is key for crispiness.
- Coat with Baking Powder Mixture: In a large bowl, toss the wings with baking powder and kosher salt until evenly coated. The baking powder helps create the crispiest skin possible when baked.
- Bake the Wings: Arrange the wings on the wire rack in a single layer. Bake in the preheated oven for about 70 minutes, turning the wings halfway through cooking to ensure even crisping on all sides.
- Make the Buffalo Sauce: While wings bake, melt unsalted butter and mix with Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, brown sugar, and kosher salt until combined.
- Toss Wings in Sauce: When the wings are crispy and cooked through, remove from the oven and immediately toss them in the prepared Buffalo sauce until evenly coated.
- Prepare Blue Cheese Dip: Combine blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, minced garlic, lemon juice, and kosher salt. Add milk tablespoon by tablespoon until the dip reaches desired consistency. Season with black pepper to taste.
- Serve: Serve the hot, crispy Buffalo wings with the blue cheese dip and fresh celery sticks on the side. Don’t forget a cold beer to complete the experience!
Notes
- This recipe uses a genius baking powder technique discovered by Cook’s Illustrated to achieve ultra-crispy wings in the oven—almost like deep frying but healthier.
- Use baking powder, not baking soda or bi-carb soda, for the chemical reaction that crisps skin.
- Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce offers the authentic Buffalo flavor, but you can substitute your favorite hot sauce if preferred.
- Pat wings dry very well before tossing with baking powder to maximize crispiness.
- Cooking salt (kosher or sea salt) is preferred for seasoning over fine table salt for better flavor distribution.
- See full FAQ in original Crispy Baked Wings recipe for detailed tips and tricks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 247 g
- Calories: 476 kcal
- Sugar: 1.3 g
- Sodium: 1195 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.1 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 63.3 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg
