It IS possible to have crispy, and I mean CRISPY, wings without deep frying. Trust me, it's true. Plus these Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings are unbelievably easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. Also check out the Blue Cheese Dip recipe. A match made in heaven!
In 1964 the first plate of Buffalo wings was served at a family owned joint in Buffalo, New York called The Anchor Bar. They were served with a special spicy sauce, blue cheese, and celery. Apparently because that's all they had on hand. There's more to the story but I'm not here to talk about the history of Buffalo wings...I'm here to share this delicious recipe!!
This sauce recipe veers from the traditional which uses just hot sauce and melted butter. I've added some extra stuff to jazz it up.
What you will need
For the crispy wings
- Chicken wings of course! - They can be split or whole but the split ones are classic.
- Cornstarch - This is part of what makes them SO crispy.
- Salt, pepper and garlic powder - To pre-season the wings.
For the Buffalo Sauce
- Frank's Red Hot Original - Not the wing sauce but the original.
- Sambal Oelek - An Indonesian chili sauce/paste that has loads of flavour! If you can't find it substitute with Sriratcha.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Apple cider vinegar - You can substitute with rice wine or white wine vinegar.
- Unsalted butter - If you use salted butter reduce the salt in the dry seasoning to 1 tsp.
For the blue cheese dip
- Mayonnaise
- Yogurt
- Blue cheese - I used Danish blue but any kind will work
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
How to make the wings
- Dry the wings really well. Lay them flat on top of paper towel and pat dry with more paper towel. Toss them in a bowl with the dry ingredients until completely coated.
- Place them on a lined tray, on top of a greased wire rack - like this Stainless Steel Cooling and Roasting Rack , ensuring they aren't touching each other.
- Bake at a low temperature, 275 degrees F., for 30 minutes. This starts to render (melt) the fat which is important for crispiness.
- Flip and then crank up the heat to 450 degrees F. and bake the wings for another 30 minutes or until nicely browned and crispy.
- Toss in the sauce as soon as they come out of the oven and serve with Blue Cheese Dip!
Buffalo Sauce
This Buffalo sauce couldn't be easier. Mix everything together except the melted butter. Then whisk in the melted butter. If you make it in advance you may need to warm it up if the butter has solidified.
Blue Cheese Dip
Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl. If you prefer a smoother consistency mix in a food processor, blender, or a hand blender. This dip is fantastic with veggies too!
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Other recipes for you to try!
Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
Equipment:
- Baking tray
- Wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Wings
- 3 lbs chicken wings, separated
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Buffalo Wing Sauce
- 1/3 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce
- 2 tbsp Sambal Oelek
- 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup butter, unsalted, melted
Blue Cheese Dip
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 - 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
Instructions
Crispy Oven Wings
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
- Rinse and dry chicken wings really well.
- Place in a large bowl, add corn starch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and toss to coat well.
- Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place a wire cooling rack on the tray. Spray with non-stick spray or lightly grease. Place chicken wings on rack so they aren't touching.
- Bake on middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and turn.
- Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. and place wings back in oven (you don't have to let it preheat)
- Bake for another 30 minutes or until golden and crispy.
Buffalo Wing Sauce
- While wings are baking make the sauce.
- In a bowl mix together Frank's, Sambal, Worchesterchire, and apple cider vinegar. Slowly whisk in melted butter. Set aside.
Blue Cheese Dip
- While wings are baking make the dip.
- Crumble blue cheese into a medium bowl. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, onion and garlic powder and stir to combine. If you prefer a smooth texture rather then chunky, mix everything together in a food processor or blender.
- Store, covered, in the fridge for up to one week.
Finishing the wings
- As soon as the wings are done place them in a large bowl. Toss with the sauce until well coated. Serve immediately with blue cheese dip.
Notes
- If you plan to have leftovers save any excess sauce that collects at the bottom of the bowl. You can toss the reheated wings with the extra sauce.
- Chicken wings can be reheated in a 350 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Wings can be stored in the fridge for 3 days.
- Buffalo sauce can be made in advance and keep in the fridge for 3 months. You will have to warm up the sauce to melt the butter again.
- Blue cheese dip can be made in advance and keep in the fridge for one week.
Another hit. The sauce is exceptional and I am going to make another batch but use it on chicken breast or chicken strips. Really Andrea, this is superb!
Hi Andrea, so far I've made your pork medallions and tex mex chicken (twice each) and both are family approved! For the wings, do you think Frank's chili lime flavoured sauce clash with the blue cheese dressing? Thanks!
Hi Enza!
I couldn't say for sure but I recommend giving it a try!
Amazing recipe Andrea. I made it all the wings, the sauce and the blue cheese dip. Everything was so tasty and a hit. Plus it's Gina friendly. I am sure this will become a family favourtie. Thanks so much.
Can I make the wings in my air fryer
Hi Elizabeth!
Yes absolutely! I can't advise on adjustments for an air fryer as I don't have one. Let me know how they turn out!
Oh my goodness…the best wings ever!!!
I made the wings and then my sister-in-law came for the weekend as we are in the group together... she made them for 9 people we ate them all ! Simply delicious!! Thank you Andrea
l think these are the best buffalo style wings I’ve ever had. I could eat these every week. Crispy and moist. I like that I can control the amount of sauce. I put the wings in a large stainless steel bowl and add just enough sauce to cover then swish them around and add more if needed. We always have enough sauce left over for our next batch. Yummy.
So I consider myself pretty savvy in the kitchen but why did I never think of the racks? Amazing wings especially with the honey mustard dressing. They’re a plate licker right to the end.
Oh nice idea with the honey mustard dressing! I'll have to try that myself! 😀
We are huge wing fans and these were a hit with my family!! I will certainly be making these again - DELICIOUS!!!
Love it! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed!
These wings are better than any wings I could buy at a restaurant. Perfect amount of crispness. My whole family loves them. I love blue cheese too.
I'm so happy you and the fam enjoyed them! Love, love love blue cheese as well. 😊
Loved this recipe. It was delicious! Not a blue cheese fan so I used feta. Also had to make my own mayo as I had none. If you love wings this recipe is great!
My family loved these wings - me too! and the blue cheese dip is excellent.
So happy you and the fam enjoyed them!!
These are the best wings I’ve ever eaten. Sooo delicious and crispy. Perfect spice level too
Whoo-hoo! So happy you enjoyed them!
These wings were amazing, even before adding the sauce! I thought I would try this for a week night recipe as my husband normally uses the smoker on the weekend to cook wings and it takes a couple of hours. They are definitely crispy and delicious - two thumbs up from our teenage boys as well!
I love this! Thanks for the comment. I love my smoker too but sometimes we just don't have the time! So happy you enjoyed them!
They were delicious! My husband isn't a chicken wing fan but really enjoyed these. We tend to like mild sauce better as we xant handle the heat, how would you recommend modifying the sauce recipe to make it mild? Thank you!
Hi Jen! So happy you enjoyed them! You could leave out the Sambal or you can look for a mild sauce in the grocery store to use instead. I'm not sure if Frank's has a mild sauce but that's what I would look for. Hope that helps!
Another awesome recipe! I didn’t make the Blue Cheese dip but thought the wings were super great without the dip. Really loving your site. I can’t say I enjoy cooking but you make it so easy and good. Thank you
That makes me so happy to hear! Glad you are enjoying the recipes.
I was thrilled to bits when I received this recipe via your email notifications. I followed the recipe to your direction and was delighted with the outcome. The wings were crispy, flavourful and with the right amount of heat I like. The blue cheese dip is a delicious pairing with the wings. Both wings and dip require little effort to make, easy clean up and gratifying to eat. Thanks Andrea 😊
Thanks so much for your comment Elizabeth! I'm so pleased you enjoyed both the recipes!
Andrea,
Awesome recipe the wings were very crispy and juicy .We did them on the grill . Whole family enjoyed these
With your corn salad . .Thank you for another wonderful meal 💗
Awesome! So happy you like them...and the salad too! Perfect combo!
Andrea, there were the best wings I've ever made! I cooked them on our smoker and I knew they were going to be great when I was pulling them off the grill and tossing them in the bowl and they had this crisp, 'toasted' sound to them. Perfection - - thanks for another great recipe!
I'm so happy to hear this! I haven't tested the out on my smoker yet so great to know it works!! So glad you enjoyed them!!