Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings (2024)

Third try is a charm for the PERFECT Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings recipe. I’ve found the secret ingredient for making buffalo wings ultra crispy in the oven. Hint: it is not baking powder. And it’s exactly why I’m re-posting these with a new and much-improved recipe!

It’s not that I mindeating the occasional deep fried food. Who doesn’t love French fries? I just don’t enjoy deep frying in my own kitchen; it’s too messy, too smelly, and then there’sdisposing of the oil. Because of this aversion, I assumed that buffalo wings were only something to be ordered out.

But I’ve been enlightened; it’s possible to make super crispy, utterly delicious buffalo chickenwings in your oven without baking powder!The secret ingredient? Plain cornstarch. Here me out.

Ingredients You Need to Make Baked Buffalo Wings

For the Hot Wings:

• Cornstarch:not baking powder and certainly not baking soda – read why below
• Kosher Salt: or fine sea salt
• Chicken Wings: drumettes and flats separated (look for ‘party wings’ at the grocery store)

To Make the Buffalo Sauce:

• Butter: if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Garlic: fresh garlic cloves
• Hot Sauce: such as Cholula Original or Frank’s Red Hot

For the Easy Blue Cheese Dip

• Blue Cheese: your favorite variety
• Garlic: fresh garlic clove
• Sour Cream: ideally full fat sour cream
• White Vinegar: or white wine vinegar
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Do NOT make the same mistake I did.

My first attempt at making these baked wings went terribly wrong, but it was my own fault. When I first tried the technique from the America’s Test Kitchen Meat Book, (where raw wings are coated with baking powder before baking and, like magic, the wings come out crispy) I knew I had to try it they were HORRIBLE.

It wasn’t until the next morning when I awoke with an awfultaste in my mouth that I took another look at the recipe and realized that I’d usedbaking soda notbaking powder. Whoops! Do not make the same mistake. After the baking soda flavor left my mouth, which was no less than a week, I decided to give the recipe another try. And the wings were very good, crispy on the outside; tender and flavorful on the inside.

Why Cornstarch is Better than Baking Powder for Crispy Baked Wings

But I have to make a confession: there was still a hint of metallic flavor from the baking powder that I didn’t care for, likely from the baking soda that is one of the ingredients. I learned that when I read the baking powder label, and the answer to the ultimate crispy chicken wings was right there. The first ingredient in baking powder is, drumroll please…

Cornstarch.

When you coat chicken wings in plain cornstarch mixed with a little kosher salt before baking, you are rewarded with ultra tasty, divinely crispy wings with zero metallic flavor. They’re delicious on their own, but you can make them even better by bathing them in buttery homemade buffalo sauce and dipping them in my easy blue cheese dressing.

More Great Game Day Recipes

• Garlic Parmesan Wings (With a versatile Garlic Parmesan Wing Sauce)
• Pulled Pork Nachos
• Pork Belly Sliders
• Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
• Baked Coconut Shrimp
• Baked Buffalo Chicken Tenders
• And here or a complete list of game day recipes

How to Make Crispy Buffalo Wings

Start by setting one oven rack in the upper-middle position and another in the lower-middle. Preheat the oven to 250°F and prepare a baking sheet with a foil or parchment-lined oven-safe wire rack, lightly greased with non-stick spray or oil. In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and kosher salt. Pat chicken drumettes and flats dry, then toss them in the cornstarch mixture to coat evenly.

Arrange them on the prepared rack in a single layer and bake on the lower-middle rack. After baking, increase the oven temperature to 425°F and move the chicken to the upper-middle rack, continuing to bake until golden brown and crispy, rotating the sheet halfway through.

While the chicken is baking, prepare the buffalo sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, adding minced garlic and cooking until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat and whisk in hot sauce until smooth. Once the chicken is done, let it rest for 5 minutes, then toss with the warm buffalo sauce in a large bowl.

Serve the coated wings with the blue cheese dip, made by smashing blue cheese and garlic into sour cream, adding vinegar, and seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste.

Recipe Video