Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings
These crispy baked buffalo wings are bold, saucy, and finger-licking good—no deep frying required. The seasoned baking powder rub ensures they bake to crispy perfection before they’re tossed in a sweet and spicy buffalo glaze. Perfect for game day, parties, or weeknight cravings!
Table of Contents
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
There’s so much to love about these baked buffalo wings. Coated in a seasoned baking powder rub and baked until crisp, then tossed in a sweet and spicy buffalo glaze made with brown sugar, butter, and hot sauce, they deliver all the flavor of classic wings with a lighter, oven-baked twist. Plus, there’s no flour, so they are naturally gluten free.
My husband, who is a fan of buffalo-flavored anything, whether it’s buffalo chicken tenders or buffalo chicken sandwiches, was especially excited when I finally nailed this recipe. He says they’re better than any takeout wings we’ve ordered recently!
These Baked Buffalo Wings Are A Game Day Favorite
- Crispy outside, juicy inside. These are THE crispiest baked wings I’ve ever had! Getting that crispy deep-fried skin without deep frying, while keeping the inside juicy, was my main goal with these. There are a few secrets to getting it just right, which I’ve expanded on below.
- No grease. The best part about these baked buffalo wings is that there’s no need to deal with oil and grease. No grease splatters, no greasy texture, no mess…even though you still get that same crispy skin.
- Sweet and spicy sauce. Instead of just tossing these with a bottle of wing sauce, I decided to make my own sauce by adding brown sugar and butter. The brown sugar adds a sticky texture to the sauce and helps to balance the hot sauce, which I love. And, of course, the spice level is fully adjustable. Just add more or less brown sugar, depending on whether you want the sauce milder or spicier.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the five ingredients and spices needed to make this recipe. Be sure to scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Chicken wings – Separated wingettes and drumettes are better for this recipe. Whole wings have a different cook time and aren’t as easy to work with.
- Baking powder – The secret to crispy baked wings! It’s important to use aluminum-free baking powder, or the wings may have a metallic flavor. And be sure to grab baking powder, NOT baking soda.
- Spices – The wings are seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Buffalo hot sauce – Frank’s Buffalo Wing sauce is a popular one and gluten free, but use any that you want! Just be sure to double-check the label because some do contain gluten.
- Brown sugar – Brown sugar sweetens the sauce and gives it a thicker, stickier texture. I recommend between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup, depending on how spicy you want the sauce.
- Butter – A bit of butter also helps to mellow out the hot sauce, without sweetening it like the sugar. Vegan butter can be used for a dairy free option.
How To Make Baked Buffalo Wings
These baked buffalo chicken wings require some planning, just because the wings need to dry first, but the actual process is so easy. The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Dry the wings. Pat the wings dry with paper towels. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Place the wings on the wire rack in a single layer. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to overnight).
- Season the wings. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Combine the baking powder and spices in a bowl. Toss the chicken in the mixture. Return to the wire rack with a small amount of space between them.
- Bake. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If necessary, rotate again and continue baking. To ensure they are crisp on the outside and tender inside, you want to bake them to 180-190°F.
- Make the sauce. Bring the buffalo sauce, brown sugar, and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Toss the wings. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl. Let cool slightly, then add the chicken wings and toss to coat. Serve with ranch or blue cheese sauce.
3 Secrets To Ultra Crispy Baked Wings
One of the things that makes this baked buffalo wings recipe stand out is that it results in wings as crispy as if they were fried. There are a few tricks that go into achieving that perfect texture.
- Dry the wings. Patting the wings dry and then letting them sit in the fridge might be the most important step in this recipe. It lets the skin dry out a bit, which is key to getting that crispy texture. If you don’t have time to dry the wings in the fridge, make sure to dry them off as well as you possibly can with the paper towel. Even if you only have an hour or 2 to let them dry, it’s better than nothing.
- Coat in baking powder. Not flour, not cornstarch – baking powder. It helps draw the moisture out of the skin, creating that crisp finish.
- Bake on a rack. If you cook them on a flat baking sheet instead of on a rack, they will not be as crispy because the air won’t flow under and around them.
Proper Storage
These wings will stay crispy for about 20-30 minutes after you sauce them. If you don’t think you’ll eat all of them when made, save some of the sauce and toss them once the wings are reheated.
- Fridge. As noted above, it’s best to store the wings and sauce separately. Both can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. For best results, reheat the baked wings in an air fryer until hot and crispy, then toss with the sauce. (Warm the sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds or so first.)
Make It A Party
- Veggies: Serve these wings with some crunchy veggies, like celery and carrots.
- Dip: My family loves these with Greek yogurt ranch dip and Greek yogurt blue cheese dressing for dipping.
- Pizza: For a fun Friday night dinner, pair these with some gluten free pizza for an easy, kid-approved dinner.
More Game Day Recipes
Baked Buffalo Wings
These crispy baked buffalo wings are bold, saucy, and finger-licking good—no deep frying required. The seasoned baking powder rub ensures they bake to crispy perfection before they're tossed in a sweet and spicy buffalo glaze. Perfect for game day, parties, or weeknight cravings!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
For the wings:
- 2 ½-3 pounds chicken wings (wingettes and drumettes)
- 2 Tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder *see Note
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce
- ½-¾ cup brown sugar *see Note
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
For the wings:
- Dry the chicken pieces with paper towels.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Line the 2 ½-3 pounds chicken wings on top with a small amount of room in between each piece. Place uncovered in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight if planning ahead.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- In a mixing bowl combine the 2 Tablespoons aluminum-free baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Whisk to combine.
- Toss the chicken in the baking powder mixture and place them back on the rack. You don’t want them touching but they can be pretty close as they’ll shrink when being baked. Bake on 2 sheets if necessary.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for about 20 minutes. Rotate and bake for an additional 15 minutes. If they are not cooked through, rotate the wings once more and bake until cooked through. They are safe to eat once they have reached 165°F, but for the best texture, you’ll want to cook them to 180°-190°F to make sure they are crisp outside and tender inside. While the wings are in the oven, prepare the sauce.
- Remove from the oven. Once the chicken is out of the oven, toss the wings in the sauce and dip in ranch or blue cheese sauce.
For the sauce:
- Combine the 1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce, ½-¾ cup brown sugar , and 2 Tablespoons butter in a small pot on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Let the sauce cool slightly before coating the chicken pieces in it.
Notes
Your baking powder must be aluminum free or the wings will have an extremely unpleasant metallic taste. Make sure it is baking powder and not baking soda.
You can easily customize the sauce spiciness level by how much sugar you ad. If you want it spicier, put less sugar in it. The more sugar you add, the thicker and stickier your sauce will be. Spice lovers will enjoy it with just 1/2 cup sugar, while kids may prefer 3/4 cup.
Nutrition Facts
Baked Buffalo Wings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 336
Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 7g35%
Trans Fat 0.3g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 7g
Cholesterol 89mg30%
Sodium 1245mg52%
Potassium 223mg6%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 0.2g1%
Sugar 18g20%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 382IU8%
Vitamin C 16mg19%
Calcium 326mg33%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
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