Baked Buffalo Wings

By Ali Slagle

Updated Jan. 30, 2024

Baked Buffalo Wings
Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
35 minutes, plus brining (optional)
Rating
4(5,015)
Comments
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For chicken wings that come out of the oven as crisp and tender as their fried counterparts, coat the wings in salt and baking powder. The combination promotes even browning, crackly-crisp skin and moist, tender meat. (Do this for roast chicken, too!) Then, cook them directly under the high heat of the broiler, which renders fat and fuses the spicy buttery sauce to each wing. You can buy any combination of meaty drumettes, wingettes (flats) or wing tips, or buy whole wings and break them down yourself, cutting at the joints to separate each wing into three pieces. Looking for a vegetarian version — or simply to add some vegetables to your spread? Try these Buffalo crudités.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Blue Cheese Dip

    • 3ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup)
    • ¼cup mayonnaise
    • ¼cup sour cream
    • 1tablespoon fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
    • 1 to 3tablespoons milk or buttermilk, or to taste
    • Kosher salt and black pepper

    For the Chicken Wings

    • 3pounds chicken wings, or any combination of drumettes, wingettes and tips
    • 1tablespoon baking powder
    • Kosher salt and black pepper
    • ⅓cup Buffalo-style hot sauce, such as Frank’s
    • 3tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 2garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

973 calories; 75 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 16 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 66 grams protein; 1012 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the blue cheese dip: In a small bowl, stir together blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Thin with milk until spoonable. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (Dip keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator; thin as needed with more milk.)

  2. Step 2

    Place an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler. Heat the broiler.

  3. Step 3

    Prepare the chicken: Pat the wings dry. If the wings are not yet broken down into three pieces, cut each wing at the two joints. To do so, flip the wing over and wiggle each part to find the joint. Cut at the joint hinge to separate the meaty drumette from the wingette (also known as the flat) and the wingette from the smaller wing tip.

  4. Step 4

    In a large bowl, toss the baking powder with 1 tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or ½ tablespoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton's). Add the wings and toss until evenly coated. Spread the wings in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. (To prepare them in advance and allow them to dry-brine, let the wings sit out at room temperature for up to 1 hour after coating, or in the refrigerator overnight. Let them come to room temperature before proceeding.)

  5. Step 5

    Broil the wings in the oven until golden and crisp all over, turning halfway through, about 15 minutes per side.

  6. Step 6

    As wings cook, make the buffalo sauce: In a large bowl, stir together the hot sauce, butter, lemon juice and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  7. Step 7

    Transfer the wings to the hot sauce-mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon, return the wings to the baking sheet, leaving extra sauce behind. Broil until sizzling and browned in spots, about 5 minutes. (Depending on your broiler, you may need to rotate the pan so all the food is exposed to the heat source.)

  8. Step 8

    Serve with extra buffalo sauce and the blue cheese dip.

FAQS

  1. As with any culinary origin story, accounts vary, but what is certain is that Buffalo wings were created at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y. by Teressa Bellissimo, one of the proprietors. Whether it was in response to her son Dom’s request that she whip up a late night snack for the bar’s patrons (or her husband Frank’s request that she make something tasty out of an errant delivery of chicken wings), she cut the wings into drumettes and flats, deep-fried them and tossed them in hot sauce. She served them alongside celery from the bar’s antipasto plates and the blue cheese dressing that they had on hand for salads. The Buffalo wings (or just “wings” as they call them in Buffalo) soon became far more popular than the Italian food the Bellissimo family typically served — and far more famous.

Ratings

4 out of 5
5,015 user ratings
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Comments

Orlando

I warm the wings under my arms. This takes a while, but the moist heat makes them exceptionally tender.

Ned

I've found that using a sheet pan, lined with foil, and an oven-safe rack on top, sprayed with Pam, allows for crispier, superior, results. Having said that, baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste for the dredge, and skin-drying overnight in the fridge, is sheer genius. Also, I bake, not broil, mine at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, turning over halfway through. Frank's and butter, only, nothing else for the sauce. No honey, mayo, etc. Keep it real, Buffalo!

Sam M

I steam my wings for ten minutes prior to going in the oven, this makes them tender, plus renders the fat. which creates often a smoky house.

JBoo

I make this with boneless skinless thighs and it works great! Once cooked, I chop it up and add it to salad with blue cheese dressing (a competitor’s recipe) made with plain yogurt, Stilton cheese and a few other ingredients. The salad is iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato and sliced scallions. It makes a wonderful dinner!

Shelby

Bake 40 min at 420ish rather than an initial broil, but make sure to Pam your foiled trays first! My only mistake. Add garlic powder to your salt baking powder brine for more flavor. Keep the buffalo sauce to buffalo butter as others suggest. Easy and so good!

kim c

super tasty; gernuine Buffalo wing flavor

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