Thank you Vanity Fair® Napkins for sponsoring this post. Take on everyday messes with Vanity Fair® Extra Absorbent Napkins!
Be game day ready with these easy baked buffalo wings that can easily stand toe to toe with the traditional fried ones any day.
If your house is anything like mine, every Sunday from here until the Super Bowl, sounds of the announcer on the TV and cheers of joy or frustration are coming from the family room. When my husband invites his buddies over to join him in watching, I like to have something for them to munch on.
This year, these baked buffalo wings have been added to the menu and I can’t make them fast enough. Though baked, the wings are unbelievably crispy and will leave you trying to convince your guests that they’re not fried.
The wings are finished off with a toss in a traditional spicy and tangy buffalo wing sauce that comes together in seconds. Look no further for your go-to buffalo wing recipe!
How to make Baked Buffalo Wings
Prepare the oven by placing one shelf in the lowest position and another shelf in the highest position.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. The foil will catch all the drippings and will make clean-up a breeze. Fit a cooling rack over the baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
One of the tricks to achieving crispy skin in the oven is to make sure the skin is dry. Do so by patting dry each wing and drummette.
Place the dried wings and drummettes in a large zip-close bag and sprinkle with baking powder and salt. Seal and shake to coat.
The reason for the baking powder is trifold. First, it helps to draw out and absorb the moisture from the skin, helping it to be even drier than when you patted it dry. Second, the baking powder is activated by the drawn out moisture and raises the skin’s pH. The higher pH breaks down the proteins and makes the skin brown easier. Third, carbon dioxide bubbles are produced from the moisture and baking powder reacting, which increases the surface area of the skin so that every bit of skin gets thoroughly crisped.
Place the wings and drummettes on the prepared rack. They will shrink slightly while baking, so don’t worry about them touching.
Place on the lower shelf and bake at 250°F. This step will melt the fat under the skin, making the skin easier to crisp up.
After about 30 minutes, move them to the top shelf and crank up the heat to fully crisp them up.
Finally, make the finger-lickin’ good sauce by combining some melted butter with brown sugar, Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce, and salt. Toss the cooked wings in the sauce until fully coated and serve immediately.
Serving Tips for Baked Buffalo Wings
In addition to the traditional carrot sticks, celery sticks, blue cheese dressing, and ranch dressing, I like to make up an extra batch of the buffalo sauce to serve alongside the wings. This is to cater to those who really like their wings saucy like yours truly.
With such saucy wings, messy hands and faces are inevitable. To help them stay clean, I like to set out Vanity Fair® Extra Absorbent Napkins. With the tastefulness of a traditional napkin, they are the best napkins for messy meals.
No more reaching for the paper towel rolls or ruining cloth napkins. With Vanity Fair® Extra Absorbent Napkins you get the best of both worlds.
Other Game Day Favorites
Better than Restaurants Skillet Nachos
Chili Cheese Stuffed Potato Skins
Baked Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
Wings
- 4 lbs. chicken wings and drummettes
- 2 tbsp. baking powder
- 3/4 tsp. salt
Sauce
- 4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Place one oven shelf in the lowest position and a second shelf in the highest position. Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Position a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Use paper towels to pat dry all of the wings and drummettes. Place the wings and drummettes in a large zip-close bag. Sprinkle on the baking powder and salt. Close the bag and shake until evenly dispersed and coated.
- Lay the wings skin side up on top of the prepared rack. Place on the lowest shelf and bake for 30 minutes.
- Transfer to the top shelf and increase the heat to 425°F. Continue to bake for 40 to 50 minutes, rotating halfway, until golden brown and crispy.
- While the wings are baking, make the sauce by whisking together all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Transfer the cooked wings to a large bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately with celery sticks, carrot sticks, and ranch and/or blue cheese dressing.
Notes
Adapted from RecipeTin Eats.
You can’t ever go wrong with buffalo wings. SO yummy!
These wings will be a crowd pleaser for sure!
They look good. I’ve always wondered if it’s possible to do skinless wings as a lighter option?
Hmmmm…I’ve never seen skinless wings. I suppose you could. You would just omit the baking powder step :)
Could you use Louisiana hot sauce or is Frank’s the best for this recipe? I have the Louisiana on hand.
While I’m a huge fan of Louisiana hot sauce, I’d recommend Frank’s RedHot sauce to stay true to the traditional Buffalo flavor.