Baked Buffalo Wings

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These baked buffalo wings are so easy to make! They come out of the oven hot, crispy, and delicious. They are perfect when served with a creamy blue cheese dip and fresh, crisp celery sticks.

Buffalo wings are served on a white plate.

My entire family loves these delicious buffalo wings! It's a simple recipe: you bake chicken wings in the oven and then dip them in a hot, buttery sauce. A classic game-day recipe, these are also good as a main course accompanied by fresh veggies or coleslaw.

Ingredients

Here's an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.

Fresh chicken wings: I buy the trays labeled "party wings," in which whole wings are split into flats and drumettes. This saves me the trouble of cutting the wings.
Avocado oil spray: Avocado oil is a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point, making it suitable for high-heat cooking and baking.
To season: Kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
For the sauce: Melted butter and hot pepper sauce. You can use your favorite brand of hot sauce. I typically use Frank's Red Hot Sauce, Crystal Hot Sauce, or Sriracha.

Variations

Use Whole Wings

While I almost always opt for split wings, I sometimes use whole wings that weren't split into flats and drumettes. They're a bit messier to eat, but they are very good. Sometimes, I even leave the tips on. They become deliciously crunchy in the oven.

Change Up the Spices

I typically use garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. Other spices I tried and liked include chili powder, ground cumin, and dried thyme. I use a teaspoon of each.

Instructions

The detailed instructions for making this recipe are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:

Your first step is to season the wings, spray them with oil, and bake them until fully cooked, about 30 minutes at 400°F.

Lower the oven to the "keep warm" setting (170°F) and keep the wings in the oven for 30 more minutes. This helps crisp up the skin.

Ten minutes before pulling the wings out of the oven, mix the melted butter and hot sauce. When the wings are ready, dip them in the sauce. I use tongs and dip them one by one:

Dipping a chicken wing in buffalo sauce.

Serve the wings with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.

THe buffalo wings are served, dipped in blue cheese sauce.

Expert Tips

Making Them Crispy

The wings will be fully cooked after about 30 minutes in a 400°F oven. But keeping them in the oven (on the "keep warm" setting) for 30 more minutes makes them wonderfully crispy.
You can divide the wings between two baking sheets, as shown in the photo below. This will ensure they are spaced apart and will promote even baking and crispiness.

Ensuring Thick Buffalo Sauce

It's important to mix the buffalo sauce ten minutes before using it. If you mix it right before using it, it will be too thin. Mixing it ahead of time allows it to rest and thicken so that it coats the wings better.
Since sriracha is typically thicker than other types of hot sauce, as shown in the photo below, using it will result in thicker buffalo sauce that better coats the wings.

Recipe FAQs

Can I skip the hot sauce?

Not really. It's an integral part of the recipe. But you can use milder hot sauce. Typically, if the first ingredient is vinegar, the hot sauce will be milder. If the first ingredient is chili peppers, it will be hotter. If you don't want any level of heat, try my other wing recipes - baked wings, teriyaki wings, and garlic parmesan wings.

Is it better to fry or bake the wings?

I prefer baking because it's easier than deep-frying. While deep-frying does make for extra crispy skin, my method of baking the wings and then leaving them in a warm oven for 30 minutes achieves a similar result in the oven.

Should I coat the wings in flour?

There's no need to use flour in this recipe. The skin comes out wonderfully crispy thanks to the hot oven temperature and those extra 30 minutes in a warm oven.

Serving Suggestions

As shown in the image below, you can serve buffalo wings like their inventor did, with fresh veggies and blue cheese dressing (or ranch dressing).

Buffalo wings are served with veggies and a dip.

I sometimes make them for dinner as a main course and serve them with a side dish that I can bake in the same 400°F, such as:

I also like them with roasted broccoli, as shown in the photo below, roasting the broccoli for 20-25 minutes.

Storing Leftovers

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I like to keep them in a glass food storage container, as shown in the photo below.

Leftover wings are kept in a glass food storage container.

Reheat the leftovers gently in the microwave, covered, at 50% power, or (uncovered) in a 350°F oven. You can also freeze the cooled leftovers in freezer bags for up to three months.