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Oven-Crisp Buffalo Chicken Wings

A hot standard oven, a dry surface, and open airflow produce crisp wings ready for a balanced butter-and-cayenne sauce.

Glossy Buffalo wings with browned crisp skin are served beside celery sticks and blue-cheese dressing.

These wings build bar-style crunch without a fryer. Dry skin, a light baking-powder coating, and a wire rack let the oven brown the wings evenly while rendered fat drains below.

Start with dry skin

Blot the wings carefully before seasoning, then leave them uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator. The baking powder helps the surface brown, while the extra air-drying time removes moisture that would otherwise slow crisping.

Let heat circulate

The wire rack keeps the wings above the rendered fat and exposes more skin to hot air. Roast them without crowding, turn once, and use the deeply bronzed skin and thermometer reading together to judge when they are ready.

Dried and seasoned chicken wings are spaced skin-side up on a wire rack over a rimmed pan. — Seasoned wings sit skin-side up with space between them on the rack before roasting.

Keep the sauce smooth

Warm the cayenne hot sauce and butter gently, whisking only until the butter is incorporated. A glossy sauce clings to the wings without needing extra ingredients, and avoiding a boil helps keep it from separating.

Toss just before serving

Wait until the wings are crisp and the platter is ready before tossing them with sauce. Celery and blue-cheese dressing bring a cool, crunchy contrast, while prompt serving keeps the roasted skin from softening.

A close view shows crisp golden wing skin under glossy cayenne-butter sauce. — Glossy red sauce coats crisp browned wings served beside celery and blue-cheese dressing.

Oven-Crisp Buffalo Chicken Wings

5 appetizer servings

95 minutes total

Ingredients

• 4 lb split chicken wings, tips removed
• 2 tsp aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cayenne hot sauce
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 celery stalks, cut into sticks
• 1 cup blue-cheese dressing

Method

Heat the oven
Set an oven rack in the upper-middle position and heat a standard oven to 425 F. Place a wire rack over a rimmed sheet pan so hot air can circulate around the wings.
Look for: The oven is fully preheated and the wire rack sits level above the pan.
Dry and season the wings
Blot the split chicken wings very thoroughly with paper towels, then toss them with the aluminum-free baking powder, kosher salt, garlic powder, and black pepper until every surface has a thin, even coating.
Look for: The skin feels dry before seasoning and has no visible clumps of baking powder afterward.
Air-dry on the rack
Arrange the seasoned chicken wings skin-side up on the wire rack with space between pieces. Leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to dry the surface further while the oven heats completely.
Look for: The wing surfaces look matte rather than wet and the pieces do not touch.
Roast the first side
Set the rack and sheet pan in the oven and roast the chicken wings at 425 F for 25 minutes without opening the door, letting the skin begin to render and brown.
Look for: The undersides have begun to brown and rendered fat has collected on the sheet pan.
Turn and finish roasting
Turn each wing and roast for 20 to 25 minutes more, until the skin is deeply golden and crisp and the thickest piece reaches at least 175 F at the joint; add a few minutes if the skin is still soft.
Look for: The skin is browned and crackly, rendered fat drips from the joints, and an instant-read thermometer registers at least 175 F in a thick piece.
Make the Buffalo sauce
While the wings finish, warm the cayenne hot sauce and unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking until the butter melts and the sauce looks smooth; do not let it boil.
Look for: The butter is fully incorporated and the sauce is glossy with no separated pools of fat.
Toss while hot
Transfer the crisp chicken wings to a large bowl, pour over the warm Buffalo sauce, and toss until evenly coated. Toss immediately before serving so the sauce does not sit on the skin and soften it.
Look for: Every wing has a thin red sheen while ridges of crisp skin remain visible.
Serve with cool sides
Arrange the wings on a platter with the celery sticks and blue-cheese dressing for dipping, and serve while the wings are hot and crisp.
Look for: The celery is cold and crunchy, the dressing is ready for dipping, and the wings are served promptly.