Perfect Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
Love wings but don’t like the frying? How about if they were just a bit healthier? My Perfect Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings are the answer to both! These baked chicken wings have the classic taste with no messy frying and no added fat. Yet, they’re lovely and brown and crispy. And, they’re easy to make for a crowd or for the family.
The past few weekends have been just perfect. The weather is beautiful and the leaves all around us are gorgeous. And Georgia is unbeaten so far this season! Woo-hooo. We’re big Georgia Bulldogs in this house. Really big.
Even though I love the football games, I rarely just sit and watch. I’m usually doing something around the house with the game on in the background. BeeBop, however, is glued to the television whenever the Dawgs are playing.
College Football is Serious Business in Georgia
Here’s how it goes at our house getting ready for game day. Turn the television on to the game with the volume muted. Now tune the radio receiver, which is connected to the surround sound, to the Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network for the play-by-play. Get your snacks and a drink and plant yourself in your favorite chair. All set.
That’s the ritual and we wouldn’t do it any other way. There’s just nothing better than listening to that radio commentary.
The radio guys do a fine job of announcing the game every week. But there’s still no one like Larry Munson. Munson was the “voice of the Dawgs” for more than 40 years. His commentary was like no other.
Larry Munson was the voice of Georgia football
Listening to Munson call a Georgia Bulldogs game was almost better than sitting in the stands watching. In fact, lots of people in the stands were listening to Munson calling the game on the radio.
I sometimes think BeeBop liked Munson even more than the team. Years ago before we were married and BeeBop was still in the Navy on a cruise in the Mediterranean, he called me from Italy one Saturday afternoon.
We talked for a little while and then he asked if I had the Georgia game on the radio. I assured him that I did and do you know what he asked me? No, not the score. He said, “could you just hold the phone up to the radio so I can hear Munson?” Homesick indeed.
Whatever your game day ritual is, these Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings are a great recipe to cook up for your fans. They taste identical to the classic Buffalo wings but they’re baked instead of fried. I honestly can’t tell the difference. Now, I’m not saying it’s actually healthy, but it’s way better than frying.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
- They’re just as crispy as fried (really!)
- Removes some of the guilt from eating fried wings
- Keeps the kitchen a lot cleaner than frying
- Who doesn’t love Buffalo wings?
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Wings (Wings are inexpensive and widely available in every grocery store in the country. You can use all drummettes, all wingettes (also called flats), or a mix of both.)
- Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce (I’m really sorry, but there’s just no substitute for this. And if you can’t find it in your store you must live in Siberia or something.)
- Cayenne Pepper (This recipe makes very mildly spiced wings. If you like yours hot, increase the cayenne.)
- Honey (Honey helps balance the spiciness of the sauce and adds a subtle sweetness.)
You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Perfect Baked Buffalo Wings
Let’s Go Step-by-Step
I always like to show you the photos and step-by-step instructions for my recipes to help you picture how to make them in your own kitchen. If you just want to print out a copy, you can skip to the bottom of the post where you’ll find the recipe card.
Prep a Baking Sheet
Start by lining a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Generously coat a wire rack with cooking spray and place it in the baking pan. Or you could use a broiler pan. You just need a way to elevate the wings up off the pan so the flour coating doesn’t get gummy. It will make your finished wings crispy and a lot less greasy.
COOK’S TIP
To make this recipe even more economical, you can purchase whole wings and cut them into pieces yourself. It’s simply a matter of cutting through the joints and discarding the wing tips (or save them for stock!). If you need a visual, here’s a great demonstration.
Dry and Coat the Wings
Dry the wings well with paper towels. Don’t skip this step. It helps the flour mixture adhere to the skin better making crispy chicken wings instead of wet, soggy ones.
Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt in a large Ziploc bag. Shake to mix well. Add the dried wing pieces to the bag with the flour mixture and toss until well coated.
Remove the wings, shaking off any excess flour coating, and transfer to the wire rack on the prepared baking sheet. Place the prepared wings in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least one hour.
COOK’S TIP
Don’t skimp on the chilling time for the wings. This step is what creates baked crispy wings.
Bake the Wings
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the wings for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn each wing over and return to the oven. Bake for an additional 25 minutes. Wings should be a beautiful golden brown with crispy skin.
Make the Buffalo Sauce
Meanwhile, whisk together the melted butter, hot sauce, honey, soy sauce, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt in a small bowl.
Remove the wings from the oven and dip them 3 or 4 at a time in the sauce mixture. Place the coated wings back on the pan, return the pan to the oven and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes. Remove from the oven, place on a serving dish, and drizzle with the remaining sauce.
Serve with my Blue Cheese Dip (or Ranch dressing if you prefer) and lots of celery sticks on the side.
Tips and Variations
- This recipe yields very mild baked wings. If you prefer more spicy Buffalo wings, you can either increase the amount of cayenne pepper in the flour mixture or add some hot pepper sauce (Tabasco or Texas Pete) to the butter-pepper sauce. Or do both. I prefer to make them mild and pass additional Tabasco for those who want to add a little spice to their wings.
- Make your wings into a meal by serving a side of french fries or onion rings and a cucumber salad.
FAQs
You can use margarine instead of butter in the sauce if you like. The butter or margarine reduces the heat level and gives a richer flavor to the sauce. Adding more margarine or butter and honey will reduce the heat even further.
I know I said there was no substitute for Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, and some people are going to disagree with that. There are other brands on the market and if you prefer a different one, please go for it.
You can use light corn syrup, maple syrup, brown sugar, or molasses in place of honey in this recipe.
More Questions? I’m happy to help!
If you have more questions about the recipe, or if you’ve made it and would like to leave a comment, scroll down to leave your thoughts, questions, and/or rating!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Recipe
Perfect Baked Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 20 chicken wing pieces (all drummettes, all wingettes, or a combination)
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray a cooling rack generously with cooking spray and place in the baking sheet.
- Dry the wings well with paper towels.
- Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic power and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large Ziploc bag. Shake to mix well.
- Add the dried wings to the bag with the flour mixture and toss until well coated.
- Remove the wings, shaking off excess flour coating, and place on the prepared cooling rack.
- Place the prepared wings in the refrigerator, uncovered, for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Bake the wings for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, turn each wing over and return to the oven.
- Bake for an additional 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the melted butter, hot sauce, honey, soy sauce and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl.
- Remove the wings from the oven and dip them 3 or 4 at a time in the sauce mixture.
- Place the coated wings back on the pan, return the pan to the oven and cook for an additional 6-7 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, place on a serving dish and drizzle remaining sauce over wings.
Notes
- For the chicken wings, you can use all drummettes, all wingettes (also called flats), or a mix of both. To make this recipe even more economical, you can purchase whole wings and cut them into pieces yourself. If you need a visual, here’s a great demonstration.
- Recommend Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce brand.
- The amount of cayenne pepper used in this recipe makes very mildly spiced wings. If you like yours hot, increase the cayenne.
- Honey helps balance the spiciness of the sauce and adds a subtle sweetness. You can also use light corn syrup, maple syrup, brown sugar, or molasses in place of honey.
- Don’t skimp on the chilling time for the wings. This step is what creates baked crispy wings.
- Make your wings into a meal by serving a side of french fries or onion rings and a cucumber salad.
- You can use margarine instead of butter in the sauce if you like. The butter or margarine reduces the heat level and gives a richer flavor to the sauce. Adding more margarine or butter and honey will reduce the heat even further.
- You can use light corn syrup, maple syrup, brown sugar, or molasses in place of honey in this recipe.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
— This post was originally published on November 1, 2011. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Baking is the way to go! I discovered a while back that you can use 2 Tbsp of non-aluminum baking powder in place of flour and then no need to refrigerate. That’s for 2.5 pounds of wings. The baking powder has some kind of reaction that makes the skin super crispy. 1 hour cook time on rack, turning every 15-20 minutes. Flour works great too, but you can skip the refrigeration with the baking powder. Both excellent alternatives to frying. I never fry them anymore. So darn messy!
Hi Lana,
I have been making baked hot wings for years but tried your method last weekend. OMG but it was delicious and just perfection! The skin was crisp yet moist with the hot sauce and butter drizzled all over. My Texan friend (we are in London, UK) said they were the best hot wings she has ever tasted and I agree!
I used garlic salt instead of garlic powder and salt and I skipped the honey and soy (I cook a lot with soy so wanted to keep this recipe ‘all American’ ha ha) and it still turned out amazing! We had it with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing (I cheated and used a bottle dressing). My excuse is that I also made fresh strawberry margaritas to go with them!
Mmmmmm, what can I say but my hubby and friend were VERY pleased and now her hubby (who was busy that evening and didnt come over) is bugging her to make these too!
Thanks again!
I’m so pleased to know that you enjoyed them! We love them, too, and don’t even miss the fried ones any more :-)
Thank you so much Lana for sharing this recipe. I made this recipe for a movie night and everyone absolutely loved it :)
Great! Glad to hear that.
This looks too yummi! Definitely trying it this weekend. Can you suggest using another ingrident besides honey (out of all things in the world, the only one I am allergic to is honey)? Your recipies are delicious, I just printed 4 or 5 to make this week :).
Hi Dasha. You could substitute either syrup or molasses for the honey. Should work out fine.
ZipList posted this recipe today, and I thought it looked good. Then when I came and read the ingredients, and better yet the commentary, I am even more psyched!! Woohooo!! A fellow UGA fan!! Can’t wait to try your recipe and it will taste even better knowing I got it from a Georgia fan! Thank you and Gooooo Dawgs! Sic’em!
Hope you enjoy them, Kellie! Go Dawgs!
These look sooo good…but I have a lot of little ones, so have to make boneless..plus I am lazy and easier to eat them boneless. Would you still make them the same way, just with cut up breast chunks?
I’d give it a try. You might not need to cook quite as long, though. I’d be interested in knowing how they turn out.
Lana, do you want to read details about my favorite football team??? I think not! And I DO sit and watch every play!
Not sure what your problem is. If you don’t like the post, you are more than welcome to skip it. There are a million other recipes on the internet.
Made these this weekend, YUM! very good
So glad you enjoyed them, Marie!
Had these tonight for dinner – they turned out great and my husband loved them! Definitely a keeper!
Thanks! I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed them.
this was really good thank’s Lana
I love your story. And love these wings! Have I ever made buffalo wings? Nope. But these would be the perfect snack while watching….rugby on tv! Yeah!
These look YUMMY! I love the sweet honey mixed with the Franks Red Hot (which happens to be my favorite! Just the smell of it makes me want it!)
Your wings look delicious, Lana. Perfect for any game day. I’m with Barb-spicier the better:)
Nothing better than wings and football. And these are about as guilt free as you can.
Go Blue!!!
Go Dawgs!!!
Mmm. Mmm. I love a good buffalo wing and baked is just a bonus! I enjoy college football as well, but unfortunately my team’s been letting me down in grand fashion the past couple weeks. Dang Badgers. :)~
These look quite delicious. I make a riff on Alton’s baked wings where you blanch the wings before baking. I think they’re way better than fried!(Although my boyfriend will disagree. But he doesn’t count.)
P.S. Go Dawgs! We were in J’ville for the big win!
I haven’t had chicken wings in ages not you made me crave these. The recipes looks fantastic! Spicy exactly how I like it!! Wish my son was home so we would park ourselves next to him and get a dose of American football but Thankgiving is here soon enough!! :)