Even baked from frozen these wings are unbelievable good. Crispy Baked Chicken Wings (with the best buffalo sauce) are a must make for your next game day at home.
Until not too long ago I refused to eat buffalo chicken wings (with bones). Really good wings are hard to come by at restaurants and I’d had more than enough soggy, fatty wings to swear them off. But then this most recent Super Bowl happened and I was reading how many people serve wings that weekend and so I admit I gave in to the peer pressure. And that’s how I’m bringing you these crispy (like unbelievably crisp) baked chicken wings that you can make conveniently at home.
I’m a big fan of Cook’s Illustrated so I started by searching for a wing recipe that they had created in their test kitchen but I ran across another recipe post instead (which used the Cook’s Illustrated recipe). The problem I had when going to purchase my wings the day before the Super Bowl however (yes I am a procrastinator) was that I was stuck with frozen (ice coated) wings. There was not a fresh wing in sight. But guess what? The frozen wings worked! As in I baked them from frozen and they were still amazingly crispy!
So what’s the secret? Baking powder. Not baking soda. Baking powder. I’m not sure why it works because I didn’t actually read the Cook’s Illustrated well-researched article behind the recipe but it most definitely works and I am so happy it does! You will be too.
Tips for making Crispy Baked Chicken Wings:
- It is not necessary to search out fresh wings for this recipe – I used a bag of frozen chicken wings and followed the package temperature and time suggestions to bake them from frozen
- Equipment matters for baking these chicken wings properly
- I used a baking sheet like this one
- Lined with parchment paper (you could also use foil)
- And I baked the wings on an oven safe baking rack like this one to allow air to circulate on all sides of the wings
- Be sure to lightly oil the baking rack first to make sure the chicken wings don’t stick
Now about what I believe is the best buffalo sauce. I’ve made this recipe for crispy baked chicken wings several times now, tweaking the sauce each time. And I found what I think is the perfect flavor and spice combination. I only use four ingredients for my sauce.
Ingredients for making the Best Buffalo Sauce:
- I use this brand of wing sauce
- Mixed with this brand of chili garlic sauce
- Mixed with pure maple syrup
- Plus a little salt
You also might be wondering why I’m posting a recipe I discovered right before the Super Bowl now? Two words: March Madness
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Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 1 2.5 pound bag frozen chicken wings (or drumettes)
- 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup Frank's buffalo wing sauce
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Add the frozen chicken wings (or drumettes if you prefer) to a large gallon-sized zippered bag with the baking powder. Shake the wings to coat.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper (or foil). Place an oven-safe baking rack on top of the lined sheet pan. Lightly oil the rack.
- Place the baking powder coated frozen wings on the baking rack and bake for 80 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the wings is 165 degrees. If desired you can broil the chicken wings for the last two minutes of cooking time to get them even more browned.
- Whisk together the buffalo sauce, chili garlic sauce, maple syrup and salt. Add the baked chicken wings to a bowl and toss them with the sauce until they are evenly coated.
- Serve the wings with fresh carrots and celery and blue cheese dressing.
Nutrition
More game day favorites:
- Meatloaf Sliders
- Cincinnati Nachos
- Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Seven Layer Hoagie Dip
- Ultimate Pizza Dip
regina marie kershner says
making these tonight, will keep you posted!!!
regina marie kershner says
the wings came out crispy and yummy. i seasoned them as well. great recipe..
foodtasticmom says
So glad to hear this, thank you!
Jill says
Hi! I found your recipe on pinterest. GREAT wing recipe! Probably the best I’ve ever made. My family all loved them. We used the baking powder trick and baked at your temp but used my sauce recipe (everyone has their own perfect sauce right?) Thank you! My husband thanks you, too. The only problem is next time I think I have to buy more wings (I bough the 4lb bag). Haha.
foodtasticmom says
Love getting comments like this. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. And yeah, 4 pounds is never enough at my house either!
Lily N says
I just made this tonight and they turned out pretty good I would make it again! Didn’t have maple syrup so I left that ingredient out. The baking powder really did crisped the wings!
foodtasticmom says
So glad you enjoyed the wings. I appreciate you taking the time to rate and comment!
Steve Tyndall says
I want to try this recipe but it says to cook for 80 minutes. That sounds like a long time. Is 8 minutes correct?
foodtasticmom says
I’m sorry for my late response. 80 minutes is correct.
Steve Tyndall says
Correction: is 80 minutes correct?
foodtasticmom says
Yes, because they are being baked from frozen.
Patti Nienberg says
My husband is not interested in the super Bowl but wants the food that goes with it! Lol. Getting ready to make these now! No garlic chili sauce but will improvise as someone else suggested. Will let you know what we think!
Ann says
So, so simple and so good! I was tired of paying $15 for wings for my husband… these were way better and way cheaper! Thanks for an excellent recipe.
foodtasticmom says
Happy to help. Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment!
Kim says
I love chicken wings, but mine always come out soggy! I can’t wait to try this version. If they’re as crispy as they look in your photos, I’ll be a happy lady. Thanks so much for sharing!
foodtasticmom says
Yep, no soggy wings here. Come back and let us know what you think!
Ashley Gomez says
Idk what I did wrong but all I could taste was the baking powder even with the sauce on it it was too powdery the texture was weird I don’t know if I added to much
foodtasticmom says
I’m sorry that happened to you. You may have added too much. I make sure to shake off any excess that sticks (because it will sometimes stick in clumps when the wings are still frozen) before putting them in the oven. These wings have gotten so many positive reviews. Maybe you’ll consider trying again? Thanks for the feedback.
Bonnie Rose says
I know this is a year later, but the flavor could be if your baking powder is not aluminum free. If you try again try that!
foodtasticmom says
That is a good point. Thank you for pointing this out!
Stevo says
Great recipe, I didn’t have garlic chili sauce, so I used 1 tbsp minced garlic and 1/2 tsp chili powder and we thought it came out great. Thanks
foodtasticmom says
Happy to hear that you enjoyed the wings. Thank you for taking the time to review and comment!
Dan says
Do they have to be frozen wings?
foodtasticmom says
No, you can use fresh. But you’ll need to reduce the baking time. The most important part is making sure the wings are baked to 165 degrees F. I’d probably start checking fresh wing after about 30-40 minutes in the oven. Hope that helps.
Alicia West says
These came out so great! Ours were cooked through around 55 minutes; so I put them under the broiler until they were brown and they came out delicious.
foodtasticmom says
Love to hear this! Thank you for the positive review!