Chicken & Poultry Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings
Extra-crispy oven-baked wings tossed in a glossy, tangy-hot butter sauce that tastes straight from the sports bar.
Contains common allergens
In the app, Listahan checks these against your household automatically.
Good to know
- Crispy
Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes
Instructions
6 steps- 1
Pat the wings completely dry with paper towels, then transfer to a large bowl. Dry skin is essential for crispiness.
- 2
Toss the wings with the baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until evenly coated; the baking powder raises the skin's pH so it browns and crisps.
- 3
Arrange the wings skin-side up in a single layer on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet, leaving space between each. Refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes if you have time.
- 4
Bake at 250F on a lower rack for 30 minutes to render the fat, then move to the upper rack, raise the heat to 425F, and bake 40 to 50 minutes more until deep golden and crisp, flipping once.
- 5
Meanwhile, warm the hot sauce, butter, honey, and Worcestershire in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking until the butter melts into a smooth, emulsified sauce.
- 6
Transfer the hot wings to a clean bowl, pour over the sauce, and toss until every wing is glossy. Serve immediately with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
58/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving855
Calories
85 g
Protein
7 g
Carbs
56 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Buffalo wings were invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when Teressa Bellissimo tossed leftover wings in a cayenne hot sauce and butter mixture and served them with celery and blue cheese. The dish turned an underused cut into a bar-food icon and gave the city its culinary signature. The defining trait is the sauce itself, an emulsion of hot sauce and butter that clings to crisp skin without the breaded coating of other fried wings.
Listahan note
This version chases maximum crispness by drying the wings thoroughly and tossing them only at the very end, so the sauce coats rather than soaks. It keeps the classic butter-and-hot-sauce ratio so the heat reads as tangy and rich, not just punishing.
Technique cues
- Pat the wings bone dry and let them air-dry uncovered in the fridge if you have time, because surface moisture is the enemy of crisp skin.
- Whisk the hot sauce into melted butter off the heat so the butter emulsifies into a glossy coating instead of separating into greasy puddles.
- Toss the wings in sauce in a wide bowl right before serving so they stay crisp; sauce that sits on the wings too long softens the crust.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Cut celery sticks and stir together the blue cheese dip while the wings cook so everything lands at once.
- Make-ahead
- Dry and season the wings hours ahead and hold uncovered in the fridge; that resting time actually improves the crust.
- Leftover move
- Pull cold leftover meat off the bone and fold it into a wrap or a loaded baked potato with extra sauce.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Line the baking sheet with foil and a rack so cleanup is tossing the foil rather than scrubbing baked-on sauce.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
chicken wings
the main event
Purpose: Wings have a high skin-to-meat ratio, which is exactly what makes them crisp up so well and carry sauce.
Handling: Separate into flats and drumettes and dry them completely before cooking.
Adaptation: Boneless chicken thigh chunks deliver the same flavor for those who prefer no bones.
hot sauce
sauce base and heat
Purpose: A cayenne-based hot sauce gives Buffalo its signature tangy, vinegary burn.
Handling: Warm it gently with the butter so the two emulsify smoothly.
Adaptation: A milder hot sauce or a smoky chipotle sauce shifts the heat level and character to taste.
butter
richness and cling
Purpose: Butter rounds out the vinegar bite and helps the sauce coat each wing in a glossy layer.
Handling: Melt it just until liquid, not browned, before whisking in the hot sauce.
Adaptation: A plant-based butter keeps the emulsion working for a dairy-free batch.
baking powder
crisping aid
Purpose: A light dusting raises the skin pH so it browns and crisps more aggressively in the oven or fryer.
Handling: Toss the dry wings with a small amount, avoiding baking soda which tastes metallic.
Adaptation: Skip it entirely if deep-frying, where the hot oil crisps the skin on its own.
celery
cooling garnish
Purpose: Crisp cold celery is the traditional foil that resets your palate between spicy bites.
Handling: Cut into sticks and chill until serving.
Adaptation: Carrot sticks play the same cooling, crunchy role.
Technique notes
- For oven wings, roast on a wire rack set over a sheet pan so hot air circulates underneath and both sides crisp.
- Sauce only what you plan to eat right away and leave the rest plain, so a second round stays crunchy.
- Finish the tossed wings with a pinch of flaky salt; the sauce is acidic and a touch of salt makes the chicken read fuller.
Ingredient swaps
- Dairy-free option
- Build the sauce on plant-based butter and serve a dairy-free ranch instead of blue cheese.
- Lower-sodium direction
- Choose a reduced-sodium hot sauce and lean on the butter and a little vinegar to carry the flavor.
- Weeknight shortcut
- Air-fry the dried wings straight from raw at high heat, then toss; it skips the deep-fry setup entirely.
Serve alongside
- Blue cheese dip with celery and carrots
- Loaded potato wedges
- Crisp iceberg wedge salad
- Cornbread muffins
- Cold pale ale or pilsner
- Sparkling lemon-lime soda
- Iced tea with lemon
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate cooked wings up to three days; re-crisp them in a hot oven or air fryer rather than the microwave, which goes soggy.
- Keep extra sauce separate in a jar and re-toss after reheating for the freshest texture.
Equipment
- Wire rack and sheet pan
- Large mixing bowl for tossing
- Whisk for the emulsion
- Instant-read thermometer
Make this household-aware
Listahan Pro checks this recipe against your household's allergens, finds pantry-aware swaps, builds the shopping list, and helps you plan the week around it.
Plan it in Listahan
Add Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings to your week, check it against your household's allergens, and build the shopping list automatically.
More Chicken & Poultry recipes
Chicken & Poultry Lens Verified Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Chicken and Green Chili Casserole
A hearty layered Tex-Mex casserole of tender chicken, tortillas, green chilies, and melted cheese in a creamy sauce.
Chicken & Poultry Lens Verified Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Garlicky Baked Chicken
Tender baked chicken in a quick, garlicky mayonnaise marinade with a hint of Italian herbs.
Chicken & Poultry Lens Verified Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
Tender marinated chicken simmered in a rich, spiced tomato-butter cream sauce, a beloved Indian restaurant classic.