Lunch & Snacks

Serving

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Name: Buffalo Chicken Wings
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Lunch & Snacks
Ingredients: 3 pounds chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes; 1 tablespoon baking powder (aluminum-free); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 cup hot sauce (such as Frank's RedHot); 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted; 1 tablespoon honey

Crispy oven-baked wings tossed in a tangy, buttery hot sauce that delivers the perfect punch of heat and tang.

50 minutes

Serves 4

Snack

18 min prep

28 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy

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Good to know

Crispy

Matched from this dish's own ingredients and timing. Browse more: crispy recipes

Instructions

5 steps

1
Pat the wings thoroughly dry with paper towels; dryness is the key to crispness. Toss in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, and garlic powder until evenly coated.
2
Arrange the wings skin-side up on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake at 425°F for 40 to 45 minutes, flipping once halfway, until the skin is golden, blistered, and crackling crisp.
3
While the wings bake, whisk together the hot sauce, melted butter, and honey in a large bowl until smooth and emulsified.
4
Transfer the hot wings directly into the sauce bowl and toss until every piece is glossy and fully coated.
5
Serve immediately with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.

Buffalo Chicken Wings — plated and served — Serving moment. How Buffalo Chicken Wings looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

64/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 90

Kid-friendly 27

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 72

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 53

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 serving

855

Calories

85 g

Protein

6 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 created in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when Teressa Bellissimo tossed fried chicken wings in a cayenne hot sauce and butter and served them with celery and blue cheese. What had been a throwaway cut became a national bar food. They endure because the formula is irresistible: crisp wings, a tangy-buttery-spicy sauce, and a cool dip to balance the heat.

Listahan note

This version focuses on getting the skin genuinely crisp before saucing, then tossing in the classic cayenne-and-butter sauce so the wings stay glossy rather than soggy.

Technique cues

Dry the wings thoroughly and, if time allows, leave them uncovered in the fridge for an hour, since dry skin is what crisps in the oven or fryer.
Melt the butter into the hot sauce off the heat and whisk so it emulsifies into a clinging, glossy coat instead of a greasy slick.
Toss the wings in sauce only at the very end and serve immediately, because the sauce softens the crisp skin the longer it sits.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: While the wings roast, whisk the sauce and cut the celery so everything comes together the moment the wings are crisp.
Make-ahead: Roast or fry the wings ahead and refrigerate; re-crisp in a hot oven and toss in fresh warm sauce just before serving.
Leftover move: Pull leftover wing meat off the bone and fold it into a buffalo chicken wrap or quesadilla.
Cleanup rhythm: Roast on a foil-lined, racked sheet and sauce in a big bowl, so cleanup is tossing the foil and washing the bowl.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

Chicken wings

the main event

Purpose: Wings have the skin-to-meat ratio that crisps beautifully and carries sauce.

Handling: Separate into flats and drumettes and pat very dry before cooking.

Adaptation: Cauliflower florets, battered and baked, make a vegetarian buffalo bite.

Cayenne hot sauce

tangy heat base

Purpose: A vinegary cayenne hot sauce is the defining flavor of buffalo wings.

Handling: Use a Louisiana-style hot sauce and warm it gently with the butter.

Adaptation: Adjust the amount for milder or hotter wings; a different chili sauce changes the character.

Butter

richness and gloss

Purpose: Butter rounds the sharp hot sauce and gives the classic glossy, clinging coat.

Handling: Melt and whisk into the hot sauce until emulsified.

Adaptation: A dairy-free butter or a neutral oil keeps the sauce dairy-free, though butter gives the truest texture.

Baking powder

crisping aid (for baking)

Purpose: A light toss of baking powder raises the skin's pH and helps it crisp in the oven without frying.

Handling: Toss the dried wings with a little baking powder and salt before baking.

Adaptation: Skip it if you are deep-frying, where the hot oil does the crisping.

Celery and blue cheese dressing

cooling counterpoint

Purpose: Crisp celery and creamy blue cheese are the traditional balance to the spicy wings.

Handling: Cut celery into sticks and serve the dressing cold alongside.

Adaptation: Ranch dressing or a dairy-free dip works for those who dislike blue cheese.

Technique notes

Cook the wings to a higher internal temperature than usual, around 175 to 185F, so the connective tissue renders and the meat turns tender rather than rubbery.
Warm the serving platter so the sauced wings stay hot and glossy on the way to the table.
If you want extra cling, reduce the sauce by a minute over low heat before tossing so it thickens slightly.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free option: Use a dairy-free butter in the sauce and serve with a dairy-free ranch instead of blue cheese.
Milder direction: Cut the hot sauce with extra butter and a spoon of honey for a kid-friendly, gentler heat.
Vegetarian direction: Toss battered, baked cauliflower in the same buffalo sauce for a meat-free version.

Serve alongside

Celery and carrot sticks
Loaded potato skins
Crisp coleslaw
Cornbread
Cold lager
Iced tea
Lemon-lime soda

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate cooked wings up to three days in a sealed container. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer to bring back the crisp, then re-sauce; microwaving leaves them soft. Sauced wings keep less well than plain, so store extra wings unsauced when possible.

Equipment

Wire rack over a baking sheet
Large tossing bowl
Whisk
Tongs

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