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Baked Buffalo Wings

Perfectly crispy and smothered in Buffalo sauce, our super easy baked Buffalo wings recipe is here to deliver the game-day bliss dreams are made of.

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homemade baked buffalo wings on a serving platter with blue cheese dressing and carrot and celery sticks

The Best Buffalo Wings Recipe (and It’s Easy, Too!)

Baked Buffalo wings are really not much healthier than their deep-fried counterparts, but they are much, much easier to make at home and they taste just as great! Crispy skin is easily achieved—you’ll crank the heat on the oven, and then turn the heat down just a smidge when it’s time to put the wings in. And of course, once you’ve got the wings themselves nice and crispy, it’s all about making a perfect Buffalo sauce to smother them in! So yeah, we’ve got a killer Buffalo sauce recipe for you, too. Just don’t forget to serve the chicken wings with plenty of homemade blue cheese dressing on the side, OK? It’s kind of a make-or-break thing.

salt, garlic powder, paprika, chicken wingettes, egg whites, hot sauce, butter and honey in bowls on the counter

Why Is It Called a Buffalo Wing?

Well, with a food as iconic and beloved as the Buffalo wing, it’s never simple, is it? The true historical origins of the Buffalo wing are up for debate, if you’re into that kind of thing, but according to the Smithsonian (and it really doesn’t get much more authoritative than that when it comes to American history, right?) “most agree that the Anchor Bar, in Buffalo, New York, was where the buffalo chicken wing was invented.” And honestly, we’re happy to stop there. We’d like to just keep it really simple and go with that. It’s called a Buffalo wing because it was invented in the city of Buffalo, NY. Done. Meet us in the kitchen and let’s get cooking, OK? (But, P.S. If you love a good, long, juicy food history debate, though, check out Calvin Trillian’s now-infamous 1980 deep dive into the origin-story controversy behind everyone’s favorite game day snack over at The New Yorker.)

chicken wings tossed in salt, garlic powder and paprika in a glass bowl on the counter for baked buffalo wings
seasoned raw chicken wings tossed in egg whites in a glass bowl on the counter for baked buffalo wings

How To Make Buffalo Wings

Making chicken wings at home is so surprisingly easy! When you head to the store, look for chicken wings that are already prepared for you so that you don’t have to break the wings down into wingettes (also called “flats”) and drumettes yourself. Labeling seems to run the gamut a bit, but look for labels like “party wings” or just “drumettes”—any of those will work for this easy Buffalo wing recipe! And now that you know what to buy to make chicken wings, you can get cooking! Here’s how to make Buffalo wings at home:

  1. Season the chicken wing pieces with salt, garlic powder and paprika. Try to get every last little nook and cranny coated with seasoning!

  2. Egg whites are up next! Again, coat every last nook and cranny of the wings with the frothy egg white. This will help the wings get crispy in just the right way.

  3. Bake the wings! On a cooling rack set over a lined baking sheet—this allows the heat to get at the wings from all sides, ensuring gloriously golden skin on all sides.

  4. Mix up some Buffalo sauce! Whisk together the hot sauce and the honey. When they're simmering, add the butter. Ta da! Sauce made.

  5. Coat the baked wings in the sauce! Gobble with lots of blue cheese dressing on the side!

chicken wings coated with seasoning and egg whites on a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil
baked chicken wings on a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil sitting on the counter
homemade buffalo sauce in a sauce pan made with hot sauce, honey and butter for baked buffalo chicken wings
baked buffalo wings tossed in homemade buffalo sauce in a glass bowl on the counter

How Do You Make Sauce for Wings?

Purists will tell you that classic Buffalo sauce can only be made from hot sauce (and they’ll tell you exactly what brand they prefer—a lot of people are deeply loyal to Frank’s) and butter. Well, we love that combo, but we also think that honey adds just the right little droplet of sweetness to balance out the heat. It also gives the wings a delectable stickiness that we (and everyone we’ve ever served them to) adore. Here’s what’s in our Buffalo wing sauce recipe:

homemade baked buffalo wings on a serving platter with blue cheese dressing and carrot and celery sticks

Tools You’ll Need

More DIY Bar Snacks

homemade baked buffalo wings on a serving platter with blue cheese dressing and carrot and celery sticks
homemade baked buffalo wings on a serving platter with blue cheese dressing and carrot and celery sticks

Buffalo’s Gift to the World

While we’re sure that the city of Buffalo, NY has lots to offer, the fact that they’re the (likely) birthplace of a food as fantastic as the Buffalo wing is surely at the top of the list of the city’s achievements. We hope you adore these wings, and that you enjoy them in good company! When you make them, we’d love to hear how you love them! If you make it, let us know how you like it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

Baked Buffalo Wings

  • Serves: 6
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  45 min
  • Calories: 748

Ingredients

Chicken Wings

  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 4 lbs chicken wingettes or drumettes
  • 2 egg whites, beaten until frothy

Buffalo Sauce

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the salt, garlic powder and paprika. Toss the chicken wings with the seasonings until they’re fully coated. Pour the frothy egg whites over the seasoned chicken pieces and toss until each wing is fully coated.

  3. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet by lining it with foil. Set a metal cooling rack on top of the lined baking sheet. Arrange the chicken wings, skin side up, on the cooling rack.

  4. Reduce the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake the wings for 45-50 minutes, until the chicken wings are a deep golden-brown color and the skin is nice and crispy.

  5. While the chicken wings are baking, make the homemade Buffalo wing sauce: In a small saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together the hot sauce and the honey. Bring to a simmer before stirring in the butter. Cook until the butter has melted. Remove the sauce from the heat.

  6. Transfer the baked chicken wings to a bowl. Pour in the Buffalo sauce and gently toss the baked wings in the sauce until they are fully coated.

  7. Serve immediately with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories748
  • Protein58 g
  • Carbohydrates2 g
  • Total Fat55 g
  • Dietary Fiber0 g
  • Cholesterol247 mg
  • sodium1613 mg
  • Total Sugars1 g

Baked Buffalo Wings

Questions & Reviews

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  • Alyssa

    Was just curious if you girls have a Lemon pepper wing recipe? A Wingstop copycat perhaps? I love every recipe I try from you girls! Thank you so much for all the great recipes!

    We just came out with one! Hope you enjoy and we are so happy you like our recipes!!

  • Kristin Staaland

    Could you start these with frozen wings or do they need to be thawed first?

    You should thaw them first.

  • Alyssa

    Absolutely delicious! Were a hit!

    Thanks Alyssa, so happy everyone enjoyed them!

  • Jenn

    These were so good, the butter in the buffalo sauce was such a great idea!

    Thanks Jenn!