Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are baked, not fried, using one ingredient to fool any deep fried buffalo wing fan!

These Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are exactly what they claim to be. C.R.I.S.P.Y. Without deep frying? WHAT IS THIS MADNESS! Using a special ingredient you have in your kitchen pantry already! Tossed in a delicious Buffalo Sauce, these wings are a hit and a reader favourite!

Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

This extremely popular creation came out of a New York restaurant in the 60’s by Teressa Bellissimo, who covered them in her own special sauce and served them with a side of celery and blue cheese. Since then, Buffalo wings have become the quintessential game day food in the United States served at bars, restaurants or ordered as take out.

Of COURSE this recipe includes serving them in a Blue Cheese Dressing (or Ranch dressing).

These wings were not only a hit at the dinner table, they were ordered again the next day! Just when I thought this little experiment wouldn’t be well received!

Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

HOW TO MAKE CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS

The magic ingredient to crispy wings without a lot of oil is aluminium free baking powder. It may sounds unappealing, but coating chicken wings in seasoned baking powder is what makes the skin super crispy. You won’t taste it in the end results, so long as you use aluminium-free. To be clear, make sure you use baking powder, NOT baking soda, because there is a big difference!

You’re going to pimp yours up with added flavours:

  • Garlic powder
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • You an also add a dash of Cayenne pepper.

Toss them until they are coated evenly.

Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

HOW DO YOU COOK CHICKEN WINGS IN THE OVEN

After your chicken wings are coated, place aluminium foil on your baking sheet to catch any drippings, then arrange a wire rack over the top. Place your wings in an even layer to allow the heat to be evenly distributed.

You’re then going to bake your chicken wings on a rack so the fat can drip off, creating ultra crispy wings all over.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BAKE CHICKEN WINGS?

Chicken wings can take about 50 minutes or more to bake, flipping them halfway through cooking time to allow even crispness. Why so long? To allow the fat to render out from the chicken wings so that the skin crisps to a delicious golden brown.

Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

HOW TO MAKE BUFFALO SAUCE

To get the best baked buffalo wings, you’re going to toss them in an incredible buffalo sauce, with just three ingredients!

  • Frank’s Original Red Hot Sauce
  • Melted unsalted butter
  • Honey or sugar (white or brown)

Whisk it all together until combined, then pour the sauce ALL over your CRISPY baked wings and serve! So easy and no deep fryers or entire kitchens to clean up afterwards.

SERVE BUFFALO WINGS

Serve your buffalo wings with blue cheese dip, ranch dipping sauce or a creamy garlic mayo. Don’t forget the celery and/or carrot sticks on the side! Game day has never looked so easy and so good!

To serve wings as a family meal, we normally keep some separate without sauce so the kids can enjoy super crispy chicken wings. You can also dip theirs in bbq sauce or honey garlic butter sauce. A win-win!

Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

You will love having your favourite restaurant indulgences right in the comfort of your own home with minimal effort.

CRISPY BUFFALO WINGS ON VIDEO!

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Crispy baked chicken wings without baking powder

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Wings are exactly what they claim to be. CRISPY without deep frying, using one special ingredient you have in your kitchen pantry!

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Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 1 hr

Total: 1 hr 5 mins

Serves: 8 serves

Ingredients

CHICKEN WINGS

  • 2 Kg (4 pounds) chicken wings cut into drumettes and flats
  • 1 tablespoon aluminium free baking powder (NOT baking soda)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • Pinch of cracked pepper

BUFFALO SAUCE:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup Frank's Original Red Hot Sauce
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey, white sugar or brown sugar (adjust to suit your tastes)

BLUE CHEESE DIP:

  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese softened
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of cracked black pepper

TO SERVE:

  • Ranch dressing
  • Blue cheese dressing (RECIPE AS ABOVE) for serving
  • Celery sticks for serving

Instructions

  • Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminium foil and set a heat-proof wire rack inside. 

  • Pat dry chicken wings liberally with paper towels, squeezing out as much moisture as you can. Transfer them to a large bowl.

  • In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper together, whisking well to combine, and sprinkle the mixture over the wings. Toss wings through the baking powder mixture until evenly coated. 

  • Arrange on rack, leaving about 1-inch of space between each wing.

  • Bake for 30 minutes; flip and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, (about 20-30 minutes longer), until golden browned and crispy.

  • While wings are cooking, whisk together hot sauce, butter and sugar. Toss wings through the sauce to evenly coat.

  • Serve wings immediately with blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing, and celery sticks.

Notes

For crispier wings, follow steps 1-4. Then refrigerate wings uncovered overnight. This ensures they are thoroughly dried out.

What can I use instead of baking powder for chicken wings?

But I've been enlightened; it's possible to make super crispy, utterly delicious buffalo chicken wings in your oven without baking powder! The secret ingredient? Plain cornstarch.

Why are my chicken wings not getting crispy in the oven?

Why? High heat is required to really crisp up the outer skin on the chicken wing. If the wings are cooked at a low temperature, they will not crisp. A constant high temperature cooked the wings faster but also seemed to dry out the wings.

Can I use flour instead of baking powder for wings?

Some recipes don't use baking powder but it really does help with the crispy skin. Tap off excess flour. Be sure to tap off any excess flour mixture before placing these on the rack.