Credit for this recipe goes to Chef John at Foooood Wishes dot com. I’ve made some slight modifications which I will mark below but you can find the original recipe here and the accompanying video here.

I was debating titling this “Chicken Wings in the Oven” until I realized it’s really irrelevant. “In the Oven” is not some sort of compromise or condition for these wings. This is the easiest and best way to make wings at home and I’d argue they turn out better than wings you get at most restaurants - and they are much cheaper!

I repeat the recipe from Chef John below with some slight modifications. I also separate out the wing preparation from the sauce since I forgo the honey sriracha for classic Buffalo sauce.

Before that, I want to point out the important food chemistry that makes this recipe so good the Maillard Reaction which is encouraged by the baking powder (or really, it’s the baking soda in the baking powder). This addition is lowering the pH of the outside of the wing and encouraging the same reaction that happens when you sear a steak or bake cookies (with baking powder/soda) - browning and crisping that tests really good. Without this addition, the wings would be soggy like most of the oven-based ones you find at restaurants.

You can read more Maillard reaction in this Serious Eats post.

Chicken wings

• 2.5 lbs of chicken wings
• 2 tbps baking powder
• 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (half of what Chef John uses)
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
   • Note: The original recipe uses a wire rack over aluminum foil. This probably works best but my wire racks cannot go beyond 400 F. I’ve found the parchment paper works well to avoid sticking though and the wings cook perfectly well.

2. If needed, breakdown the wings into three portions: tips, flats, and drums. Reserve the tips for stock or throw away. Place the flats and drums in a large bowl.

3. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl to create a rub. Sprinkle over the flats and drums and toss to coat. Place on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet(s).

4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for three intervals of 20 minutes (60 minutes total). After each 20 minute block, turn the wings over.
   • On the first and second turns, they may look dry and powdery. That’s okay - keep turning and baking.
   • The final product should be browned and crispy. Use “Chef John’s fork test” to check (scrape a fork against the skin to check for crispiness).

Buffalo sauce

Chef John’s honey sriracha sauce is plenty good but I really love a classic buffalo sauce. I use to make it the poor man’s way by mixing Frank’s Red Hot with ranch dressing until I learned the original recipe is much better. Just heat equal parts Frank’s Red Hot and unsalted butter in a pan until melted. Stir occassionally to to keep the butter from totally separating. If it breaks, just stir again.

Toss with your cooked wings, let rest for a moment (so the sauce and skin can get to know each other) and dig in.

Tip: To store left over buffalo sauce, let it cool first. If it breaks, stir it back together as best as you can and transfer to the refridgerator immediately. The evenly distributed butter will re-solidify around the hot sauce making something like a paste. It then won’t be able to break again until re-heated and left to sit.