Buffalo Chicken Wings

Buffalo Chicken Wings
Jim Wilson/The New York Times
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,751)
Notes
Read community notes

Americans are a wing-loving people. The Buffalo variety, by most accounts “invented” at the Anchor Bar in, yes, Buffalo, is the official food of our most sacred event of the year: the Super Bowl. These can be made on the grill or in the oven.

Featured in: The Key to a Truly Great Chicken Wing

Learn: How to Grill

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
  • Print Options


Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 3pounds of chicken wings
  • cup relatively mild hot sauce
  • 4tablespoons melted butter
  • 1tablespoon sherry vinegar or white vinegar
  • 1tablespoon minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

507 calories; 38 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 40 grams protein; 589 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut 3 pounds of chicken wings into 3 sections; save the wing tips for stock. Toss the wings with a little neutral oil to keep them from sticking.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a charcoal or gas grill; the fire should be moderately hot and the rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat. Leave one side of the grill cooler for indirect cooking.

  3. Step 3

    Put the wings on the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook, checking and turning once or twice, until most of the fat has been rendered and the wings are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. (You can also broil in the oven on a sheet pan, flipping wings halfway through.)

  4. Step 4

    While the wings cook, combine ⅓ cup relatively mild hot sauce, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or white vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

  5. Step 5

    When the wings are cooked, add them to the bowl with the sauce, and toss to coat. Now put the wings on the hot part of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning as necessary, until they’re nicely browned on both sides. (Or return to the broiler for a few minutes.)

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,751 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Works fine indoors too. Broil on 'low' setting 15 min, turn and keep on low setting for 10-15 more minutes. Then toss in the Buffalo sauce and return to the broiler on high for 5 min. or so till nicely browned.

1- The Anchor Bar claims to be the first, but they were never the best wings in town
2- There are many tasty ways to make wings, but sometimes simple is best
3- True Buffalo wings are deep fried until very crispy, drained, and tossed with Frank's Redhot. These days they make a wing sauce, which eliminates some extra thickening tricks.
4- Crispy counts; buy big and cook long, or coat with a little flour and corn starch. Don't let the wings soak in a puddle of sauce.

I generously salt and pepper my wings, put them on a baking tray and put in the middle of the oven at 400 or 425. No oilnecessary. They will crisp beautifully in 30 minues or so depending on sizeof wings. Make your hot sauce concoction and bathe wings. No more cooking needed.

I have baked chicken wings at 400-425 degrees til done. Non stick sheet pan, salt, pepper and garlic powder. I've done it on a rack too. Makes them crisper. In the pan they really carmalize. Best wings ever. Put sauce on after they are cooked or last 5 minutes. I'd never eat fried wings again. I make oven fries at the same time as the wings.

I make the the wings regularly. I find the best way to make them really crisp to refrigerate uncovered to allow the skin to dry first. Grilling is great, but the best( avoiding bad weather) is to to oven bake with convection, at 425 degrees for about 45 to 60 minutes, turning them once when brown. Sop up the liquid fat with a paper towel when turning. Use non stick foil to make turning easy and not allow wings to lose the skin.

I bake my wings, seasoned with kosher salt and cracked pepper, at 455 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. They come out crispy and juicy every time. I also crisp them up a little under the broiler before shaking them in a covered bowl of sauce. Don't forget celery and blue cheese dressing for dipping. As for a pairing, nothing beats an ice cold Labatt's Blue and a football game.

Exactly. But bake on parchment, no need to turn. Perfect every time. A favorite is Thai Red-Curry Lime Chicken Wings (Tyler Florence or Serious Eats blog) - make a garlic, sour cream, soy sauce, lime juice dipping sauce. Heaven.

For Buffalo wings, having lived there, bake wings in 425 oven until done. Toss in premodern sauce of butter, Frank’s hot sauce, and a touch of vinegar.

I always bake my wings. When they're done (after baking at 425 degrees for about 30 mins, without oil), I toss them with hot sauce, a little soy sauce, garlic, melted butter and a bit of corn starch, then back into the oven for another 15 or 20 mins.

The bomb! Made these tonight. S P plus garlic powdered the fridge-dried wings. Baked them in a 450 convection for 30 minutes on a sprayed rack over parchment (turned after 15). Tossed them in the sauce and threw them back in the “off” but still hot oven for another 10 minutes for a crispy, dry and perfectly seasoned wing event. Served with carrots, celery and dreamy blue cheese sauce. Divine. This is my go-to wing recipe!

I grew up in Buffalo and worked in restaurants there in college. We'd use Frank's RedHot sauce straight for hot wings and added butter to adjust it for medium and mild. So just buy some Frank's and temper it with butter until it's to your taste. Toss wings in sauce after cooking and you're done. Baked in a 425 convection oven on parchment paper according to other helpful notes here for the Super Bowl last night. Never thought I'd have delicious wings in Maine!

Bake in the oven at 425, can bake on a rack for crispier or on sheet pan. Bake 15-25 minutes until as crisp as you like them and all fat is rendered. You can bake some oven fries in the chicken fat.

Don't buy big, buffalo wings are only buffalo wings if they are small.

I am still an adherent of the original wing technique. They must be deep fried to be authentic. Pat your wing parts and let them air until they are really dry and not sticky. Heat about 4 inches( or a bottle of peanut oil in adeep pan or deep fryer. When the oil is almost smoking hot toss in the naked chicken wings. Fry until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Toss them in a lidded container with rest of the ingredients, dump them out and enjoy.

Tip: toss with a small amount of baking powder (1 tbsp /3lbs) and let air dry for at least 30 mins to make the wings extra crispy without needing to deep fry.

Authentic. Wings are done after 25 mins in the oven at 400. Don’t kill them. No need to put back in oven once coated in sauce. Perfect.

How to cook it on the stove

All three of us enjoyed these.

Has anyone noticed that no one seems to actually comment on the recipe? How did it get five stars?

Buffalo chicken wings are served with blue cheese dip, never ranch dressing. Thank you, a Buffalonian.

Very good recipe in terms of the proper way to make wings on the grill. I make the sauce using Cholula, but will try adding the vinegar next time. I have also found that seasoning them with a little salt, paprika, chili power, and garlic powder (if not adding the garlic to the sauce) before grilling gives them a nice kick of flavor.

I will sometimes BAKE (convect) and sometimes GRILL. Love the grilled....even on GAS...It's like a dang oven anyway if you do indirect. I put a little packet of CHARCOAL IN A FOIL PACKET on the burners...gives it that outdoor taste. Sometimes I'll throw a small handful of wood pellets on there. They are crispy and great. Seasoned just before I put them on...and leave them DRY OUT in fridge for a little bit.

They smoke like crazy and 45 minutes was too long last time.

I appreciate making these wings in the oven in winter. And summer offers the opportunity for smokey goodness, cooking on the grille as MB suggests in the recipe. Excellent recipe, and very adaptable. Keeps giving!

Scald wings with boiling water before proceeding with this recipe. It will shrink the chicken skin, making it easier for the fat to render out during cooking.

Bake in oven at 450 convect for approx 20-25 mins. No wire rack necessary. Toss wings in sauce and then broil for another 5 minutes or until browned. (This is for smaller, organic chicken wings.)

This is a great recipe, beginners luck maybe, convection Oven @ 425, on wire racks over parchment worked like a charm w/ the rack in the middle of the oven for 50 minutes turning once half-way through. I used Frank's Hot Sauce as mentioned in the notes and cut back on the amount of butter to get more heat.

This sauce is fantastic!!!

Where is the blue cheese and the celery sticks?

Well, it's wings, but sherry? Grilled? And then Sifton says 1/1423 to serve with ranch? Yeah, no, that's not Buffalo wings.

Private notes are only visible to you.

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.