Prepare the Buffalo Sauce

If you’re making homemade buffalo sauce, please make sure to prepare it before starting your wings so it’s ready to go. If you’re using store bought buffalo sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce Buffalo), that’s ok too! 

To be prepared, I find it helps to pour the sauce into a large mixing bowl and set it aside until ready to coat the wings. That way, as soon as the wings are finished cooking, you can toss them and serve right away.

Prepare the Wings for Cooking

Before cooking the wings, you need to prepare them!

1. Note: If you’re planning on baking your chicken wings, you’ll need to boil them in water for about 10 minutes before moving on to the next step. This step is not necessary if you’re frying the wings.
2. Pat chicken wings with paper towel to remove excess moisture. The more moisture you remove, the better! This will help them become crisp!
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cornstarch and garlic powder.
4. Add the wings to the bowl and toss with the cornstarch mixture. Set aside until ready to cook (deep fry, bake, etc. – see below).

How to Deep Fry Chicken Wings

1. Preheat the deep fryer to 375°F.
2. Add wings to the frying basket and place them into the fryer. Cook for about 10-15 minutes. Please keep in mind, depending on the size of your frying basket; you may need to cook the wings in batches – that’s how I do it!
3. Once the wings have cooked, allow them to drain for a few minutes.
4. Toss the wings in a mixing bowl along with the Buffalo sauce, then transfer to a serving plate and serve.

How to Bake Chicken Wings

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F
2. Reminder: Before baking the wings (as mentioned under the “Prepare The Wings for Cooking” section above), you’ll need to boil them – This will help remove excess fat and liquid from the wings and result in the best texture. Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken wings and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the pot, allow them to drain, then pat them completely dry with paper towels. Next, toss them in the dry seasonings described in the “Prepare the Wings for Cooking” section above.
3. Place the wings on a wire baking rack (like this one) on top of a baking sheet.
4. Place the seasoned wings on the rack – try to place them, so none are touching. Giving space between them will help them crisp up. 🙂
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crisp to your liking.
6. Once they’ve finished baking, in a mixing bowl, toss the wings in the prepared wing sauce and place them back onto the wire rack on the baking sheet.
7. Place the wings back in the oven and Broil for 6-8 minutes. You want the heat to “glue” the sauce to the wings. 🙂

Looking for another cooking method for wings? As I try out different methods, I’ll add them here!