Crispy Garlic Buffalo Wings
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Baked chicken wings with a crispy coating from potato flakes. Butter melds with hot sauce and garlic powder for a punchy buffalo flavor. Oven roasting at high heat crisps flakes till golden. Juices run clear signals doneness. Serve with creamy blue cheese or ranch. A twist on classic fried buffalo wings without deep-frying. Potato flakes stand in for usual breading—giving a crunchy, uneven crust. Butter adds richness missing from typical hot sauce-only recipes. Timing flexible, smell garlic to know when sauce is ready. Texture contrast key. Great for snack or casual meal. Adjust heat with sauce variety. Rescue soggy flakes with extra spray or broil briefly. Experiment with dried herbs in coating.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
45 min
Total:
60 min
Servings:
4 servings
#American
#chicken wings
#buffalo sauce
#baked wings
#crispy coating
#snack
#easy dinner
Started chasing the perfect baked buffalo wings after frying indoors exploded my smoke alarm three times. The secret isn’t just heat. I found coating wet wings in something starchy locks in crispness without frying oil. Potato flakes gave me that that uneven, crunchy edge unlike panko’s sameness, plus they soak buttery spicy sauce just right. Butter in the sauce mellows vinegar and scalding heat, rounding flavor but not muting kick. Oven roasting high, wings dry out but stay juicy inside only if you watch those golden-brown edges and listen to crackles. Took me a few tries to nail timing. Rest period? Crucial. Skip that and you lose texture contrast. Dipping gets messy but worth it. Once the aroma fills the kitchen, it’s game on for gathering.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken wings, rinsed and patted dry
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (can swap with ghee or avocado oil for less dairy)
- 1/3 cup hot sauce (Frank's RedHot preferred; sub sriracha for sweeter, less vinegary)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (fresh minced garlic changes texture but less uniform coating)
- 1 1/4 cups dry instant mashed potato flakes (use crushed cornflakes or panko breadcrumbs as twist)
- cooking spray
- Blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping
About the ingredients
Potato flakes stand in for traditional flour or breadcrumbs, giving unique crunch and great absorption for buffalo butter sauce. Instant flakes avoid soaking oil up too much and make coating hands less messy. Butter isn’t just fat here—it rounds heat and prevents sauce from burning on wings during baking. Hot sauce quality makes a night-and-day difference; Frank’s usually nails that vinegary heat. Garlic powder works better than fresh in this dry mix—fresh risks burning and uneven flavor dispersion; if craving raw garlic punch, mix tiny minced fresh in sauce after melting butter. For dairy-free, swap butter with avocado oil or melted coconut oil but flavor shifts. Cooking spray on racks keeps wings from sticking and ensures maximum circulating heat under wings. Don’t skip drying wings well or they steam instead of crisp.
Method
- Preheat oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. The few degrees up crank the crisp factor. Set wire rack on rimmed baking sheet; spray it thoroughly. The rack lets hot air circulate, avoiding soggy bottoms—skip rack? Flip wings carefully mid-bake.
- Mix melted butter, hot sauce, and garlic powder vigorously in a bowl. Butter tames hot sauce harshness. Smell the sharp garlicky aroma as it melds. Adjust garlic powder to taste but don’t overdo or bitter taste creeps in.
- Pour potato flakes into another wide bowl. If flakes clump, break apart by hand. No clumps means even crust. If substituting, crush panko or cornflakes finely but keep some texture for crunch.
- Dunk each wing completely in buffalo sauce bath, let excess drip back. Then dredge in potato flakes, pressing lightly. Don’t overload flakes—they brown unevenly and burn. Place wings spaced out on rack. Crowding traps steam; kills crispiness.
- Bake wings 38 to 43 minutes. Listen for crackle, look for golden crust and edges beginning to brown. If skin shrinks and crisp crackle fades, nearing done. Juices running clear when poked (avoid pink blood advice—older birds might differ) crucial for safe eating.
- After baking, rest wings 4 or 5 minutes on wire rack. Resting redistributes juices and firms crust. Wings will tighten and crisp more on sitting. If hungry, resist biting into right away—it’s worth the wait.
- Serve warm with blue cheese or ranch on side for cutting heat. Leftovers benefit from broiling 2 minutes to refresh crisp after refrigeration.
Cooking tips
Wings need full coverage in sauce but shake excess so flakes stick just right. Too wet means clumpy edges, too dry and flakes fall off in oven. Flip wings midway if not using wire rack to avoid soggy bottoms and uneven cooking. Potato flakes brown quite quickly near the end of baking; if they start turning dark before meat is done, tent loosely with foil to prevent bitterness. Don’t rely on exact bake times; instead, watch the skin texture—wrinkled, crispy, golden edges—and listen for light crackling as signals. Juice color from thickest part of wing is key for doneness; clear without pink is safe. Resting wings post bake isn’t just about temperature—crust tightens up and moisture reabsorbs creating wings you’ll swear are fried, not baked. Leftover wings get a quick broil or high heat re-toast to revive crust.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Butter melts harsh heat in sauce but don’t skip garlic powder. Fresh changes texture; burns easily, uneven flavor. Smell sharp garlic rising off sauce, tweaks as you go; bitter if too much.
- 💡 Potato flakes soak sauce just right, no sogginess if dried wings first. Clump-free flakes get best crust. Substitute with cornflakes or panko crushed fine but keep bite. Avoid overloaded flakes or burn risk grows.
- 💡 Oven at 430 Fahrenheit. Few degrees matter big on crisp. Wire rack helps air circulate; no rack means flip mid-bake to avoid steam and soggy bottoms. Listen for crackles, watch edges browning to judge doneness.
- 💡 Rest wings 4-5 minutes after baking. Juices redistribute, crust firms and tightens. Bite hot wings too soon, lose textural contrast. Resting is key for dry but juicy balance. Leftover wings? Broil 2 minutes to revive crunch.
- 💡 If flakes darken too fast before cooked inside, tent loosely with foil. Timing’s flexible—skin shrinks, crackle fades signals nearing done. Juice clarity safest doneness check; pink juices vary with bird age. Adjust hot sauce heat to taste.
Common questions
How to keep flakes crunchy?
Dry wings completely first. Shake off excess sauce so flakes stick without wet clumps. Use crushed panko or cornflakes for crunch variations. Flip wings mid-bake without rack to prevent sogginess.
Can I use fresh garlic instead of powder?
Fresh garlic risks uneven sauce texture and burns during baking. Garlic powder spreads flavor evenly, less bitter. For raw garlic punch, add a tiny minced bit after melting butter but keep cautious.
Wings not crispy enough?
Check oven temp; too low kills crisp. Use wire rack for air circulation, no steam traps. Avoid overcrowding racks. Rest wings after bake to firm crust. More spray or quick broil revives soggy flakes.
Best way to store leftovers?
Refrigerate wings covered tightly. Broil 2 minutes before serving to restore crisp. Freeze if longer storage wanted but lose some texture on thaw. Reheat on rack in oven not microwave to avoid sogginess.
