Beer-Brinded Buffalo Wings

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Wings

Quick to prepare, our best Buffalo wings recipe has not one, but three layers of flavor! First up on the flavor train—a quick brine of your favorite beer, brown sugar and salt infuses the chicken wings with a ton of flavor. Next up, onion and garlic powder as well paprika coat the wings with savory spice. And last but not least, melted butter swirled with hot sauce are poured over the seasoned wings, adding more spicy-rich flavor that also helps these baked chicken wings a lightly crispy texture when baked. No big pots of hot, messy oil to deal with or all the calories deep frying adds. Maybe now you can eat even more wings than you thought you could?
If you like them super spicy, serve them with additional hot sauce on the side. Bowls of either blue cheese or ranch dressing alongside are a match made in heaven to tame the spice. Celery sticks not only add a lot of crunch and color, they also can help tame your tongue between each hot and spicy, lip-smacking bite of these Buffalo chicken wings.

What to Serve with Buffalo Wings

If you are having an appetizer party, plan on having 4 or 5 options for your guests to choose from. For the most appealing spread, strive for a variety of snacks that range from spicy to mild, different colors and textures and served at different temperatures (room temperature to hot or even cold)! Not only will the assortment be fun to eat, but it can take the pressure off hosting as well (you won’t have to have everything that needs to come out of the oven at the same time).
Choose a recipe or two that can be made ahead. You can’t go wrong with Deviled Eggs. They are aways one of the first snacks to disappear and you can select a variation that works with the other foods. Another sure-fire winner is Original Chex Mix. For even more ideas, check out these appetizers.

Or don’t go it alone! Pick the recipes you want to serve (like these baked Buffalo wings) and ask your guests to each bring an app.

If you want to serve these restaurant-style for a family dinner that won’t break the bank, serve them with our Oven-Fried Potato Wedges or Sweet Potato Oven Fries.

What is the Best Buffalo Wing Dipping Sauce?

Cool and creamy is the way to go, when it comes to finding a Buffalo wing sauce that is perfect partner for dunking the spicy chicken wings in. Our favorite Buffalo wing sauce recipe to serve with chicken wings would be either a blue cheese dressing or a ranch dressing. These freshly homemade dressings have dairy-based creaminess that complement the spiciness of the wings while blending seamlessly with the flavors. Best of all, they can be made ahead! The flavors of the dressings get a chance to blend and get even better while it takes the pressure off any last-minute prep. Or feel free to substitute your favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing you have on hand.
For those that like really spicy things, you can also serve up a spicy hot sauce alongside a dressing, so people can customize how they devour their wings.

Buffalo Wing Sauce Ingredients

We make our fresh buffalo wing sauce recipe from ingredients you already have in your kitchen. But instead of them all being in a liquid form (which could make your crispy Buffalo wings soggy), we cleverly add Buffalo wing sauce ingredients in the form of a brine and dry and wet coatings to boost the flavor of the chicken wings without all the sauce.

Red Pepper Sauce: adds heat and their signature red color, red pepper sauce is the spicy ingredient that can be increased or decreased, to make the Buffalo chicken wings as hot as you like them.

Seasonings: Onion, garlic add a savory factor that balances the red pepper sauce. They give a depth of flavor to the wings.

Beer: In our signature recipe, it adds zing and an intriguing flavor to Buffalo wings, enhancing all other ingredients.

Butter: The rich flavor of butter and the fat it contains helps balance the piquancy and spiciness of the other ingredients. It also helps to lightly crisp the chicken wings without the added fat and fuss of deep-fat frying.

How to Reheat & Store Chicken Wings

Reheating Chicken Wings: For chicken wings that have crispy edges and are moist to eat, it is best to enjoy chicken wings right after baking. If you do find yourself with leftover wings, see the Storage Tips below. How you reheat your wings will depend on how many you are reheating at a time and whether you are reheating them in the microwave, oven, or air-fryer. Regardless of the appliance you use, it’s important to make sure that they reach 165°F to be safe to eat. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature in the thickest part of several pieces (without touching the bone).

Storing Chicken Wings: For the best chicken wings texture and moistness, it’s best to cook and serve the chicken wings on the same day. Chicken wings that have been stored and reheated will be softer and less moist than freshly cooked wings. If you do find yourself with leftover wings, be sure to store them only if they have not been out at room temperature longer than 2 hours. If they have been out longer than 2 hours, it’s best to throw them out, rather than risk any food borne illness. Cooked and cooled chicken wings can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days or wrapped tightly and frozen for no longer than 9 months.