“They aren’t greasy!” my husband said as he was eating these Crispy Baked Gluten Free Buffalo Wings. My ears perked up. I wasn’t even trying for that when I was testing my recipe. So I felt like I scored another point! Whoop! Whoop! The biggest concerns I had while developing the recipe were, making it crispy without frying it, maintaining great flavor and keeping it gluten free. All of those were achieved as well. Talk about a win! Oh- they are pretty easy to make too. But, there are a few things to be aware of to get the best results, so I will run through the process.
Prepping the Wings
Start by taking paper towels and giving each wing a good squeeze to dry them off and get rid of any extra moisture. This will help to make them crispy. Next, combine the cornstarch mixture and seasonings together in a large bowl. You want to coat the chicken as evenly as possible on all sides then shake off any excess.
Prepping the Baking Surface
In order to keep the wings crisp on all sides, it works best to elevate them off the baking sheet so that they aren’t cooking in their own juices. That is what can lead to soggy wings instead of crispy wings. For easy clean up, I line my baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a cooling rack on top. I spray oil on the rack to keep the chicken from sticking. They still stick some, but not terribly. Now the juices drip below and there is enough air circulating below the chicken to keep them crispy on all sides.
The Easy Buffalo Sauce
This sauce is ridiculously easy to make. Throw all of the ingredients in a microwaveable bowl, heat and stir. Doesn’t get much easier than that! Feel free to adjust the amount of brown sugar and hot sauce to your liking. I use 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar and 3 Tablespoons of Frank’s Red Hot. This gives you sweet and mildly spicy wings. What is great, is that you can easily make adjustments to the heat level and sweetness even after it has been heated to get the results you like. January 2021 Update! My friend Kim, gave me a bottle of Truff Hot Sauce over the holidays… holy cannoli! This took Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings to a whole new level. Get your hands on some… quick!
Looking for something to go along with the Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings for a big game night? Check out Sticky Wings for variety, Fully Loaded Guacamole, Coconut Lime Shrimp Ceviche, Perfect Baked Potatoes (a baked potato bar is great for a crowd) or a big pot of Triple B Chili with some Gluten Free Cornbread Muffins are sure to please.
Crispy Baked Gluten Free Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
For the Crispy Baked Gluten Free Wings:
- 3-4 Lbs chicken wings and/or drumsticks fresh or thawed if previously frozen
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp baking powder (not baking soda)
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Easy Buffalo Sauce:
- 6 Tbsp butter or dairy free alternative
- 3 Tbsp hot sauce I use Frank's Red Hot or Truff to take it to the next level
- 1-2 Tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and fit it with a cooling rack. Grease the rack to prevent the chicken from sticking to it.
- In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, garlic powder, baking powder, salt and pepper. Mix to combine it well. Add the chicken to the bowl and stir it around to coat the chicken evenly. Shake off any excess and place the chicken pieces on the prepared rack and tray leaving space between each piece.
- Bake for 30 minutes, flip and continue to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until they are cooked through. The baking time will vary based on the size of your wings, so adjust the time accordingly based on the size of the wings I have in my recipe. The internal temp should be 165 to be cooked through, although I like to take it out at 160 because it continues to cook for a few minutes after you remove it.
- Once you remove the wings from the oven, place them in your serving dish and coat them with the Easy Buffalo Sauce (instructions below). Serve with blue cheese dressing (dairy free dressing if needed) and celery sticks.
For the Easy Buffalo Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring from time to time, until butter melts and sugar dissolves. You may need to stir it a bit after removing it from the microwave to get the sugar dissolved.