Crispy Oven Roasted Buffalo Chicken

Whole chicken pieces, smothered in sauce.

4 servings
4 hours 50 minutes
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Chicken components

  • chicken, air-chilled
    1 whole
  • Salt
    1%
  • Baking Powder
    1%
  • Corn starch
    1%

Buffalo sauce

  • Butter
    1 part40 g
  • Hot Sauce
    1 part40 g
  • Garlic Powder
    a sprinkle
  • Black Pepper
    a spoonful

Blue cheese dressing

  • Mayonnaise
    30 g~1 part
  • Sour Cream
    30 g~1 part
  • Blue Cheese
    20 g~1 part
  • Milk, or water
    15 ga splash
  • Worcestershire Sauce
    10 ga splash
  • Garlic Powder
    5 ga spoonful
  • Lemon juice
    1/2 lemon
  • Salt
    to taste
  • Black Pepper
    to taste

Method

Step 1: Separate the chicken

First, break down the whole chicken into 10 pieces. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken dry and remove any excess moisture.

  • Note: Save the backbone for making chicken stock later.

Next, place a large bowl on a scale, add the chicken pieces, and take note of the weight. Then, add 1% by weight of salt, baking powder, and corn starch to the chicken. Toss the chicken pieces in this mixture until they are evenly coated.

  • Example: If the chicken pieces weigh 1000 g, add 10 g each of salt, baking powder, and corn starch.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. For the best results, let it air dry and for at least 4 hours, or up to 24.

Step 2: Roast the chicken

When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 450° F/232° C.

Remove the chicken from the fridge. If there are any visible water droplets on the chicken's exterior, gently blot them off with a paper towel.

Place the chicken in the oven and for 20 to 25 minutes. During this time, the skin should start to render, crisp up, and brown. Rotate the chicken wings and drumsticks to ensure even browning. Continue to bake the chicken for another 15 to 25 minutes, or until it's evenly browned and crispy.

While the chicken is baking, you can prepare the buffalo sauce and dipping sauces.

Step 3: Make the sauces

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, add the hot sauce of your choice, the garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir until the sauce is cohesive and and then take it off the heat. Place in a bowl until ready to serve.

Add all the blue cheese components to a bowl and whisk together. Thin out with milk or water if needed. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as you see fit. Place in a bowl until ready to serve.

Step 4: Coat the chicken & serve

Once the chicken is done, add it to a large bowl. Spoon the buffalo sauce over top and toss so it is evenly coated on the exterior.

Serve immediately (so the skin doesn't go soggy) with the blue cheese dressing or your dipping sauce of choice. Enjoy.

“You can make deliciously crisp buffalo wings in the oven, but you know what I think might be better? Crispy Whole chicken pieces. It's the same crispy skin, but more meat that's way juicier. Smother them in some buffalo sauce & blue cheese dip and you have something special.”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

Nutritional Information

entire recipe
Calories1428
7g
95g
138g

Show macros split into…

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Recommended: 4 servings

FAQ

What’s up with the air drying & air-chilled chicken?

Air drying the chicken for a few hours takes away moisture from the chicken. The less moisture there is, the more the chicken will up. Air-chilled chicken has less moisture than water-chilled chicken.

You can get an air-chilled chicken from the grocery store, however they tend to be more expensive. After doing some tests, the crispiest chicken I made was the air-chilled chicken that was air-dried for 4 hours. If you want to use a regular water-chilled chicken, this recipe will still work. You will just want to pat the chicken pieces dry, removing as much moisture as possible before adding the salt mixture.

How should I break the chicken apart? Can I just buy a pack of thighs?

I cut mine into 2 wings, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, and 4 breast pieces. If you don’t want to break down a whole chicken, you could make this recipe with bone-in skin on thighs and/or drumsticks.

What hot sauce should I use for the buffalo?

Any thin, vinegar based red hot sauce works, like Franks ( the classic option), Crystal, Cholula, or even Tabasco.