Buffalo Wings

I love Buffalo wings. I LOVE them. But … I only love them if they have certain characteristics: a nice size (that means BIG), moist inside with a crispy exterior, good amount of spice but not overwhelmingly hot, a hint of sweetness, not too stingy on the sauce, and a cooling agent (blue cheese dressing and celery work).

I know, I sound like a wing snob…and I guess I am a little. Nothing makes me happier than a perfectly cooked wing. So I decided to create a recipe that matched all of my criteria.

I did my research. There are many websites and television programs out there with advice on how to make a perfectly cooked buffalo wing. I studied them, digested them (so to speak), and took bits and pieces of everything I learned to create my own buffalo wing recipe. And in my opinion, it’s pretty darn good.

Ingredients:

12 chicken wings (I like Perdue Wingettes)
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. pepper
Vegetable or canola oil
½ cup hot sauce, plus a few dashes (I like Frank’s Hot Sauce)
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. blue cheese dressing
¼ cup roughly chopped celery

Directions:

1. Put your chicken wings in a Ziplock bag and then pour in the 1 ½ cups of buttermilk. Add a few shakes of hot sauce if you feel adventurous, and give a shake. Squeeze the air out and seal the bag. Let it sit in the fridge for about an hour.

2. Take the wings out of the bag and discard the buttermilk. In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, paprika, and pepper. Dredge wings in the flour, then place on a baking sheet or large plate.

3. Pour oil into a large pot until it’s about at 1 – 1½ inches deep. Heat the oil on medium until it reaches 350 degrees. Fry wings for about 8-12 minutes, turning halfway through, until the wings are golden brown and crispy. Do this in batches… don’t crowd the hot tub! Place the wings on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet to allow the excess oil to drip off.

Step 4: Heat butter, hot sauce, honey, and 1/8 tsp garlic powder in a saucepan and stir until butter is melted. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then pour into a blender or food processor. Add celery and blue cheese dressing. Blend for 10-20 seconds, or until the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce back into saucepan. Using tongs, coat wings in sauce. I like to pour any extra sauce over the wings once they are plated (I love sauce), but that’s up to you. 🙂