PROPER CLASSIC BUFFALO WINGS

One of the stories behind Buffalo Wings is pretty simple. A late night, post-drinking college crowd came into the Ancho Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964 and wanted something to eat…you know, they had the munchies. Chicken wings were cheap and used only for stocks back then. So the owner of the bar (also mother of one of the drinking crowd) fried up some wings and dredged them in a vinegar based hot sauce…added some Blue cheese dressing…and, the rest is history.

There a cajillion different Buffalo/Hot wing recipes out there, most of them trying to embellish on this original recipe, mainly with seasoning, breading, or something else that strays from the more historically accepted original recipe. One of the things these other recipes do is season the wings before frying. Truth be told…this is pretty much useless as any seasoning on the wings is cooked off during the deep frying. The seasoning should happen right out of the fryer. Hence, here is my take on how Buffalo Wings were made at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964. This recipe serves 2-3 people.

Full disclosure, one of my favorite ways to make these wings is coating them with a little flour, cornstarch, and baking powder….let them sit over night on a wire rack in the fridge uncovered…then bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, turning once…then toss in the same sauce. They come out almost as crispy as these deep fried ones.

Ingredients:

• 12 chicken wing segments, (6 drumettes, 6 flats)
• Canola oil for frying
• 1/2 cup Franks’s Louisiana Hot sauce, or Crystal Hot sauce.
• 1 tsp Lawry’s style seasoning salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• Blue cheese dressing for serving (recipe below)
• Celery sticks for serving

Directions:

• Completely dry the wings with a paper towel.
• To a small saucepan over low heat, add the hot sauce, butter, and seasoning salt. Let the butter melt then stir everything together. Keep warm until ready to use.
• Place enough canola oil in a pan for frying have 2 inch of oil. Heat to 375 degrees.
• When the oil is hot, add the wings without crowing and fry for 7-10 minutes depending on how big the wings are. You are still shooting for 165 degree internal temperature like any chicken. Remove from the oil with a spider or slotted spoon and place on a wire rack over a sheet pan in a warm oven while you fry the remainder of the wings.
• Place the cooked wings in a large stainless steel bowl and pours the hot sauce over the wings. Toss or stir with tongs until completely coated with the sauce.
• Serve 4-6 segments on a small plate with a ramekin of blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.