Buffalo style chicken wings are a must have on any game day party menu. This preparation of the chicken wing is an American classic. For the best flavor use an unbreaded chicken wing cut into two sections. Chicken wing sections are the flat and the drumette. Most people throw the wing tip away, but we save and freeze them for making chicken stock later on. Until the mid-1960’s wings were not a popular menu item. In those days, the entire chicken wing was usually discarded or used to make chicken stock.
These Chicken Wings are Easy to Make and Tasty!
Preparing the wings is fairly simple. Fry the chicken until it is cooked thru and crispy. If you don’t have a deep fryer, you can always brown them in a hot skillet on the stove top and finish them in the oven. Then coat with a vinegar based cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter. Serve them hot with celery sticks and a dipping sauce. Blue cheese dressing is common, although on the west coast ranch dressing is also popular.
When shopping for ingredients make sure to buy chicken that does not have any extra water content. If you can find air-chilled wings, they seem to fry up the crispiest. There are numerous brands of cayenne pepper sauce, but we like to use Frank’s Red Hot or Louisiana Hot Sauce.
The History of Buffalo Style Chicken Wings
Most accounts credit the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York with creating this delicious treat. The story goes, on a Friday night in 1964 Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar at the now famous Anchor Bar Restaurant in Buffalo, NY. Late that evening, a group of Dominic’s friends arrived at the bar with ravenous appetites. Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for his friends to eat. Teressa deep fried chicken wings and flavored them with a “secret sauce”. They became an instant hit.
Today it is hard to find a sports bar or causal restaurant the doesn’t serve Buffalo style chicken wings. As you can see, they are also easy to make at home. Next time you have a group over, why not treat your guests to this delicious version that is simple to prepare and fun to eat!
Buffalo Style Chicken Wings
4
servings5
minutes20
minutes25
minutesIn this recipe, I brown the chicken wings on the stove top and finish them in the oven before tossing them in the spicy buffalo sauce.
Ingredients
12 whole chicken wings, cut into flats and drummettes
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
6 celery stalks, cut into 3″ long sticks
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425F. Sprinkle the salt over the chicken wings.
- In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken wings. Brown on one side and turn to brown on the other side, approximately 5 minutes per side.
- Once browned, carefully place the skillet in the oven and cook the wings through, about 10 minutes.
- While the chicken wings are in the oven, make the sauce. Combine the melted butter and cayenne pepper sauce in a large bowl.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven (be very careful as the skillet will be very hot). Coat the chicken wings in the sauce. Serve with celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.
