Buffalo Wings

Buffalo Wings

Crispy fried chicken wings tossed in a buttery cayenne hot sauce, served with celery sticks and a cold blue cheese dip. Born in Buffalo, New York, and now a staple of bars and game-day spreads across the United States.

Prep

15 min

Cook

20 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) chicken wings, split at the joint into drumettes and flats; wing tips removed or saved for stock
• •120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •2.5 g (½ tsp) ground black pepper
• •1 liter (1 quart) neutral frying oil, canola, peanut, or vegetable; peanut oil is closest to fry-shop tradition
• •120 ml (½ cup) Louisiana-style cayenne hot sauce, Frank's RedHot is the original; any cayenne-forward sauce works
• •60 g (¼ cup (½ stick)) unsalted butter, traditional Buffalo wings use butter, not margarine
• •1 g (¼ tsp) garlic powder, optional, common in modern versions
• •120 g (1 cup (about 4 ribs)) celery, cut into sticks
• •115 g (4 oz) blue cheese, crumbled, preferably a tangy domestic blue such as Danish Blue or Gorgonzola
• •120 ml (½ cup) sour cream, or whole-milk plain yogurt
• •60 ml (¼ cup) mayonnaise
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice, freshly squeezed, or white vinegar
• •15 g (1 tbsp) minced shallot, or 1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
• •1 g (¼ tsp) salt for dip
• •5 ml (1 tsp) Worcestershire sauce, optional, for depth in the dip

Steps

1. 1 Pat the wing pieces very dry with paper towels; moisture is the enemy of a crisp fry. If you have time, leave them uncovered on a tray in the fridge for 1 hour.
2. 2 Toss the wings in the flour mixed with the salt and pepper until each piece is lightly and evenly coated. Shake off excess and rest on a rack while the oil heats.
3. 3 Pour the oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven to a depth of about 5 cm (2 in) and heat to 180 °C (350 °F). Clip a thermometer to the side; oil temperature is the key to non-greasy wings.
4. 4 Fry the wings in small batches so the oil temperature doesn't drop below 165 °C (325 °F). Cook each batch for 9 to 11 minutes total, turning once. The wings are safely done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads at least 75 °C (165 °F) and the skin is deeply golden and crisp.
5. 5 Lift the wings out onto a wire rack (not paper towels) and immediately season with a pinch of salt. Hold all batches in a 95 °C (200 °F) oven on a rack while you finish frying.
6. 6 While the last batch fries, make the sauce: gently melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stir in the hot sauce and garlic powder, and keep warm. Do not let it boil hard or the butter will separate.
7. 7 For the dip, mash the blue cheese with the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, shallot, Worcestershire (if using), and salt in a small bowl until creamy but still flecked with cheese. Chill until serving.
8. 8 To finish, put all the hot wings in a large bowl, pour about three-quarters of the warm sauce over them, and toss until glossy. Add more sauce as you like; the classic ratio is roughly 1 part melted butter to 2 parts hot sauce by volume.
9. 9 Pile the sauced wings on a platter with the celery sticks alongside, and serve the blue cheese dip in a separate bowl. Eat with your hands; provide plenty of napkins.