Meat & Seafood · American
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Cook Now928kcal0.6g protein104.2g fat1.6g carbs~$1.23/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
No porkNo alcohol
Contains: gluten, dairy, peanut, fish · May contain: soy
Ingredients
Servings:
| 2 lb | chicken wings (split at the joint, tips removed) |
| ¾ tsp | salt |
| ¼ tsp | black pepper (ground) |
| 2 l | peanut oil (for frying) |
| 5 tbsp | hot sauce (cayenne-based) |
| 4 tbsp | butter (cut into cubes) |
| 1 tsp | white wine vinegar |
| ½ tsp | worcestershire sauce |
| ¼ tsp | garlic powder |
| ¼ tsp | cayenne pepper |
| 2 unit | celery (cut into sticks)optional |
| ¼ cup | blue cheese (crumbled)optional |
| 3 tbsp | sour creamoptional |
| 2 tbsp | mayonnaiseoptional |
| 1 tbsp | buttermilkoptional |
| 1 tsp | baking powder (for the oven variant)optional |
Method
- season5 minchicken wings patted bone-dry + salt + black pepper, tossed to coat every piece
- rest30 minuncovered, refrigerated on a rackseasoned wings, skin exposed to moving air — surface water is the enemy here: a wet wing spends its first minutes in the oil boiling itself instead of rendering, and the skin ends up leathery rather than brittle
- fry10 min325°F / 165°C, in two batcheswings in the oil, half at a time, until pale gold and cooked through — this stage is about melting the fat out from under the skin, not browning it. Crowding drops the oil below 300°F and the wings absorb rather than shed fat
- rest5 minon a rack, oil back up to temperaturefried wings, draining while steam escapes; resting between the two fries lets surface moisture leave so the second fry can blister instead of hiss
- fry3 min390°F / 200°C, in two batchesrested wings, until deep amber and audibly crackling — the high heat flashes off the last water and sets the skin so it survives being sauced
- emulsify4 minlow heat, whisking constantlyhot sauce + vinegar + worcestershire + garlic powder + cayenne warmed just to steaming, then butter whisked in a cube at a time off the direct heat = buffalo sauce. The sauce is an emulsion of butterfat in the vinegar-water of the hot sauce; boil it or dump the butter in at once and it breaks into a greasy layer that slides straight off the wings onto the plate
- mix1 minin a large bowl, working fasthot wings + buffalo sauce, tossed hard for about twenty seconds and served immediately — the coating stays glossy only while the wings are hot enough to keep the emulsion loose, and every minute they sit the skin drinks sauce and goes soft. Serve with celery and the blue cheese dip whisked from blue cheese + sour cream + mayonnaise + buttermilk