CHEF PRIMERA
ENES

Meat & Seafood · American

Buffalo Chicken Wings

10 ingredients · 55 minutes · 2 servings

Cook Now
928kcal0.6g 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 lbchicken wings (split at the joint, tips removed)
¾ tspsalt
¼ tspblack pepper (ground)
2 lpeanut oil (for frying)
5 tbsphot sauce (cayenne-based)
4 tbspbutter (cut into cubes)
1 tspwhite wine vinegar
½ tspworcestershire sauce
¼ tspgarlic powder
¼ tspcayenne pepper
2 unitcelery (cut into sticks)optional
¼ cupblue cheese (crumbled)optional
3 tbspsour creamoptional
2 tbspmayonnaiseoptional
1 tbspbuttermilkoptional
1 tspbaking powder (for the oven variant)optional

Method

  1. season5 min
    chicken wings patted bone-dry + salt + black pepper, tossed to coat every piece
  2. rest30 min
    uncovered, refrigerated on a rack
    seasoned 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
  3. fry10 min
    325°F / 165°C, in two batches
    wings 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
  4. rest5 min
    on a rack, oil back up to temperature
    fried wings, draining while steam escapes; resting between the two fries lets surface moisture leave so the second fry can blister instead of hiss
  5. fry3 min
    390°F / 200°C, in two batches
    rested wings, until deep amber and audibly crackling — the high heat flashes off the last water and sets the skin so it survives being sauced
  6. low heat, whisking constantly
    hot 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
  7. mix1 min
    in a large bowl, working fast
    hot 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