Baked Buffalo Wings

buffalo wings on platter with dipping sauce

Buffalo wings are the quintessential American snack. The perfect balance of savory, crunchy, and juicy. Buffalo Wings got their start at the Anchor bar in Buffalo, NY. There are a couple of different versions of the origin story. One version has the bar owner making a late-night snack for her son and his friends. Another version says the bar got a mistaken delivery of chicken wings rather than the backs they used for their spaghetti sauce. What's interesting about the different versions is they are all about making something delicious with random ingredients you have on hand. The traditional way of preparing them is to deep fry the wings in oil and toss them in a sauce made from Frank's Red Hot sauce and butter. While I am not opposed to eating food that has been deep fried, I'm not a big fan of deep frying in my kitchen. It's messy and discarding the oil is a pain. This recipe bakes them in the oven.

Ingredients:

Wings:

1 1lb package of chicken wings about 6 full-size wings.

2-3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

1-2 tsp Tony's Creole Seasoning (or to taste)

Buffalo Sauce:

1/2 cup Frank's RedHot sauce

2 tbsp butter or margarine

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp tomato paste

Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup of mayo

1/2 cup of sour cream

2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles

Directions:

Cut the wings at the joints. Discard the tip of the wing. The tips can be used later for soup stock if you want to keep them. I like to use sharp kitchen shears for cutting the wings, but a sharp knife also works. You should have 12 wings after separating them.

cut up raw chicken wing with kitchen shears

Next put the flour, cornstarch and Tony's in a zip-lock bag. Add in the wings, close the bag, and give it a couple of good shakes.

raw chicken wings coated with flour in zip lock bag

Line a sheet pan with foil and place a baker's rack on top. The rack allows the heat to circulate and helps the wing to get crispy on all sides. Spray the rack with cooking spray so they won't stick and place the wings on the rack. Lightly spray the wings with cooking spray.

Bake the wings at 450 degrees for 50 minutes.

While the wings are baking prepare the dipping and Buffalo sauce. Mix the ingredients for the dipping sauce and place in the fridge to chill. I avoid dairy, I use Kite Hill's Sour Cream and Nuts for Cheese Super Blue Cheese. The ratios are the same if you want to use regular sour cream and blue cheese.

Place Frank's RedHot, butter, honey, and tomato paste in a saucepan for the Buffalo sauce. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Keep the sauce warm while the wings continue cooking.