Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings – A Great Super Bowl Party Recipe

Buffalo Chicken WingsOne more great Super Bowl Party Recipe repost…but first, the backstory. Back in 1976, I was working at The Foundry restaurant in DC and one of the waiters, Michael Murphy, who happened to be from Buffalo, told us of the amazingly simple way they prepared, of all things, chicken wings, up there at a place called the Anchor Bar. We started giving away the Buffalo Chicken Wings during Happy Hour and immediately the place became packed each day at around 4:45 pm with everyone waiting for the wings to come out of the kitchen…and the rest is culinary history. It seems that every bar today has chicken wings on the menu, and for good reason…when they’re made right, they’re incredibly and addictingly (if that’s even a word) good! They’re actually very simple to make…cut 12 wings into three pieces at the joints (discard the wing tips or keep them for preparing stock) and just deep fry the flats and drummettes for 10-12 minutes in 375 degree oil (preferably peanut) until they’re crispy and golden brown, toss them in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and serve with celery and bleu cheese dressing…that’s it…nothing else is needed. The problem is that it’s really a pain (and a greasy mess) to deep fry at home, so here is the secret to the best way to avoid that mess, while still getting that great Buffalo Chicken Wing crunch and flavor…

…just bake them in the oven. And the real secret to getting them to cook perfectly is to first steam them in a steamer basket over boiling water for 10 minutes. Carefully pat them dry and place them on a oven proof rack (or parchment paper) in a sheet pan, sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and place in the refrigerator for about an hour. Then stick the whole deal in a 425 degree oven and bake for about 40 minutes until golden and crispy, turning the wings over halfway through. This cooking technique is from Alton Brown, but in his recipe, he wants you to add butter and garlic to the sauce, which is absolutely unnecessary (and not authentic!). When the wings are done, just toss them in a generous helping (about 1/2 cup) of warmed Frank’s Red Hot Sauce until completely coated and serve with bleu cheese dressing and celery sticks. There you have it…all the crispness, texture and flavor of deep frying with none of the mess.

3 thoughts on “Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings – A Great Super Bowl Party Recipe”

  1. What a brilliant way to cook the chicken; steam, cool and oven bake. Absolutely brilliant. I love Frank’s Red Hot Sauce and am so pleased to stumble across your blog. Thank you for sharing 😀

  2. try THIS….

    6 Tablespoons of FRANK’S Louisiana Hot Sauce (also sold as DURKEE’S)
    1/2 stick of margerine (not butter !!)
    1 Tablespoon of white vinegar
    1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper powder
    1/4 teaspoon of red pepper powder
    1/8 teaspoon of garlic salt
    A dash of black pepper
    1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
    1 to 2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce

    Mix all the ingredients in a samll sauce pan over low heat until the margerine is completely melted, then stir until everything is blended into the sauce. Then get the sauce off of the heat !! This last step is quite important, as any additional heating tends to kill the flavor.

    The Wings – use about 30 completely defrosted wings. Fry in peanut oil for the best flavor.

    Heat the peanut oil to 375 degrees F., and drop in half of the wings, one at a time.

    Fry the wings for 12 to 15 minutes.

    Place the other 15 wings in the deep fryer, then drain the hot, cooked wings for a few minutes through a strainer, preferably placed over the deep fryer.

    When all the wings are cooked, put the wings and the sauce in a container with a cover and shake the container until the wings are thoroughly coated.

    Serve with celery and blue cheese dressing.

    fewer steps, great chicken

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