
Buffalo Chicken Wings
The humble chicken wing has so many opportunities to delight but often they are discarded as part of the scraps to make stocks and soups. Chicken wings have long been a bar snack of choice for many Americans across the United States but only recently have they gained popularity east of the pond, in the United Kingdom, outgrowing the typical Fried Chicken restaurants to become a ‘gourmet’ bar snack with hundreds of different styles available.
What is a Buffalo Wing?
A typical Buffalo Wing is the jointed parts of the chicken wing (drumette and flat) deep fried and then tossed in a vinegar and cayenne pepper based spiced sauce made with melted butter. Typical accompaniments to the wings include sticks of celery and blue cheese dip. The distinctive orange colour of the sauce is derived from the natural combination of melted butter and cayenne pepper and deeper darker wings often signify a higher level on heat intensity and spice.
The taste of Buffalo sauce is something quite unique, there is a hit of spice from the inclusion of the cayenne pepper and then a creamier mellowing from the butter. Many wingerys claim to make their own Buffalo sauce and while they can be distincive and varied they should all have a similar base of vinegar and cayenne pepper (albeit in varying and secretly guarded proportions).
My Buffalo Wing Recipe
Not every home cook has access to a deep fat fryer and therefore my Buffalo Wings recipe uses the oven to bake the wings. The result is still a delicious and crispy Buffalo wing.
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Wire Rack
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
For the Wings
- 1 Kg Chicken Wings Jointed into drumettes and flats
- 1 tsp Cornflour
- Salt & Pepper to season
For the Buffalo Sauce
- 120 ml Hot Sauce See my recipe below to make your own
- 60 g Butter
- 2 tbsp Honey
Accompaniments
- 2 sticks Celery
- 2 tbsp Blue Cheese Dip See my recipe below to make your own
Instructions
- Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and pre-heat your oven at 200° C
- Toss the chicken wings together in a large bowl with the cornflour and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with a small amount of oil and transfer to your pre-heated wire rack over a baking sheet.
- Bake the chicken until golden and crispy, turning half way through, and cooked through thoroughly.
- Mix together the hot sauce (either your homemade hot sauce or your premade sauce) and honey in a small saucepan over a low heat and bring to a bare simmer.
- Add the butter and simmer until all the butter has melted and the sauce starts to thicken (about 2-3 minutes). Remove the saucepan from the heat and empty into a large clean mixing bowl.
- Place your cooked chicken wings into the bowls of sauce and gently toss back and forth to ensure an even sauce coverage. Serve on a plate with celery sticks and blue cheese dip.

One thought on “Buffalo Chicken Wings”