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United States, Americas

Classic Buffalo Wings

Crisp deep-fried chicken wings tossed in the original tangy hot sauce and butter glaze, served with cool blue cheese dip and celery sticks.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time50 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Make the dip first so it has time to chill: crumble the blue cheese with a fork and stir it into the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, grated garlic and a few grinds of pepper; a few small lumps of cheese are good. Cover and refrigerate. Cut the celery and peeled carrot into 8–10 cm sticks and keep them in cold water so they stay crunchy.

    Add in this stepBlue cheese 50 gMayonnaise 3 tbspSour cream 3 tbspLemon juice 1 tspGarlic clove, finely grated ½Black pepper to tasteCelery stalks 2Carrot 1

  2. If your wings are whole, cut through the two joints with a sharp knife: keep the drumette and the flat, and discard the thin tip (or freeze it for stock). Pat every piece very dry with kitchen paper; surface moisture makes the oil spit and the skin soggy. Sprinkle evenly with the salt.

    Add in this stepChicken wing pieces (drumettes and flats) 16Salt 1 tsp

  3. Pour the oil into a heavy 22 cm pot; it should come no more than halfway up the sides so it cannot bubble over when the wings go in. Heat over medium-high heat for about until a thermometer reads 190 °C. No thermometer? A wooden chopstick dipped in should give off a steady stream of small bubbles. Keep a lid nearby and never leave hot oil unattended.

    Add in this stepNeutral oil for deep-frying 1½ L

    medium-high heat

  4. Lower the wings in gently with tongs, away from you, and fry in 2 batch(es), in total, stirring now and then. The temperature drops when the wings go in; keep it at 175–180 °C (medium-high heat). They are done when deep golden, crisp and the meat by the bone is no longer pink (75 °C inside). Lift onto a rack or kitchen paper, and let the oil come back to 190 °C before the next batch.

    medium-high heat

  5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 16 cm saucepan over low heat, then whisk in the hot sauce and garlic powder for , just until hot and smooth. Don't let it boil, or the butter separates and the sauce turns greasy.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter 40 gCayenne pepper hot sauce (thin, vinegar-based, Louisiana-style) 80 mlGarlic powder ½ tsp

    low heat

  6. Put the hot wings in a large bowl, pour over the sauce and toss until every piece is glossy and coated. Serve straight away with the celery and carrot sticks and the blue cheese dip; the skin softens the longer it sits in the sauce.

Cook's tip

For hotter wings use more hot sauce and less butter; for milder, the reverse. The original sauce is nothing but hot sauce and butter, so pick a thin, vinegary cayenne sauce rather than a thick chilli sauce. Leftover sauce keeps for a week in the fridge.

Cooking it at camp

Deep-frying on a camp stove is risky, so at the campsite grill the salted wings over medium coals for 20–25 minutes, turning often, until crisp and 75 °C inside. Warm the sauce in a small pan at the edge of the grill and toss. Bring the dip ready-made in the cooler.