There’s no use fighting it. Party season has arrived, it’s upon us, we’re boarding the train to Christmas Town and I’m going to get that ball rolling with this amazing recipe, that until now – I’ve kept to myself. Buffalo wings; they’re not made of buffalo meat, they get their name from their place of origin – the New York city of Buffalo. As with most of these legendary dishes, the truth about how they came about is a little bit misty but let’s not worry about that.
These buffalo wings make a super addition to any party menu. They’re easy to make, taste amazing and can be filled out with the carrot/celery stick crudite that always makes an appearance at this time of year.
I first tried Buffalo Wings in a restaurant in Clapham… and they were horrible. I tried them somewhere else in London and they were just as bad. But then I realised that I was expecting them to taste like something else. The hot vinegar dipping sauce of the Buffalo Wing is a matter of personal taste and this recipe is my preference. It’s not like any other BBQ dipping sauce, it’s more like a flavour punch in the face, which takes a little getting used to.
But for beginners, I recommend you dip your wing in the hot sauce, then dip in the blue cheese sauce and together it makes an addictive, taste sensation. The best part about these wings is that they’re baked which is not a compromise in any way – because these wings are tasty, crispy, fall-apart and juicy. Another wonderful aspect of this recipe is that it’s easy to prepare. There are lots of components, but each component is easy enough to make that you can share the duties with your less-kitchen-capable friends and family.
Baked Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
12 chicken wings
olive oil
1 tbs plain flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp white pepper
For the hot sauce:
1 cup (250 ml) white vinegar
2 tbs honey
2.5 tbs hot sauce (Tabasco or Sriracha)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cornflour
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp butter
For the blue cheese sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp mustard
a splash of vinegar/lemon juice
Method:
For the chicken:
Mix all the flour and spices in a bowl.
Trim off the wing tips and split your wings into drummettes and wings. Coat in a bit of oil and then tumble them about in the seasoned flour.
Place on an oven tray and bake for about an hour, turning once or twice.
For the hot sauce:
In a sauce pan, put vinegar, honey, hot sauce, paprika, garlic powder and 125 ml water in a saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10–15 minutes.
In a small cup, whisk the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Whisk this into the sauce, then simmer, whisking continuously, for 5 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, reduce the heat to low and cook for 1–2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter until it has melted and the sauce is smooth and glossy (don’t return the sauce to the heat or it will split).
For the blue cheese sauce:
Mix all the ingredients together using a stick blender if you have one. Otherwise a fork should smooth out the blue cheese enough.
Serve the wings with the sauces, and traditionally it should also come with celery sticks, which act as a way to cool the mouth between wings.