I Can’t Believe They’re Not Fried Buffalo Wings

A lot of people outside America might not be familiar with Buffalo wings but once you’ve tried them you’ll understand why they’re such an institution in the States. These chicken wings were created in the mid 1960’s in Buffalo New York, most say at the Anchor Bar but there seems to be some dispute over this. Traditional Buffalo wings are sectioned chicken wings that are not breaded, but deep fried and then coated in a vinegar based chilli sauce and butter. Served alongside blue cheese dip and celery sticks it’s a winning combination and a must do appetiser for any party, especially if it involves football on the television!  Now I’m not a fan of deep frying at home and lets face it chicken wings are pretty unhealthy to begin with so this recipe cuts down some of the guilt but none of the flavour. Buffalo wing purists look away now because these wings are floured and then oven baked with no extra oil.  They come out super crispy and the flour on the wings creates nice crusty crevices for all that hot sauce and butter to cling to. Sound good? You’re right , they are and if you didn’t know they weren’t deep fried you’d be none the wiser. If you live in Australia you can lay your hands on Franks Hot Sauce, which is the hot sauce preferred by most people for Buffalo wings, from David Jones Food Halls or buy it on line from www.usafoods.com.au

Ingredients – Serves 2 -3   

8 organic chicken wings, sectioned into 3 and the wing tips discarded
½ cup of plain flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup of Franks Hot Sauce – either the Traditional or the one made for Buffalo wings
25g butter
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
¼ – ½ teaspoon of Cayenne pepper if you like it extra spicy – I used the Franks hot sauce for Buffalo wings and found it needed some extra kick
Celery sticks

Blue Cheese Sauce
180g strong blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
Salt to taste

Method

To make the blue cheese dip place the cheese into a bowl and using a fork mash it to form a paste.  Add all the other ingredients, bar the salt and whisk to combine well. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

To make the wings preheat oven to 200C. Drizzle the oil onto a baking sheet and spread to coat the bottom. Rinse the chicken wings and pat dry.  Season well with salt and pepper and coat each wing in flour.  Place on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.  Turn the chicken pieces over and bake for a further 15 minutes until both sides are golden and crispy. Whilst the wings are cooking place the hot sauce and the butter in a small saucepan and heat until the butter has just melted.  Remove from the heat and add the worcestershire sauce and some cayenne pepper if you like it spicier.  Mix well to combine and set aside.

When the wings have finished cooking place them into a large bowl and whilst they are still screaming hot from the oven pour the hot sauce over them and toss to coat well with the sauce.  Place on a platter and serve with the blue cheese dip and celery sticks.