The great American classic from Buffalo, New York: unbreaded fried chicken wings, very crispy, tossed while hot in a cayenne pepper and butter sauce, served with crunchy celery and blue cheese dressing.
Ingredients
- 2000 g fresh chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes
- 12 g fine salt
- 2 g ground black pepper
- 1.5 l peanut oil or frying oil
- 180 ml American cayenne pepper hot sauce such as Frank's RedHot Original
- 120 g unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 250 g American blue cheese dressing for Buffalo wings
- 8 sprigs fresh celery stalks
Method
- Thoroughly pat the wings dry with paper towels. They must be as dry as possible: if the skin remains moist, it will steam instead of getting crispy.
- Season the wings with fine salt and black pepper, then arrange them on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a single layer. Let rest uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight: the skin should look matte and slightly tight.
- Take the wings out while the oil heats. Prepare a large heavy pot or deep fryer, a wire cooling rack and a large heatproof bowl for the final toss.
- Heat the oil to 180 °C. It should bubble actively around a small piece of skin, without smoking. Maintain a steady heat: oil that is too cold makes the wings greasy, while oil that is too hot browns them before the inside is cooked.
- Fry the wings in batches without overcrowding the oil. Turn them occasionally with a spider or tongs. They are ready when golden brown, the skin taps crisply against the tongs and the juices run clear.
- Drain each batch on a wire rack, never on bunched paper towels. Let air circulate around the wings to preserve their crispiness while the rest cook.
- During the last batch, prepare the Buffalo sauce. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan, without letting it brown. Add the hot sauce, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Whisk until you have a smooth, glossy, orange red sauce. Keep warm without boiling.
- When all the wings are fried, briefly return them to the hot oil if necessary to re-crisp them: they should sizzle immediately and become very dry on the surface again.
- Transfer the piping hot wings to the large bowl. Pour the warm Buffalo sauce over them and toss vigorously by flipping the bowl or stirring with two large spoons. Each piece should be glazed with a thin glossy coating, not drowned.
- Cut the celery stalks into long crunchy sticks. Immediately serve the Buffalo wings with the cold blue cheese dressing on the side and the celery. The right contrast is distinct: hot wings, still crispy skin, bright and buttery sauce, and cold, fresh garnish.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 864.8 kcal
- Protein
- 74.82 g
- Carbohydrate
- 4.73 g
- Fat
- 57.63 g
- Fibre
- 0.86 g
- Calcium
- 9.62 mg
- Iron
- 0.17 mg
- Magnesium
- 3.07 mg
