Classic Buffalo Chicken Wings

Dear Buffalo Chicken Wings,

I will never forget the first time I met you.

It was in a small Upstate New York bowling alley in the dead of winter in 1996. A college football game played on the TV, cigarette smoke hung in the air and the sound of crashing bowling pins echoed around me while I sat at the dingy, dimly-list restaurant counter section during the Saturday night league.

You appeared to me at first as plastic letters stuck onto a menu board — Wings — hot, medium or mild.

10 minutes after ordering, we met. You were nestled in a red basket lined with checkered paper, nuclear-orange in color.

My teeth sank into the crispy skin of that first wing, and I immediately learned you are not to be taken lightly. I coughed and coughed at first, but went back for more.

Since then, you have been the predominant theme of my life, from the weekly Tuesday wing night at Lehigh Valley Tap House during my college years in Ithaca, to hosting wing parties and my personal “wingtopia” where I subject my wife to tasting up to a dozen different flavors I prepared myself.

A surprise at our wedding was a groom’s cake made to look like a plate of wings. The gift we gave to guests at our wedding? My original-recipe, limited-batch wing sauce called Fireball and Chain. My first meal the morning after my wedding? Wings.

I have dined thousands of times with you, and you have never disappointed. And now I will share with the world my recipe.

I am Man Who Eats and today, I’m eating classic buffalo chicken wings – an original Taste of Upstate New York.

Let’s get started….

Chicken Wing Preparation

Wings are only as good as their sauce. Tradition from the Anchor Bar, which created the chicken wings we know and love in Buffalo, NY, says the sauce is simply Franks Red Hot and some melted butter.

Fry the wings, toss in sauce. Done.

Now there are hundreds of different wing preparations — all excellent — except breaded wings. There’s no place on my table for breaded wings.

If you want to get the full story behind this Upstate New York legend, check out A Taste of Upstate New York.

My wing sauce amps up the flavor of the original while still leaving your lips tingly and your hands reaching for a cold Genesee Beer.

Start with melting a tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat. Add ½ cup of Frank’s Red Hot, a tablespoon of granulated garlic, and then the secret ingredient, 1 tablespoon Mike’s Hot Honey, which brings a touch of depth and sweetness to the finished sauce.

Whisk together and keep warm while you get the wings ready.

The Cook

Fill a large dutch oven halfway with vegetable or peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches 375 degrees.

We will be frying these wings naked, meaning no breading. That’s the classic and obviously the best way. Season wings simply with salt and pepper on both sides.

Once the oil hits 375 degrees add 6-8 wings one at a time so as to not risk the oil spilling over. Be careful doing this at home and watch the oil. Do not fry frozen wings.

The oil will violently bubble initially and then settle down. This violent reaction ensures a crispy skin and tender meat.

Fry wings for 6-8 minutes until golden brown. The internal temperature will be 170-180 degrees. Remove to a cooling rack while you cook the rest of the wings. If you have a large batch, you can hold the wings in an oven on the lowest setting until ready to serve.

Toss wings with the sauce and serve immediately, preferably with a cold beverage and a good game on the TV.

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