Heaven? It Could Be...

With our local MLS football club in the semifinals, we began the day with preparations for buffalo wings and a few hours in front of the tube in my comfy chair.  While this is the inaugural season for our Sounders FC and we are avid fans in Casa Hunger, the main event was of course, the wings.

While there are many recipes for chicken wings I prefer to follow (at least loosely) the original made famous by the Anchor Bar in Buffalo NY.  Some wings are breaded, some battered, some with a Mexican flavor profile in the heat and some just for the heat.  I myself prefer the flavor to be based on the combination of Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce and butter although with this sauce as the standard we do believe some experimentation may be in order depending on the mood but the basic cooking method will be limited to one of two acceptable; deep frying or steaming then convection roasting (this 2nd method is new and what I'll be writing about today with a nod to Alton Brown).

IMHO, there is no room for breading or battering of buffalo wings.  The wing must be unadulterated and the key is crispy skin.  THE WINGS MUST BE CRISP ON THE OUTSIDE AND MOIST ON THE INSIDE!  Not that I have much of an opinion in the matter :)

Oven Roasted Buffalo Chicken Wings

• 3 Lb Chicken wings (about 1 1/2 Lb per person) trimmed of tips and cut into drummette and wing sections
• 2 oz Butter
• 4 oz Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
• 1 Clove Garlic, fresh smashed

1. Steam the wings for 10 minutes
2. Remove to an oiled rack over a foil covered sheet pan and let dry while the oven preheats
3. Heat oven to 450F
4. Roast the wings for 20 minutes (we have a convection oven so this helps crisp the wings, adjust the time accordingly)
5. Flip the wings and return to the oven for another 20 minutes until crisp all over and golden brown
6. While the wings roast, melt the butter in a small saucepan with the Frank's and the smashed garlic clove and bring to a simmer
7. Once the sauce reaches the simmer point, remove from heat and remove the garlic (this is a treat for the cook so don't share)

• Remove the roasted wings from the rack to a metal bowl and toss with the sauce
• Serve traditionally with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing

Not with this meal but Henry has recently updated his statement "bacon and BBQ sauce make everything better" to "bacon, BBQ sauce and Frank's make everything better".  I couldn't be prouder...

Hasta