Mac Made Buffalo Wings

I Have mentioned several times that I like to make and eat chicken wings. Here in the North East we call them Buffalo Wings. I'm not sure how far across the country Buffalo Wings have spread as a culinary delight so I figured if you haven't heard of them I would introduce them to you and hope that you will try them.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce is not terribly spicy. We like to combine it with a more potent hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to bring up the heat. You will need to double the ingredients in the blue cheese dressing

Serves 6 to 8

Sauce 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 Cup hot sauce, preferably Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce 2 Tablespoons Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce, plus more to taste 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar 2 Teaspoons cider vinegar Wings 1 - 2 Quarts peanut oil (or vegetable oil) for frying 1 Teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 Teaspoon ground black pepper 1 Teaspoon table salt 3 Tablespoons cornstarch 3 Pounds chicken wings (18 wings), cut up (see illustrations below) Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Vegetables 21/2 Ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup) I'm not a fan of Blue Cheese and don't use it. I included it in the recipe for it is traditional. I make the dressing without it. 3 Tablespoons buttermilk 3 Tablespoons sour cream 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise 2 Teaspoons white wine vinegar 4 Stalks celery, cut into thin sticks 2 Medium carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices The dressing is to dip the veggies in and to help you recover from the spicy sauce on the wings. I increase the amount of sour cream by 2 tablespoons to compensate for not using the Blue Cheese.

Chicken See Illustrations Below: Cutting Up Chicken Wings 1. For the Sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in hot sauces, brown sugar, and vinegar until combined. Remove from heat and set aside. 2. For the Wings: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 2 1/2 inches of oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 360 degrees. While oil heats, mix together cayenne, black pepper, salt, and cornstarch in small bowl. Dry chicken with paper towels and place pieces in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over wings and toss with rubber spatula until evenly coated. Fry half of chicken wings until golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer fried chicken wings to baking sheet. Keep first batch of chicken warm in oven while frying remaining wings. 3. For the Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Vegetables: Mash blue cheese and buttermilk in small bowl with fork until mixture resembles cottage cheese with small curds. Stir in remaining ingredients (up to carrot and celery sticks). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 days. 4. To Serve: Pour sauce mixture into a large bowl and add chicken wings, toss until wings are uniformly coated. Serve immediately with the carrot and celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on side. 5. To Make Ahead: The fried, unsauced wings can be kept warm in the oven for up to 1 1/2 hours. Toss them with the sauce just before serving. STEP BY STEP: Cutting Up Chicken Wings 1. With a chef’s knife cut into the skin between the two larger sections of the wings until you hit the joint. 2. Bend back the two sections to pop and break the joint. 3. Cut through the skin and flesh to completely separate the two meaty portions. 4. Hack off the wingtip and discard.

This recipe comes from my favorite cooking and recipe site. Americas Test Kitchen or Cooks Illustrated.