Buffalo Wings
Football season is upon us once again, folks. Now, there are a few tried and true “football foods” that are good go-tos, like pulled pork and chili.
But really, the ultimate football food is wings.
Football and wings have a soft spot in my heart. When Adam and I started dating (two years ago!), it was September, and football was something we both loved. So were wings. We spent many Saturday (college football) and Sunday (NFL) afternoons in various Baltimore-area bars eating wings and cheering on Michigan State, the Lions, and the Giants.
I never really thought someone could recreate wings from a bar without a deep fryer and vats of various sauces, but I thought I’d give it a try. Man, am I glad I did.
These wings are awesome. They taste like wings you get at a bar, but they’re not fried. So they’re healthy — at least healthier than their fried counterpoints.
So now Adam and I don’t have to go to a bar to eat wings (and watch football). These are a little time intensive, but well worth it.
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 12 whole chicken wings
- 3 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.
Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.
