I call these hot wings, however many call them Buffalo wings because they were invented in Buffalo, New York.
I didn’t separate the wingettes and drummettes here, but it’s easy to do so yourself with kitchen shears, or ask the butcher to do it.
I had no idea hot wings were so easy to make, and for some reason they remind me of party food. Maybe because they’re finger food, and they have a kick to them. In any case, no need to have an excuse, like a football game, to make these.
I’ve followed tradition and prepared them with a creamy dressing, and sliced carrots and celery.
After I landed a dairy-free ranch dressing I wanted to use it in other recipes, including this one. I used the ranch dressing straight up, but you can add blue cheese to it if you prefer.
As for getting the wings crunchy without deep frying them, again, it’s easier than I thought. And read the head notes for another trick.
Baked Hot Wings
Yield 4 servings
There are a few hot sauce brands that are made simply of red cayenne peppers, vinegar, and salt, such as Arizona Peppers Organic, Tabasco Pepper Sauce; then Melinda's and Frank's have some additional ingredients.
The wings definitely get crispy after baking when you use a wire rack over a baking sheet. I add parchment paper below the wire rack for easy cleanup. To get them extra crispy, leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for a few hours or even over night to dry out the skin.
Cutting the wings to get a wingette, drummette, and wing tip: Sometimes I don't cut the wings, but when I do, I freeze the tips for chicken stock. To cut them yourself, use kitchen shears and snip through the center of each joint. Another option is to ask the butcher to cut the wings for you.
If you don't have hot sauce, sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/4 of salt, and a tablespoon of vinegar in the melted butter.
To make blue cheese dressing, combine a 1 cup of ranch dressing and add about 1/4 cup of blue cheese.
Ingredients
2 pounds chicken wings (cut into pieces, see headnotes)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted ghee (or butter if you are ok with a bit of dairy)
- 1/4 cup hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6)
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and a wire rack on top of the paper.
- Toss the wings in the salt, or sprinkle it over the chicken.
- Arrange the chicken on a wire rack and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the wings are crispy and browned.
- Make the dressing, and slice up carrot and celery sticks.
- Make the wing sauce by combining the hot pepper sauce and melted butter.
- Toss the wings in the wing sauce and serve with the dressing, carrots and celery.
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