Wings! Wings! Wings!

A Buffalo wing, Buffalo chicken wing, hot wing, or wing, in the cuisine of the United States, is a chicken wing section (wingette or drumette) that is generally deep-fried, unbreaded, and coated in vinegar-based cayenne pepper hot sauce and butter in the kitchen.

 

They are traditionally served hot, along with celery sticks and/or carrot sticks with blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter or margarine are the basis of the sauce, which may be mild, medium, or hot. Typically, the wings are deep-fried in oil (although they are sometimes grilled or baked) until they are well browned. They are then drained, mixed with sauce, and shaken to coat the wings.

 

There are several different claims about how Buffalo wings were created.

One of the more prevalent claims is that Buffalo wings were first prepared at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, by Teressa Bellissimo. who owned the bar along with her husband Frank. Several versions of the story have been circulated by the Bellissimo family and others:

1. Upon the unannounced, late-night arrival of their son, Dominic, with several of his friends from college, Teressa needed a fast and easy snack to present to her hungry guests. It was then that she came up with the idea of deep frying chicken wings (normally thrown away or reserved for stock) and tossing them in cayenne hot sauce.
2. Dominic Bellissimo (Frank and Teressa's son) told The New Yorker reporter Calvin Trillin in 1980: "It was Friday night in the bar and since people were buying a lot of drinks he wanted to do something nice for them at midnight when the mostly Catholic patrons would be able to eat meat again." He stated that it was his mother, Teressa, who came up with the idea of chicken wings.
3. There was mis-delivery of wings instead of backs and necks for making the bar's spaghetti sauce. Faced with this unexpected resource, Frank Bellissimo says that he asked Teressa to do something with them.

However, a long article about the Anchor Bar in a local newspaper in 1969 does not mention Buffalo wings.

Another claim is that a man named John Young served chicken wings in a special "mambo sauce" at his Buffalo restaurant in the mid-1960s. His wings were breaded. Young had registered the name of his restaurant, John Young's Wings 'n Things, at the county courthouse before leaving Buffalo in 1970.

Marketing materials for Frank's RedHot claim that it was the hot sauce used in the Bellissimos' original recipe.

 

 

Hot "Buffalo" Wings

Recipe #1

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup Crystal Louisiana Hot Sauce
dash ground pepper
dash garlic powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teas. paprika
1/4 teas. cayenne pepper
1/4 teas. salt
10 chicken wing pieces
vegetable oil for frying

 

Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375. You want just enough oil to cover the wings entirely; an inch or so deep at least.

Combine the butter, hot sauce, ground pepper, and garlic powder in a small saucepan over low heat. Heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients are well-blended.

Combine the flour, paprika, cayenne powder, and salt in a small bowl. If the wings are frozen, be sure to defrost and dry them. Put the wings in a large bowl and sprinkle the flour mixture over them, coating each wing evenly. Put the wings in the refrigerator 60-90 minutes. This will help the breading to stick to the wings when fried.

 

Put all the wings in the hot oil and fry 10 to 15 minutes or until some parts of the wings begin to turn dark brown. Remove from the oil to a paper towel to drain. Don't let them sit too long, because you want to serve them hot. Quickly put the wings in a large bowl. Add the hot sauce and stir, coating all of the wings evenly.

 

Recipe #2

1 c all-purpose flour
2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t paprika
1 egg
1 c milk
2 chicken breast fillets
4 c vegetable oil,up to 6
1/4 c Crystal (or Frank's Louisiana) hot sauce
1 T margarine

Combine flour, salt, peppers and paprika in a medium bowl.

In another small bowl, whisk together egg and milk.

 

Slice each chicken breast into 6 pieces. Preheat 4-6 cups of vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.

 

One or two at a time, dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, then into the breading blend; then repeat the process so that each piece of chicken is double-coated.

 

When all chicken pieces have been breaded, arrange them on a plate and chill for 15 minutes.

 

When the chicken is done resting, drop each piece into the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes or until each piece is browned.

 

As chicken fries, combine the hot sauce and margarine in a small bowl. Microwave sauce for 20-30 seconds or just until the margarine is melted, then stir to combine. You can also use a small saucepan for this step. Just combine the hot sauce and margarine in the saucepan over low heat and stir until margarine is melted and ingredients are blended.

 

When chicken pieces are done frying, remove them to a plate lined with a couple paper towels.

 

Place the chicken pieces into a covered container such as a large jar with a lid. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the container, cover, and then shake gently until each piece of chicken is coated with sauce. Pour the chicken onto a plate and serve the dish with bleu cheese dressing and sliced celery on the side. Serves 2- 4 as an appetizer.

 

Recipe #3

2 lbs. chicken wings (disjointed - discard the tips)
1/4 Lb. Margarine (do not use butter!)
8 Oz. "Frank's" Hot Sauce (also labeled as
Durkee Hot Sauce. NO SUBSTITUTIONS!!!)
Oil for frying

Melt margarine in sauce pan until barely liquid. Add hot sauce, mix, and put aside.
Deep fry wings until brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Put wings in a large bowl that has a cover. Pour sauce over all, cover, and shake to coat the wings. Serve with celery sticks and Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Dressing. Adjust the amount of hot sauce to your desire.