Baked Buffalo Wings

Buffalo wings are another dish I have been tweaking for a long time, and I think it's finally time for a post. According to Calvin Trillin's "An Attempt to Compile a Short History of the Buffalo Chicken Wing," the buffalo wing was invented in 1964 by Teresa Bellissimo of Buffalo's Anchor Bar. The story goes that the bar accidentally ordered a large amount of wings, and Mrs. Bellissimo devised the appetizer as a way to use them up. The wings soon made their way onto the Anchor Bar's menu. In the last few decades, wings have exploded in popularity and in some cases have become something of a premium item -- quite the elevation for a rather lowly cut.

Originally, Buffalo wings are deep fried. While this method will result in nicely crispy skin, it is a bit of a mess, so I bake them here. To get the crunchiness we want, the wings are coated in flour and the oven set very hot. The sauce is adjusted from this one, with the biggest change being cutting the butter down. The sauce holds up to this change, although I don't think I would cut it much further.

Ingredients

Wings

• 2 1/2 lb chicken wings, skin-on
• 2 Tbs vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Sauce

• 2/3 cup Frank's RedHot sauce
• 5 Tbs butter
• 1 1/2 Tbs white vinegar
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder (optional)
• Dash of salt

Instructions

Cut the wings into 3 segments: the "drumstick," the "flat," and the "tip." A good way to do this is to lay the wing skin side down on a cutting board, feel for the soft cartilage at the joints, and press into it with a chef's knife. If there is a lot of resistance, you're biting into the bone and should adjust knife placement. The tips usually don't have much meat on them, but I throw them in anyway.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, combine wings and oil. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper, and mix to coat the pieces. Add flour and toss until wings are coated. Spread the wings out on a baking sheet. I use a silicone mat to prevent sticking. Bake the wings for 25 minutes. Flip the wings over about halfway through. The wings should be crunchy and golden brown.

While the wings bake, prepare the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until butter is melted and the sauce is homogeneous. Note that you can easily adjust the heat level by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper.

Combine wings and sauce in a large bowl and toss until coated. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery.