Fried deliciousness: Buffalo wings
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Buffalo wings, the classic that we know and love, are credited as an invention at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, NY in the '60s. They were deep fried, tossed in a mixture of Frank's Red Hot and butter, and served with blue cheese dressing. Classics are a classic for a reason. I serve mine the same way.
The first buffalo wings I ever had were baked in the hot sauce and butter mixture. They were luxuriously rich, but I prefer the crunch of the fried ones.
We start off with whole chicken wings. You can buy them already separated into flats (my favorite) and drummettes (Josh's favorite), or you can buy the wings whole. We buy our chicken from Heritage Farms, so I separate them myself.
If you have the whole wing and aren't sure where to cut, wiggle the bone. It will bend where the hinge is, so cut at that point through the cartilage, not the bone. But even if you cut through the bone, it's not a big deal. Just keep cutting. No one will notice when they are eating. Wash the bones after cutting to remove any bone splinters or stray feathers.
This is a lot of wings for two people! Four packs of four wings each. I cut them up and put them in a bowl. If you're not going to start cooking soon, hold them in the fridge.
All those little wing tips? I put them in a labelled bag in the freezer, and I'll use them to make chicken stock one day when I have enough bones.
This is my frying setup. I use a wok for frying. Food needs room to fry. I tried frying in a fry daddy once, and it just didn't go that well. I like more room. I fry in peanut oil and buy it in bulk at Costco. You can reuse oil probably up to four or five times depending on what you are frying and how much is in a batch.
When I've finished frying, I'll let the oil cool and, usually on another day, I strain the oil through a cheesecloth into a plastic container. I dump the nasty bits from the cheesecloth and then wash it with dish soap. Then it goes into the dishwasher or laundry machine. Then I clean out the wok. The flour from the wings will burn over time, so don't fry too many times without straining it out.
When I made this batch of wings, I used all new oil which means that I won't get as deep a golden frying color as I would like. Normally I try to keep a little used oil on hand when I switch out oils, but I let it go too far last time.
I set everything up before I begin any cooking so that I'm not rushing around while things are going. I put out a baking sheet -- here it's a quarter size -- with some paper towels to catch the oil and a rack on top. Sometimes I use the wok rack, but I ended up removing it once I got the food going so there was more maneuverability. Sometimes food gets stuck under it.
To pick up the food, I might use the spider (pictured) or chopsticks. I have some long cooking chopsticks, but sometimes they lack the control I want so I use the regular length bamboo chopsticks. Just don't burn yourself.
My splash guard is a pizza box. I've never seen anyone else use a pizza box, but my mom always used one. Keep it away from the flame so it doesn't catch on fire. Even if it does catch on fire -- and yeah, I know it from experience -- move quickly and douse it with water in the sink. With the pizza box, you don't have to wash anything. If it gets too greasy, just throw it out. Whenever we get pizza, if the box is pretty clean, I'll hold onto it.
I also put a small pot on low heat with the butter and Frank's Red Hot. I let it slowly melt and burble on its own.
Now that I'm ready to start cooking, I turn on the heat and fan. I usually fry chicken at around 325-335. Let the oil go up above 325 so that when you add the chicken, the cooking temp will still be where you want it to be. I usually let it go to 350 or higher. You can also fry closer to 340-350. The key with frying is that you need the oil to be hot so that the meat seals when it goes in. If you fry at too low a temp, your food gets greasy. Yuck. No one wants that.
I dredge the wings in flour. You can either salt and pepper the wings when they go in, or you can add salt and pepper into the flour. Or you can leave the salt and pepper out.
Be careful when you add the wings into the oil. Splashing oil is not a good thing. I always wear an apron when I fry. You might burn yourself seriously a few times before this really becomes a habit.
I'm used to frying in a wok specifically, so I use an oil level that scares many people who use pots or fry daddies. Work with a level of oil and an amount of wings that you feel comfortable with. Less is more in this case.
Once I put the wings in, I let them cook for maybe 10 to 30 seconds and then stir with the spider. Then I let them cook. And this is what it should look like when you put the wings in at the right heat. Good, active bubbles. Yum.
With a wok, you don't necessarily need to flip things because the oil is all around them, but I do tend to stir at least halfway through the process.
When the wings are done, take them out with whatever utensil you are comfortable with. It could be a spider, tongs, chopsticks, ... I use chopsticks and a spider as you see here. This lets the wings drain a bit before I put them on the rack. The wok rack would have done the same thing but it can get crowded quickly.
I usually pull out the flats first as drummettes could take a little longer to cook. I tend to cook all flats or drummettes in a batch to avoid this situation.
Let the oil come back up to temperature before adding new wings to cook. I used to use a hot oil thermometer, but it takes up room in the wok. Now I use a ThermaPen. These things are great. Don't burn yourself closing the ThermaPen after you take the temperature. I lay out a little paper towel for it specifically.
Fry all the wings in batches until they are done.
Once all the wings are cooked, I like to put them back into the oil for a minute or so to reheat and recrisp. This step isn't necessary, but makes them better.
If I've turned the heat off the buffalo sauce, I'll turn it back on and stir around now so that it's hot for saucing.
I put the wings into a bowl, swirl the hot sauce, and pour it over the wings.
Then I toss the wings in the bowl (messy) or use tongs. If you decide to toss the wings, toss away from you as you would a skillet. Don't toss too high or you're going to have some casualties. Messy casualties. Josh likes less sauce on his wings so they stay crispier.
When all the wings are sauced, I serve with blue cheese dressing and celery and carrot sticks.
Buffalo wings
Ingredients:
Chicken wings -- whole or pre-cut. I eat like 12-14 for dinner.
Peanut oil or other oil for frying
Flour for dredging
Frank's Red Hot Sauce or your favorite hot sauce
Unsalted butter
Blue cheese or ranch dressing
Celery, carrots, or radishes (we do all three)
Some notes about deep frying:
- Wear an apron!
- Know where your utensils are at all times. Don't leave wood or bamboo directly in oil when it's hot. Make sure utensils are positioned so they won't fall in and splash oil.
- If you have pools of oil, wipe it up with paper towels quickly and throw it away. If you spill oil on the floor, wipe it up immediately.
- If you are using a flammable splash guard (like a pizza box), always be aware of its position as it relates to the heat source.
- Turn on the fan when deep frying or your house will smell like deep fry for days.
- If the heat gets too high, just turn it down or off.
- Above all else, be careful!
Preparation:
1. If using whole chicken wings, cut wings into pieces, saving the tips to use for stock. Cut away any extra pieces of cartilage or loose skin if you are inclined. Wash the wings to remove any bone splinters. Put in the fridge if you are more than 1/2 hr from frying.
2. Set up your frying area. Make sure you are using an oil level you are comfortable with, keeping in mind that when you add the wings, the oil level will rise. Set out your baking sheet or area for the cooked wings and your frying spiders, chopsticks, tongs, and temperature gauge. Use a splash guard, like a nice clean pizza box. If using pizza box, make sure it is away from the flame. Always check your pizza box positioning if you bump it.
3. Turn on the heat under the oil. You're targeting 350-360 degrees.
4. Take a small saucepan and add unsalted butter and hot sauce. I use one stick of butter and about 4 oz of hot sauce for a batch this size. Put on low heat. When everything is melted or bubbling too big, turn off the heat.
5. Set up your dredging bowl by adding flour, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine. I use about 2 cups of flour for all these wings. You can always add more later.
6. Wash, peel, and cut celery sticks, carrot sticks, and/or radishes. You can also do this while the wings are cooking.
7. Dredge wings in flour mixture. Toss with your hands, pressing them into the flour to make sure wings are completely covered. Wash your hands.
8. When the oil reaches the temperature you want, shake extra flour off each piece, and place gently -- DO NOT DROP -- into the oil. Put the wings in the oil away from you so no oil splashes on you. When all the pieces are in the oil, pick up more naked wings and add them to the flour, mixing them in the flour mixture. Then wash your hands.
9. Stir the wings with tongs, the spider, or chopsticks. Let wings cook for about ten minutes total, agitating them about halfway through, or until they are a nice golden color.
10. Lift and drain the wings from the oil and put them on a rack to cool and drain.
11. Let the oil come back to temperature and then repeat steps 6 through 8 until all the wings are dredged and cooked. Don't forget to turn off the heat when you're done frying.
12. Turn buffalo sauce mixture to low or medium. Heat until there are small bubbles.
13. Take a large bowl and, at a maximum, fill 1/3 or halfway with cooked wings. Swirl the buffalo sauce, and pour some over the wings. Toss wings in the bowl or use tongs to mix.
14. Serve with blue cheese or ranch dressing and vegetables.