The Best Buffalo Chicken Wing Recipe Ever!

No joke.

This recipe will be a keeper for those who have not tried it!

Though visions of football game gatherings come to mind when you think of chicken wings, I love it at anytime given how ‘shareable’ it is with a group. During the summer months, they make for a tasty addition to your picnic hamper. In our household, Friday night wing nights are a thing and I must admit I do like to end the week on a spicy note (no double entendre intended!)

But do let me digress a bit about this sacred nibble. It is said that the oldest chicken wing recipe is the Imperial Chicken Wing dating back to 750AD. This grand story tells of a romance between Emperor Xuanzong  and his mistress Yang Guifei, one of the four beauties of China.

As the Food Dictator blog describes:

Deep-fried chicken wings have long been a staple of Southern cooking. The concept of today’s Buffalo chicken wings cooked in peppery hot sauce originated at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964.

As the story goes, co-owner Teressa Bellissimo cooked leftover wings in hot sauce as a late-night snack for her son and his friends.  The wings were a huge success and as a result the Bellissimos put them on the menu the next day.  Served with celery slices and Blue cheese dressing, “Buffalo Wings” were a huge hit with patrons.

Located at 1047 Main Street in Buffalo. It is still serving up wings alongside its traditional Italian fare and features live jazz.

In our family, my younger brother was the ‘wing man’ quite literally. It was his specialty and made with great pride. Sadly and unexpected we lost this wonderful man in 2021, but every time I make his recipe I remember with a fond smile and warm heart the many happy wing nights we all enjoyed together.

Andy’s Buffalo Chicken Wings

• • 2 lbs. chicken wings rinsed and patted dry

Spices:

• • 1 T smoked paprika
  • 1 T paprika
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tap cayenne powder (you may adjust more/less based on your heat preference)
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 1-cup flour (I use almond flour, but white works just as well)

Sauce:

• • ½ cup butter
  • ½ cup Frank’s hot sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F, and line a couple of baking sheets with heavy-duty parchment paper. I suggest you use baking sheets with a rim, as there will be a lot of fat drippings. Put non-stick cooling racks on each for the chicken, as this will make them crispy on all sides. The parchment paper is a must as I find that sometimes tin foil will rip and will be a gooey mess-the parchment paper makes for an easy clean up.

In a large bowl, combine the flour with all the spices and mix thoroughly.

Using tongs, dredge the chicken wings in the spice mixture coating well and arrange on the cooling racks. It’s best not to have them touching, so that there is an all around crispness.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes.

While the wings are cooking, combine the butter and hot sauce in a saucepan. Heat gently and whisk to ensure a smooth consistency.

At the 30 minute mark, baste all the chicken wings generously with half of the hot sauce. When the wings are just about cooked, baste again with the remaining hot sauce.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve up with a big Caesar salad, air fried pub fries, carrot and celery sticks…and of course the obligatory blue cheese dressing!

Enjoy.

xoxo ~ Sandra

This blog post is dedicated to my brother Andy. A kind and generous soul lost far too soon, but he will live in our hearts forever.