You may have heard of the term comfort food , which means, in a loose and imprecise translation, comforting food. A food that is comforting, but not the healthiest. Buffalo wings, a typically American gastronomic invention, are one such food.
The wings should be crispy, spicy and flavorful. The spiciness and flavor will come from the Buffalo sauce (see step 1), which is a hot and easy-to-make sauce. They go great with fries or a good movie. Tip: if you serve the wings with potatoes, you might want to drizzle them with a little sauce too.
You need: chicken wings, Buffalo sauce (if you don’t get it from the store, see step 1), flour and vegetable oil (for frying). Tools: frying pan or container, flour bowl, tongs, kitchen towels, flat plate, baking sheet and parchment paper.
1. Make the Buffalo sauce: In a small bowl, combine the chopped chili peppers (preferably Cayenne), melted butter, and vinegar. You can play around with the amounts to achieve different levels of spiciness. It’s not uncommon to add other ingredients to this sauce, such as garlic and/or Worcestershire sauce.
2. Roll the wings well in flour and heat the oven to 200ºC.
3. Fill the pan you’re going to fry in with oil. Add about 3 fingers deep. Either way, you want the wings to be completely covered in oil. Let the oil heat up to the right temperature.
4. Place the wings in the hot oil one at a time. Place them side by side in a single layer, without overlapping. If they don’t all fit, fry them in batches. A batch of crispy, browned wings should be ready in about 10 minutes.
5. Drain the oil from the wings by transferring them to a large plate lined with kitchen towels.
6. Brush them with the hot sauce. Make sure to cover them completely with sauce.
7. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce is absorbed.
8. We know you want to dive into them, but let them cool first.=
* The name Buffalo (which means bison in English, hence the pun “bison wings”) actually comes from the city of Buffalo, the second largest in New York State, the place of origin of the famous spicy wings, first served in a small family restaurant called Anchor Bar.
