I remember eating buffalo chicken wings for the first time in an American-style restaurant – for the next few months, I craved that spicy, tangy flavour. I decided I couldn’t wait until the next time I visited the same restaurant, so decided to see if I could recreate the experience at home.
You never know if a home-cooked recipe will match the experience of eating out – however, in this case, it really does. And what’s more, it’s surprisingly easy.
This quick recipe is ideal for a barbecue, however they are equally good if baked in the oven. Okay, buffalo chicken wings might not be the healthiest dish in the world, but there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself occasionally – especially on a hot summer’s day, cooking over a grill with family and friends. A nice fresh salad alongside can balance things out nicely!
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
- 1 cup of hot pepper sauce (Frank’s RedHot works perfectly)
- 3/4 cup of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar (I find almost any light vinegar works well if I don’t have this in the cupboard)
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion granules (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt (optional)
- Two cloves of garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1kg chicken wings
Directions
Step 1
Combine all of the ingredients apart from the chicken wings in a non-reactive pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously as the butter melts and the liquid begins to simmer. As soon as you see bubbles on the side of the pot, remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Step 2
Once cooled, give the sauce a stir. Coat your chicken wings with half / two-thirds of the sauce – use enough to cover the surface area of the chicken, but save enough back for tossing the cooked wings in later. Be careful not to contaminate any left over sauce with the uncooked chicken.
Marinade the coated chicken wings in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better – overnight is ideal. Meanwhile, keep the remaining sauce in a jar or container in the fridge.
Step 3
Cook your wings over a barbecue grill for around 30 minutes. If baking, cook for 30 minutes at 180 C. But make sure to keep a very close eye on them and be ready to take them off sooner, as sometimes they can cook more quickly depending on the barbecue heat or size of the wings.
Turn the wings over regularly to stop the marinade and skin from burning. Baste the wings after each turn, as this will help to both increase flavour and keep the meat moist.
Step 4
Check that the wings are cooked – cut into a few wings at the thickest part to make sure the meat is white and piping hot.
Toss the cooked wings in the remaining dipping sauce and serve – even better if you have some blue cheese dipping sauce alongside!
Do you enjoy getting creative in the kitchen? We are proud to have a hugely talented community on Rest Less, which is why we’re so excited to open up a section of the site dedicated to showcasing delicious food and drink recipes from our members. If you have a recipe that you’d like to share with the Rest Less community – you can do so here.