🇺🇸 Buffalo Chicken Wings

Buffalo wings were invented in 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. The wings are fried until crisp, then tossed in a tangy hot sauce and butter glaze. Blue cheese dip and celery sticks are non-negotiable.

Ingredients

• 1 kg Chicken Wings, split into flats and drumettes
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• Oil for frying
• 1/2 cup Hot Sauce
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 tbsp Honey
• Blue cheese dip and celery sticks

Method

1. Pat wings completely dry. Toss with baking powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Chill uncovered 1 hour — this dries the skin for extra crispiness.
3. Heat oil to 180°C. Fry wings in batches 10–12 min until golden and crisp.
4. Drain on a wire rack.
5. Whisk hot sauce, melted butter, and honey together.
6. Toss hot wings in the sauce until fully coated.
7. Serve immediately with blue cheese dip and celery.

History

Buffalo wings were invented on the evening of 30 October 1964 at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, when co-owner Teressa Bellissimo needed a late-night snack for her son and his friends. She deep-fried some chicken wings that had been delivered by mistake, tossed them in a mixture of hot sauce and butter, and served them with blue cheese dip and celery sticks. The dish spread across the United States over the following decades and is now a standard bar food worldwide. The city of Buffalo celebrates an official Buffalo Wing Festival every year, and the Anchor Bar still operates in its original location.

The science

The secret to crisp wings is a dry surface. Water on the skin turns to steam in the fryer, and that steam prevents the skin from browning until it has all evaporated. Coating the wings in baking powder (not soda) raises the pH of the surface, which speeds up the Maillard reaction during frying and helps the skin crisp faster. The butter in the sauce is not just for flavour — it emulsifies with the vinegar-based hot sauce, giving the coating a smooth, clinging consistency that stays on the wings instead of sliding off.

Substitutions

Frank’s RedHot is the traditional sauce, but any vinegar-based hot sauce works. For a milder version, mix the hot sauce with extra melted butter. For a sweeter version, add a spoonful of honey or maple syrup. Air fryer instructions: cook at 200°C for 20 minutes, shaking the basket halfway, then toss in the sauce. For a baked version, roast on a wire rack at 220°C for 40 minutes, turning once. Blue cheese dip can be replaced with ranch if you prefer, though purists will object.

Chef's tip

Baking powder raises the pH of the skin and helps it crisp. Dry wings are crispy wings.

Drink pairing

Cold beer and a close game. A crisp pilsner or a hoppy IPA both work — the bitterness of the beer is the perfect counterpoint to the heat of the sauce.