Buffalo wings

Name: Buffalo wings
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1.5 kg Chicken, wings, split into flats and drums, tips removed; 1 tsp Salt; 1.5 l Neutral oil, for deep-frying; 150 ml Hot sauce, cayenne pepper sauce such as Frank's RedHot; 80 g Butter, unsalted; 100 g Gorgonzola, or any crumbly blue cheese, crumbled; 120 g Sour cream; 60 g Mayonnaise; 60 ml Buttermilk; 1 tsp Lemon juice; 1 clove Garlic, small, finely grated; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 4 piece Celery, sticks, cut into batons and kept cold; 2 medium Carrot, cut into batons

Unbreaded chicken wings fried crisp and tossed in cayenne hot sauce and melted butter, with blue cheese dip and celery sticks.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 40 min
Rest: 1 hr
Total: 2 hr
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium heat
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

Buffalo wings are chicken wings split into flats and drums, deep-fried with no flour or batter until the skin is crisp and blistered, then tossed straight from the oil in a sauce of cayenne pepper hot sauce and melted butter. That is the whole recipe. The sauce is simple on purpose: vinegar and chilli from the hot sauce, richness from the butter, about two parts to one. They come with a thick blue cheese dip and cold celery sticks, which are not garnish; they cool your mouth between wings. Dry the wings well and fry them hot. Wet skin and cool oil make them chewy.

What you'll need

14 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 14 ready

4 servings

Wings
Sauce
Blue cheese dip
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Wings

Chicken, wings, split into flats and drums, tips removed1½ kg
Salt4.9 ml
Neutral oil, for deep-frying1½ l

Sauce

Hot sauce, cayenne pepper sauce such as Frank's RedHot150 ml
Butter, unsalted80 g

Blue cheese dip

Gorgonzola, or any crumbly blue cheese, crumbled100 g
Sour cream120 g
Mayonnaise60 g
Buttermilk60 ml
Lemon juice4.9 ml
Garlic, small, finely grated1 clove
Black pepper2½ ml

To serve

Celery, sticks, cut into batons and kept cold4
Carrot, cut into batons (optional)2 medium

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Pat the wings very dry with paper towels, toss them with the salt and spread them on a rack set over a tray. Leave them uncovered in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight, so the skin dries.
60 min
Step 2
For the dip, mash half the blue cheese with the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, garlic and pepper, then fold in the rest in crumbles. Chill until needed.
5 min
Step 3
Heat the oil in a heavy pot, no more than a third full, to 190°C. Fry the wings in three batches for 10 to 12 minutes each, until deep golden and crisp, the bubbling has calmed and the meat at the bone reads at least 74°C. Drain on a rack and let the oil come back to temperature between batches.
36 min190°C
Watch: Hot oil. Lower the wings in gently, away from you; any damp skin will spit.
Step 4
While the last batch fries, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk in the hot sauce until smooth and glossy. Keep it warm but do not let it boil.
4 min
Step 5
Tip the hot wings into a large bowl, pour over the sauce and toss until every piece is coated. Serve at once with the dip, celery and carrot.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 1304 kcal
Protein: 124.6 g
Carbs: 10.7 g
Fat: 82.3 g
Saturated fat: 33.5 g
Fibre: 2.2 g
Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 1228 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Milk
Eggs

Gluten-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.

Substitutions

Blue cheese dip → Ranch dressing
The choice of much of the country. Buffalo regards it as a mistake.
Frank's-style cayenne sauce → Another vinegar-based cayenne hot sauce
Tabasco on its own is thinner and sharper; cut it with extra butter.

Tips

Oven version: toss the dried wings with 1 tbsp baking powder and the salt, bake on a rack at 120°C for 30 minutes, then at 220°C for 40 to 50 minutes, turning once. Crisp, if not quite fried.
More butter makes them milder and glossier. More hot sauce, or a pinch of cayenne in it, makes them hotter.
Sauce only what will be eaten now. Tossed wings go soft within ten minutes.

History & culture

Wings are bar food and game food. Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest wing day of the year in the United States, and sports bars sell them by the dozen in heat levels running from mild to something with a skull on the menu. In Buffalo itself they are just called wings, and ranch dressing instead of blue cheese is a subject people there have views on.

The usual story credits Teressa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, in 1964. Depending on who tells it, she was feeding her son's friends late at night, or a supplier sent wings instead of necks. John Young, a Black restaurateur in the same city, was serving whole breaded wings in his own mambo sauce around the same time and said he got there first.

Traditional — The Anchor Bar method is unbreaded wings, deep-fried and tossed in hot sauce and butter. Breaded wings, baked wings and honey or garlic flavours are later spin-offs. The blue cheese is listed as gorgonzola only because it is easy to find; a crumbly American or Danish blue is closer to the bar version.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Buffalo wings take?

2 hr all in — 20 min prep, 40 min cook, 1 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Medium heat.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Milk, Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free, Nut-free.

8 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Dutch oven, Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Tongs, Baking tray.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Blue cheese dip → Ranch dressing. The choice of much of the country. Buffalo regards it as a mistake. Frank's-style cayenne sauce → Another vinegar-based cayenne hot sauce. Tabasco on its own is thinner and sharper; cut it with extra butter.

What should I watch for?

Hot oil. Lower the wings in gently, away from you; any damp skin will spit.

Any tips from this recipe?

Oven version: toss the dried wings with 1 tbsp baking powder and the salt, bake on a rack at 120°C for 30 minutes, then at 220°C for 40 to 50 minutes, turning once. Crisp, if not quite fried. More butter makes them milder and glossier. More hot sauce, or a pinch of cayenne in it, makes them hotter. Sauce only what will be eaten now. Tossed wings go soft within ten minutes.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Pat the wings very dry with paper towels, toss them with the salt and spread them on a rack set over a tray. Leave them uncovered in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight, so the skin dries.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.