Original Buffalo Wings

Back in 1964, Teressa Bellissimo, the owner of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo New York, cooked some leftover wings for her son and his friends…tossed them in hot sauce…and Buffalo Wings were born. Of course, since then there have been countless recipes for hot wings, some spicy, some sweet. The recipe below is very basic and should be close to what Teressa did back in 1964.

A couple notes to keep it original and on point…dry the wings thoroughly and cook them dry at 350…no brine, no breading, no spice, no marinade…also, use Frank’s Louisiana hot sauce…that’s it. Brining the wings would be a good thing, but not necessary. For my money, this simple simple original version is the best. Don’t fry too many wings at once. Toss with the sauce and serve immediately. By serving them right away, they maintain some crispness after saucing. For more heat, add Tabasco to the sauce.

Cook time will vary depending on the size of the wings. My wings were not huge, and I fried the drums for 7 minutes and the flat for 6 minutes. Check with a meat thermometer and make sure they are at least 165 degrees.

Again, this is painfully simple…but like the original.

Ingredients:

• 10-12 chicken wings, drums and flats

• Canola oil for frying

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sace

• Carrot and celery sticks

• Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing

Directions:

1 – Thoroughly dry then place your wings on a wire rack over a sheet pan and place in the fridge overnight or at least 2 hours.

2 – Heat oil to 350 degrees.

3 – Place wings in the oil and fry for 8-10 minutes depending on their size. Drums typically take a little longer than the flats.

4 – Remove wings from the oil drain on a paper towel lined wire rack.

5 – Melt the butter and Frank’s sauce in a small saucepan until the butter has melted.

6 – Place the wings in a large mixing bowl and cover with the sauce. Toss well to coat completely and serve immediately.

7 – Serve with carrot and celery stick and your favorite dipping sauce.