Superior Wings for Super Bowl

Super Bowl is almost here. For M, this means vengeance (a lifelong Patriots fan, he's out for Bronco blood); for me, this means time for game food.

A couple weeks ago, I was craving buffalo wings like a pregnant lady. The Pats were playing on Saturday, so I got some wings and Frank’s hot sauce, and started the oven.

I ran a quick internet search to make sure my oven temp was right, when I stumbled on Alton Brown’s buffalo wing recipe. He calls for steaming the wings, then chilling them, then baking them. A little fussy, I know, but Alton knows food science, and this sounded like my ticket to crispy skin without deep-frying (a process I tend to avoid as much for health as for hassle – lots of oil, lots of splatter clean-up).

I went for it, and I’m glad I did. So glad, in fact, that I made them again the very next day for the 49ers game. I made a triple-batch, in stages to not crowd the steamer, fridge, or oven, and each time, as soon as the wings came out, they were gobbled up and I was met with sad eyes begging for more. From grown men and women.

I strongly encourage you to try these at your next game-day, or simply the next time you’re craving buffalo wings (or any kind of wings, as these would work just as well with other sauces: bbq, teriyaki, thai chili-lime, etc.)

Best Ever Baked Buffalo Wings

Adapted from Alton Brown’s Buffalo Wings

Ingredients
12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds), separated*
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup hot sauce (I prefer Frank’s Red Hot Original)
Kosher salt

* note: I found wings at the market separated into the drumette and wingette (flat middle section) by the butcher. If you can only buy them as whole wings, don’t fret! Here’s how to separate them: Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint.

Directions
Fill a 6-quart saucepan with enough water to come 1 inch up the sides. Place a steamer basket or pan insert in/over the pan, making sure the water stays below the holes in the steamer. Place the setup over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover again, and reduce the heat to medium. Steam 10 minutes. 

Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a sheet tray (Alton suggests lining the tray with a cooling rack and paper towels, but you can skip one or both IMHO) and place in the refrigerator to chill and dry, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. 

Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm. I like mine with celery and blue cheese dip! (Easy - blue cheese and sour cream, season with salt and pepper, thin with milk to taste!)

PS: we had some broccoli that I roasted up and we started dipping it in the buffalo goodness...HIGHLY recommended! M said he liked the broccoli better than the wings! And this is coming from a meat man...

Yeild: 24 pieces

Prep time: 5 minutes

Active cooking time: 50 minutes

Inactive time: 1 hour (chilling wings)

Difficulty: Easy