Whether you prefer them baked or fried, you can whip up your own wings with just three basic
steps - 1. Prepare the wings, 2. Cook them by frying or baking, and 3. Sauce them up.
Step 1: Cut the Wings
Chicken wings have three parts, two of which are used to make Buffalo wings. There's the meaty drumstick-like part, the two-boned center portion, and the small, almost meatless wing tip. To make Buffalo wings, you need to separate them into these three parts.
To separate, lay each wing on a cutting board and cut off the wing tip. Since there's almost no meat on them, discard the wing tips. Next, cut through the remaining joint to separate the drumstick-like and center sections. These two meaty pieces will become the Buffalo wings.
TIP: If you'd like to make preparation even easier, use precut frozen chicken wings from the grocery store.
Step 2: Oil or Flour Your Wings
If you're baking the wings, the only thing left to do to prepare them is to toss them with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Simply place the wing pieces in a big ol' bowl, give them a drizzle and a sprinkle, and toss until they're well coated.
If frying the wings, give them a good coating of flour first. This step is optional, but it gives the finished wings a nice crisp skin. To flour-coat, place a bit of all purpose flour, salt, and pepper in a zip-top bag. Place about four or five wing pieces in the zip-top bag at a time, close the bag, and give them a good shake.
Step 3: Fry the Wings
To fry the wings, place enough vegetable or canola oil to cover the wings completely in a deep fryer, cast iron skillet, or deep frying pan. The oil should be at least about one inch deep and heated to 350 to 375 degrees.
Once the oil is at temperature, use tongs to gently place in several wings, taking care not to crowd the pan. A crowded pan doesn't allow enough room around the wings for them to cook properly and lowers the oil temperature too quickly. Cook the wing pieces for about 10 to 12 minutes until the skin turns deep golden brown, turning occasionally with a large spoon, tongs, or a spatula to ensure even cooking.
Remove cooked wings to a platter lined with several layers of paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining wings, allowing oil to reheat between batches.
TIP: It's important the oil be at temperature before adding the wings or they will absorb too much oil, be greasy and lack the nice crispy skin.
Step 4: Bake the Wings
For the baking method, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil generously with non-stick cooking spray. Place wing pieces on the pan in a single layer, taking care not to crowd the pan. Leaving space between the wings helps them bake up nice and crisp.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, using tongs to turn the wings over one time during baking. If the wings stick a bit, don't worry. Just give them a gentle wiggle back and forth with your tongs and they'll let go of the pan.
Step 5: Sauce Up Your Wings
Whisk together your favorite cayenne pepper sauce and some melted butter in a large bowl, using approximately 1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce and one tablespoon butter for every pound of wings. To sauce up your wings, put a few at a time into the bowl of sauce and toss with tongs or a fork until well coated.
Step 6: Wet or Dry?
Prefer your wings "wet" and dripping with sauce? Transfer them directly to a serving platter. Rather have them "drier?" Place them back on the baking pan and pop them in a hot oven for about three minutes. The sauce will set on the wings. Enjoy.. :)
