Monday, February 11, 2008

The Best Buffalo Wings

I have been a chef for about 25 years and one thing people always ask me is "What do you like to eat?". It seems that in many people's imagination, a chef's diet probably consists of all gourmet meals all the time. Nothing could be further from the truth. All chefs I know crave things like tacos, buffalo wings, pizza and of course burgers. Over the years I think I have perfected the Buffalo wing technique, with all due respect to the city of Buffalo, its residents and of course the presumed birthplace of Buffalo wings, the Anchor Bar. Start with fresh chicken wings, cut into 2 sections. Pre-heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. When the pan is ready (and not before!) liberally coat the wings with sriracha in a stainless steel bowl. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and arrange the wings in the hot pan so they are not touching each other too much. Leave the wings alone for 3 or 4 minutes, without shaking the pan and let them get almost black. Carefully turn them once and finish in a hot oven for about 6 or 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and gently stir the wings around the pan to make sure they have cooked evenly. Return pan to oven for a few more minutes if the wings are not tender yet. When the wings are cooked right they feel tender but don't fall apart when you pick them up. Remove the wings from the pan and let rest on a plate or bowl for a few minutes. Serve with blue cheese dressing made from just Hellmann's mayonnaise, good red wine vinegar and crumbled blue cheese.

2 comments:

Greg said...

Chris: Dynamite blog, but I've got three words for you: Frank's Hot Sauce. -- Greg in Buffalo

Chris Connors said...

Thanks Greg. I knew I was opening up the proverbial bucket of wings with this one.