How to prepare Baked Buffalo Wings in 8 easy steps

Baked Buffalo Wings

Yield : 4 Serving 

Time: 35 minutes 

For chicken wings that come out of the oven as crisp and tender as their fried counterparts, coat the wings in salt and baking powder. The combination promotes even browning, crackly-crisp skin and moist, tender meat. (Do this for roast chicken, too!) Then, cook them directly under the high heat of the broiler, which renders fat and fuses the spicy buttery sauce to each wing. You can buy any combination of meaty drumettes, wingettes (flats) or wing tips, or buy whole wings and break them down yourself, cutting at the joints to separate each wing into three pieces. Looking for a vegetarian version — or simply to add some vegetables to your spread? 

INGREDIENTS 

FOR THE BLUE CHEESE DIP:

• 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 1 to 3 tablespoons milk or buttermilk, or to taste
•  Kosher salt and black pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN WINGS:

• 3 pounds chicken wings, or any combination of drumettes, wingettes and tips
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• ⅓ cup Buffalo-style hot sauce, such as Frank’s
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)

PREPARATION 

STEP 1

1. Make the blue cheese dip: In a small bowl, stir together blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Thin with milk until spoonable. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (Dip keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator; thin as needed with more milk.)
2. STEP 2
3. Place an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler. Heat the broiler.
4. Prepare the chicken: Pat the wings dry. If the wings are not yet broken down into three pieces, cut each wing at the two joints. To do so, flip the wing over and wiggle each part to find the joint. Cut at the joint hinge to separate the meaty drumette from the wingette (also known as the flat) and the wingette from the smaller wing tip.
5. In a large bowl, toss the baking powder with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Add the wings and toss until evenly coated. Spread the wings in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. (To prepare them in advance and allow them to dry-brine, let the wings sit out at room temperature for up to 1 hour after coating, or in the refrigerator overnight. Let them come to room temperature before proceeding.)
6. Broil the wings in the oven until golden and crisp all over, turning halfway through, about 15 minutes per side.
7. As wings cook, make the buffalo sauce: In a large bowl, stir together the hot sauce, butter, lemon juice and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Transfer the wings to the hot sauce-mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon, return the wings to the baking sheet, leaving extra sauce behind. Broil until sizzling and browned in spots, about 5 minutes. (Depending on your broiler, you may need to rotate the pan so all the food is exposed to the heat source.)
9. Serve with extra buffalo sauce and the blue cheese dip.