The Quest to Find the Perfect Buffalo Wing Recipe
By Dawn Perry
Photo: Alex Lau
We have a lot of chicken wing recipes here at Bon Appétit. We’ve got vinegar-ed, we’ve got herbed, spicy peanut, and even crab fat-caramel (trust us, they’re delicious). But you know what we didn’t have? A good old, spicy Buffalo wing recipe. So we made one. They’re addictive as hell.
The perfect Buffalo wing is spicy, but not screaming hot. Test Kitchen manager Brad Leone says, “If they’re too hot, all you’re doing is chasing the wings with water or beer and you don’t even taste the meat.” We found Frank’s Red Hot (a classic choice for hot wings) had just the right amount of chile flavor, but we wanted a touch more heat, so we added a pinch of cayenne. A knob of butter mellowed the sauce and added silky texture and balance.
See more: Our 7 Best Chicken Wing Recipes
We wanted wings you could hear once you take a bite. A lot of wings start out crispy but go soggy as soon as they get tossed in sauce. We found a quick dredge in some seasoned cornstarch, plus a few extra minutes in the fryer (that’s right: fry, don’t bake) made for sustainable crispiness even after saucing.
For the blue cheese dressing, we went with a classic creamy base of equal parts mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream. Blue cheese not your thing? This dip is equally delicious with feta or crumbled goat cheese instead.
See more: Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
Now all you need is a handful of celery sticks, carrots if you’re crazy, and a roll of paper towels. Oh, and maybe a few beers.
Recipe: BA’s Best Buffalo Wings (pictured above)
Blue Cheese Dressing
2 ounces mild blue cheese (such as Roquefort or Saint Agur), crumbled
¼ cup buttermilk
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ cup hot pepper sauce (such as Frank’s)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil for frying (about 10 cups)
¾ cup cornstarch
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated
4 celery stalks, cut into thin sticks
Special Equipment: Deep-fry thermometer
Blue Cheese Dressing
Whisk together blue cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Do Ahead: Dressing can be made up to 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Wings And Assembly
Preheat oven to 250°. Let wings sit at room temperature 30 minutes; this will take off the chill and help them cook evenly. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in hot sauce, cayenne, ½ tsp. pepper, and ¼ tsp. salt until combined. Remove pan from heat and set aside; rewarm just before tossing with wings
Pour oil into a large heavy pot to a depth of 2” and fit with a deep-fry thermometer. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 375°.
Meanwhile, place cornstarch in a large bowl. Season wings with salt and pepper. Working in 3 batches, dredge wings in cornstarch, shaking off excess, then carefully lower wings into oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and crust is golden brown and very crisp, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven to keep warm while you fry remaining wings.
Transfer wings to a large bowl, add warmed sauce, and toss to coat. Serve immediately with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing for dipping.
Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool completely; cover and chill. Rewarm before using.
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