The Super Bowl is this weekend. (I don't need to tell you that!) I'm not a big watcher of the game, but I do love my wings. Since my husband grew up near Buffalo, he introduced me to wings in all their variations early in our relationship. I was already a wing girl then, in that it's the piece of the chicken I dash for first...crispy, delicate, and so very yummy!
Over the years I've tasted wings all over the place, and have learned how to make my own that, frankly, are far superior to anything you can get anywhere else -- although traditional hot buffalo wings from Pontillo's in LeRoy, NY, come close (but theirs are deep-fried).
I love good chicken wings so much that I've fantasized about entering Wing Bowl, an annual wing-eating competition held in Philadelphia. We listen to it on the radio the Friday morning before the Super Bowl, and it's hysterical. My favorite Wing Bowl moment of all time was when Sonya, the 99-pound woman known as the Black Widow, beat the three-time champ "El Wingador." I have no desire to be a Wingette, which is like a cheerleader for gluttonous overeating. The thing that stops me from entering the eating contest, however, is that I won't eat wings I don't like.
These wings, I love!
Maria's Hot Buffalo Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
24 organic chicken wings -- frozen or fresh
4 Tablespoons organic butter
1 cup Frank's Original Hot Sauce. (I'm sorry, but this is the only choice!)
Directions:
Put the wings on a roasting pan. If they aren't already cut into pieces, cut at each joint and place on the pan so the pieces are not touching.
Put the wings in an oven at 350 degrees, and roast until they are golden brown, crispy, and just right (about an hour).
In a saucepan, add the Frank's hot sauce and the butter, and melt over medium heat.
THE SECRET is to apply the sauce after the wings are out of the oven, and right before they're going to be eaten. Putting sauce on the wings while they're still in the oven makes soggy wings. Ewww!
Serve the wings on a plate; cover in the sauce or provide the sauce on the side for dipping.
Serving size, you ask? Well, Sonya can eat way more than 100.
For more from Maria Rodale, go to www.mariasfarmcountrykitchen.com.