The Secret To Making Amazing Buffalo Wings At Home

Happy hour is a glorious time of day not only for its cheap drinks, but also for its great food deals. Sure you have your usual appetizer specials and bottomless servings of chips and guacamole, but everyone knows that the best bar snack of all time is wings — and learning how to make buffalo wings yourself is an important skill to have in this world. What could possibly go better with an ice cold beer after a long day at work than juicy bites of chicken, fried to a perfect crisp and covered in hot and spicy buffalo sauce? And don't get me started on the blue cheese dressing. If buffalo wings are the Beyoncé of bar food (which they totally are), then that makes blue cheese Jay-Z, because these two were made for each other. The flavor combination of heat, the seasoning of the wings, and the creamy coolness of the dressing is enough to get your mouth — and possibly your eyes — watering.

When it comes to making wings at home, it is a lot easier (not to mention cheaper) than you think. Though a lot of bars and restaurants fry their wings, I found that not only are baked wings a little healthier, but they come out juicier without losing that crispy, crunchy skin. With just a few basic ingredients and about a half an hour of your time, you too can have mouthwatering wings to enjoy from the comfort of your own couch.

Ingredients:

Blue Cheese

• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Buffalo Wings

• 1 lb. chicken wings, cut in half
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 tbs. salt
• 1 tbs. cayenne pepper
• 3 tbs. hot sauce of your choosing (I prefer Tiger Sauce)
• 1/2 bottle of Frank's Sweet Chili Hot Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven on broil. In a mixing bowl, combine blue cheese crumbles, sour cream, and mayo until well blended. Refrigerate until use.

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in salt and cayenne pepper. Add hot sauce and Frank's Sweet Chili Hot Sauce. Stir over heat until blended. Taste. If you like your buffalo sauce on the spicier side, add in more hot sauce to taste.

3. Lay out chicken wings on a tinfoil-covered cookie sheet. Pour half of the sauce over wings, or spread half of the sauce over wings with a sauce brush.

4. Bake wings for eight minutes on one side. Flip wings, cover in the remainder of the sauce, and cook for another four minutes. Wings should be crispy and cooked throughout. Serve hot with the blue cheese dipping sauce.

The Verdict

Better than anything you'll order at a bar, these crispy, spicy wings are literally finger-licking good. Whip a batch up for your next party or summer cookout, and you'll be everyone's new favorite cook — just be sure to bring plenty of napkins.

Images: Sadie Trombetta