Where There's A Wing, There's A Way!

Every now and then,
you just want some fried chicken.

 Today, I'm making buffalo wings for my little Hawthornelet-
with a hot buffalo sauce,
a tangy coleslaw, and a most delightful bleu cheese dip.

Ahhh.  
The wings of buffalo!

Buffalo wings, so the story goes,
were invented in 1964 by Teressa Bellissimo,
proprietor of the Anchor Bar, in Buffalo, New York.
The bar received a delivery of chicken wings
instead of necks which were used in their spaghetti sauce.
To avoid wasting the wings,
Bellissimo concocted a bar appetizer,
  with the result being the wings we know and love today.

 First, I cut off the tips.

 I put the wings in a storage bag

along with a marinade:

1 cup buttermilk

1/3 cup Texas Pete

Place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate,
massaging the meat once in a while,

being sure the marinade gets all over the meat.

Marinate at least an hour.

Mine stayed in the marinade for three hours.

Do not throw those tips away!

Place in freezer bags, label, and date.

Save them for making your own chicken stock.

And, believe me, you haven't lived until

 you've tasted your own homemade chicken consommé.

 Next, I'm making a bleu cheese dressing

for dipping the wings.

 

 Rosie's Bleu Cheese Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 TB lemon juice

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

pinch Kosher salt, to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled

Mix all together.

Cover and refrigerate and let the flavors meld.

After an hour or so,

taste test and adjust seasonings if necessary.

 I always like to add a little extra ground pepper and greenery on top.

Next, I'm making a cabbage and lettuce slaw -

a little cool to tame the Buffalo Sauce a bit.

 

Cabbage and Lettuce Slaw

2 cups sliced lettuce

1 cup sliced cabbage

2 TB buttermilk

1 TB lemon juice

1 TB mayonnaise

1 TB roasted red pepper, chopped

1 TB rice vinegar

1 TB sugar

1 TB chopped chives

1 TB chopped scallions

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

sprinkling of celery seed 

Mix together all except lettuce and cabbage.

Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed.

Pour dressing over tossed cabbage and lettuce slices.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.
Taste test again.

Those peppers are from a big batch 

Mr. Hawthorne canned last fall.

The lettuce is a nice addition to this slaw.

After marinating the chicken for 3 hours 

in a buttermilk and Texas Pete mixture,

I shook two wings at a time in cornstarch, 

kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper.

I use peanut oil for deep frying.

Never crowd the pan when frying.

It lowers the temperature of the oil

and you'll end up with greasy food, not crisp.

If the oil isn't hot enough,

the oil will reach the chicken before

a protective crust forms, making the chicken greasy.

If the oil is too hot, the exterior will overcook

before the interior is properly cooked.

When the oil is at the proper temperature,

the breading on the surface will quickly form a protective shield, 

preventing the oil from penetrating the chicken.

The temperature of my oil ranged between 325° and 350°.

I fried the wings for 8 minutes -

crisp on outside and juicy on the inside.

Drain on paper towels.

Lastly, I made a quick Buffalo sauce.

Rosie's Buffalo Sauce

6 TB unsalted butter

4 TB Texas Pete

1 TB Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

1 TB white vinegar
1/4 tsp granulated garlic

1/4 - 1/2 tsp of cayenne

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a small saucepan, melt butter.

Stir in rest of ingredients.

Serve warm.

Is that not some beautiful fried chicken?

Normally, for Buffalo chicken,

you'd toss the wings with the hot sauce;

however, I prefer to dip.

I would like the Wings of Buffalo please!