They’re not typical chicken wings one would buy at the market. They were once actually considered waste bits too small to serve properly or use for anything other than soup, which was a shame since much of the actual meat is decent white meat. Generally, the “Buffalo wings” style is to take the mini-drumsticks and wing pieces, and put them in a deep fryer for about 10 minutes IIRC. Once they are crispy, they are put into a large container containing a concoction that varies according the the ‘secret recipe’ of a given establishment. But the basic ingredients are a cayenne pepper based hot sauce such as “Franks Hot Sauce™” and a mixture of butter (or some weird yellow substitute of coconut oil flavoring which is we used when I worked in a “sub and pizza” take away in high school). Ingredients also can include bits of garlic, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, and other different stuff. The container is then shaken vigorously and the wings should look something like the pic’s below. Flavors vary from mild, medium, and hot, or “suicide” depending how the individual palettes’ tolerance for spiciness. They can also be slathered in barbecue sauce, but personally I think this is an abomination and takes away from the regional charm and distinctiveness…
They are served with a blue cheese dressing for dipping and generally come with celery and carrots on the side (for your veggies–yeah right! Who are we kidding, this stuff is God-awful for you, but nothing tastes better during a night of binge drinking :mrgreen: ) I try to avoid them in all honestly because they have more cholesterol than a bucket of lard, but maybe once every couple of a months I’ll put in an order for them. Supposedly they were invented at a local establishment called “The Anchor Bar” which made them ad hoc as an hor’d’vores for late night patrons after the kitchen had closed or ran out of food. There are stories below, and yes, very few places outside Buffalo ever get them right. They almost always use the wrong kind of wings, make them soupy, or not crispy enough or whatever–and generally should be avoided when eating at national chain restaurants and are best ingested in bars and the numerous pizza & sub(marine sandwich shops) that abound here. Wings can also be made at home with recipes and ingredients available on the 'net…
