Hot Wings
There were years that passed when I wouldn’t touch a hot wing. I got food poisoning, or possibly a lingering case of disgust, from a Buffalo Wild Wings while in college. After many years, I finally decided to try them again, and I now love hot wings more than ever. I especially love that I can bake them for a keto/low-carb option.
I first tried tossing the wings in baking powder and salt before baking after reading this recipe from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt with Serious Eats. He contends that if you are able to toss wings in salt and baking powder, then let them dry out in the fridge for several hours, you can bake the wings and get a pretty crispy wing. I’ll tell you, for baked wings, they are pretty darn good.
After baking, toss in whatever sauce or dry rub you want. Because this is America, I am making these with Frank’s Xtra hot sauce!
Hot Wings
Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds hot wings (drummettes and chicken wing portions)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup Frank’s Xtra Hot
Directions:
Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels and toss into a bowl. Sprinkle in the baking powder and salt. Toss to combine.
Prepare a half sheet by covering with aluminum foil and then place a roasting wire rack on top. Align the wings on top on the rack. Now store in the fridge for about 8 hours so that the wings can dry out a bit. This will help them crisp up in the oven later on.
When it’s time to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and cook for 30 minutes. Then flip and cook another 20-30 minutes. They should look very crispy. Be sure to keep an eye on them because everyone’s ovens are different
When you’re ready to pull the wings from the oven, add the pad of butter to a sauce pan over medium- low heat. Add the hot sauce and let it simmer for about 1 minute. Then add the wings to a large bowl, pour in the sauce and use tongs to toss.