Make Your Own Buffalo Wings-

No frying involved.

and just as delicious. I promise.

I learned this recipe, like many others, from my mom. I have made these wings on a handful of occasions and have been told these are "the best wings ever". It's very easy, the one piece of specialty equipment I would recommend having, but is not necessary, is a rack to cook the wings on. I made two baking sheets worth of wings last night, one with rack and one without [I only have one rack]; both trays came out crispy and delicious, but using the rack facilitates better cooking and crisping. Sans rack, the wings took a little longer to crisp up, most likely due to the fact that they are sitting in all of the fat rendering out of them.

For this recipe you will need:

20 Chicken Wings [the amount of wings is simply suggestive of a ratio of meat to spices for you to keep in mind when making larger or smaller batches]

1 tsp Ground Chipotle Chile

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Kosher Salt, as needed

Process:

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Yes, 500 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken wings, chipotle and oil; get in there with your hands and mix it all together until the chipotle is lightly distributed throughout all of the wings.

3. Arrange the wings, being sure to leave a little bit of space between each, on a rack on a baking sheet.  If you do not have a rack you can place them directly on a non-stick baking sheet. If you do not have a non-stick baking sheet, line it with parchment paper.

with rack.

without rack. on a non-stick baking sheet.

4. Season the wings with a couple of pinches of Kosher Salt and put them into the oven, toward the top rack.

5. About 12 minutes after putting the wings in the oven, take a peak and see if they are a deeply golden brown; if you are like me, and your oven light has burnt out, use caution when opening the oven door because it will be smokey in there. If the wings are not a deep golden/bronze allow them to cook about 5 more minutes and check on them again.

with rack.

without rack... a few were tasted prior to this photo for quality control purposes ;o)

6. Once the wings are crisped & bronzed on top, remove the tray from the oven and, using tongs, flip each wing over. Return the rack to the oven and allow to cook for an additional 5 - 7 minutes, or until the flipped wings are crisped.

7. Devour.

Serving Suggestions:

1. I like mine with the sauce on the side; it helps maintain the crispiness.

2. Sauce 'em up. Traditional Wing sauce is a mix of butter and hot sauce, I love Frank's. In a medium bowl, combine 4 Tbsp softened unsalted butter [we're already bordering hypertension by using copious amounts of Frank's] and 1/2 Cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Once the wings are out of the oven, place them in the bowl with the sauce, using tongs, and toss to coat.

3. Don't forget the blue cheese!

Blue Cheese Dressing:

1/4 Cup non-fat Greek Yogurt

1/4 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 tsp dried Chives

1/2 tsp White Balsamic [or 1/4 tsp White Vinegar]

1/8 tsp Kosher Salt

1/4 Cup Gorgonzola Cheese crumbles [or blue cheese. whichever brand of funk you prefer]

Process:

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the cheese, in a small mixing bowl.

2. Fold in the blue cheese crumbles.

3. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

4. Cover and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes so that all of the flavors can get aquainted before game time.

5. Serve!