Hot Wings are all the rage now, especially during football season. On game days, Hot Wings , also known as Buffalo Wings, are sold by the millions. They are also a favorite snack at Sports Bars and taverns. And the hotter, the better. Sports events and Smoking Hot Chicken Wings seem to go hand-in-hand.
Hot Wings came on the scene in the early 1980s, and took the country by storm. Basic Hot Wings consist of chicken wings, deep fried (usually unbreaded), and soaked in a special sauce consisting of vinegar, cayenne pepper sauce, and hot butter, and served with celery sticks, and Blue Cheese, or Ranch dipping sauce. Since that first plate, there have been many variations on this theme, including the use of the first portion of the wings, known as ‘drummies’, chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, shrimp and even pizza. Sometimes the chicken is grilled instead of fried, and all combinations of hot sauces are used, rendering the finished product anywhere between ultra-mild, to borderline toxic.
There are many stories about how Hot Wings were created, and most of the stories involve the Anchor Bar, in Buffalo, NY, and the Bellissimo family, who own the bar. Depending on which family member you ask, the wings were created by accident, a mistaken order, or a gift to patrons. The first story is that Theresa Bellissimo created them as a quick snack for her son, Dominic, who arrived for a visit late one night, accompanied by several of his college friends. The second story, according to Dominic, is that one Friday, the bar was packed with Catholic patrons, who could not eat meat until after midnight, and the Bellissimos wanted to do something nice for them. At midnight, Theresa made up Hot Wings for all the guests, and they were an instant hit. The third story is that Frank, Theresa’s hubby, had ordered a case of chicken backs, and necks to make their spaghetti sauce (huh?, That’s a new one on me…), but a case of chicken wings was delivered instead. It was never explained why the wings could not be used for the sauce, but anyway, Frank asked Theresa to figure out some way to use them up, and the result was Hot Wings. All of the stories have one thing in common. Theresa gets the credit for developing the recipe. There is a fourth story involving a different restaurant, John Young’s Wings and Things, also in Buffalo. Mr. Young claims that his original version, called Wings in Mamba Sauce was a specialty of his restaurant in the mid-1960s.
However they got here, smoking hot chicken wings are here to stay. Not only are they a mainstay at bars during ball games, but they are also the main course at several championship competitive eating contests. A few restaurants have become famous by virtue of their hot wings, like Hooters, and Duffs.
Hot wings can be easily prepared at home. I’m including 3 recipes, one mild, one hot, and one dangerous.
Classic Hot Wings
4 pounds of chicken wings
½ cup McIlhenny’s, Louisiana, Bullseye, or Texas Pete Hot Sauce
¼ cup melted butter, or margarine
1 tbsp Apple Cider, or Malt vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
In a deep-fryer, heat oil to at least 360° F.
In a large mixing bowl, add hot sauce, butter, salt and pepper, and vinegar, and mix well.
Rinse chicken wings well under cold water and pat very dry. Allow to drain thoroughly.
Put chicken wings in fryer basket and lower into hot oil slowly. Fry until the wings are golden-brown, and crispy. Allow the wings to drain well.
Place wings in mixing bowl while still hot, and use a spoon to stir them around in the sauce until they are all well coated.
Arrange wings on a serving platter, and garnish with celery sticks, and Ranch, or Blue Cheese dressing.
Hooter’s Famous Hot Wings
10 chicken wings, thawed\
½ cup flour
¼ cup butter
¼ cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
¼ tsp each of cayenne pepper, salt and paprika
dash of back pepper
dash of garlic powder
vegetable oil for frying
Combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper and paprika in a mixing bowl, and mix well.
Drop wings in the flour mixture and coat each wing well.
Put wings in the refrigerator for 60-90 minutes. This makes the breading stick to the wings very well, and makes a great crust.
While the wings are chilling, heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375° F. Make sure you have enough oil to completely cover the wings.
Put wings in a frying basket and lower into the hot oil. Fry until golden-brown.
When wings are done, allow to drain well.
While the wings are draining, heat butter to melting in a sauce pan, and add hot sauce, garlic powder and black pepper, and mix well. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
When wings are drained well, drop them in the mixing bowl with the hot sauce and coat each wing well.
Arrange wings on a serving platter, preferably on a bed of lettuce, and garnish with celery sticks, and Blue Cheese Dressing.
Klingon Qaq Batlh Hot Wings
My personal recipe, and the first time I have ever shared it with anyone! My favorite hot wing recipe.
Warning-these hot wings are almost toxic. These really are smoking hot chicken wings! If you are not a hot sauce freak, use another recipe. Infinity Pepper Sauce is the absolute hottest sauce in the world, and is just slightly less on the Scoville Scale than Police Pepper Spray.
24 chicken wings, thawed, rinsed, and patted dry
1 cup flour
1/2 stick of butter, melted
½ cup McIlhenny’s Tabasco Sauce
1 Tbsp Infinity Chili Sauce
1 Tbsp Apple Cider vinegar
½ teaspoon each of Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Salt, Chili Powder and Cumin
Oil for deep frying
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375° F.
In a large mixing bowl, add flour, garlic powder black pepper, salt, Chili Powder and cumin. Mix well.
Dredge wings in the flour mixture, coating well. Allow them to sit for a few minutes, then dredge them again.
Place coated wings in a fryer basket and gently lower into the hot oil. Cover and fry until they are a deep golden-brown. When the wings are done, allow them to drain in the basket.
While the wings are draining, in a large mixing bowl, add vinegar, Tabasco, melted butter and Infinity Chili Sauce, and mix well.
Drop the wings in the hot sauce mixture and mix until all the wings are well coated.
Arrange the wings on a bed of lettuce on a large platter. Place a monkey dish of ranch dressing in the center of the platter with the wings arranged around it. Place several celery sticks in the ranch dressing with the ends sticking out. Serve with lots of Romulan Ale…
Qaq Batlh is Klingon for “Day of Honor”, a ritual in which Klingon Warriors endure ritual torture to cleanse their spirits.