Baked Buffalo Wings with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Hubby had a boys’ night this past weekend. Which means I got booted out so a bunch of guys could light absinthe on fire and talk about man-stuff. I have no idea what that stuff is exactly. What do men talk about when their female counterparts aren’t around? I think I’d rather not know…

One thing I do know, however, is that wings are man food. I’ve witnessed enough males trying to one-up each other on Wednesday Wing Night at such-and-such pub to know this is fact.

That doesn’t mean ladies don’t love them, too. We just do so with a touch more restraint, I think.

Buffalo wings are typically cooked naked, then liberally tossed with a butter-hot sauce mixture and served with a cooling, creamy blue cheese dip.

What I don’t get is why they’re always deep-fried, when they’re SO DELICIOUS and PERFECTLY CRISPY baked in the oven, with no additional fat (as chicken skin has plenty to share).

I’m not snubbing fat (as evidenced by the generous butter bath these babies took…) – but why deep fry AND butter bathe, if deliciousness ensues with just the latter? I mean, let’s not be excessive.

You can add more hot sauce or cayenne to suit your tastebuds’ need for punishment. The recipe, as written, has a good amount of fire – your nose might run a bit, but you won’t need to chug a gallon of milk for relief.

This blue cheese dressing – I have no words. Sometimes I just hit the nail right on the creamy-pungent-tangy head, and this is one of those times. The lemon juice is non-negotiable – it’s the secret ingredient that takes it from ordinary to vibrant.

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Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Prep Time 2 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Servings 8

Appetizer

American

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Baked Buffalo Wings

• 6 lbs chicken wings tips discarded, separated at joint into 2 pieces
• salt and pepper
• 6 tbsp 1/3 cup butter
• ½ cup hot sauce such as Franks RedHot
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper optional

Blue Cheese Dip

• 1 cup sour cream
• 125 g/4.5 ounces blue cheese crumbled
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp minced green onion from about 2 thin stalks
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread wings out over two large baking sheets, avoiding overlap (or else the wings will steam, rather than crisp up!). Season well with salt and pepper; bake about 40 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
• Melt butter over medium heat. Add hot sauce and cayenne, if desired (taste first, then add cayenne to your heat preference).
• Transfer wings to a large bowl and toss with sauce.
• To make dip, simply whisk together all ingredients.  Leftover dip may be refrigerated for two weeks.

Last Updated on January 23, 2013 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD