Sriracha Buffalo Wings - Hoowee!

I had a tenacious craving for buffalo wings the other day and if I didn’t get it satiated within a few hours I was going to pour butter and Sriracha on myself and start nibbling away. There’s something about that crispy skin, tangy and rich sauce and walloping chickeny flavor that allows me to consume them in mass quantities. I’m talkin’ fifty or more.

A long time ago in Buffalo, NY, a small bar owner was closing up shop and getting ready to go home for the night when her son and his football team walked in and demanded a hearty meal that would satisfy their beastly appetites. The woman combined equal parts butter and bottled hot sauce, put it over deep fried chicken wings and added an important page to the history book of American cuisine. Now on every bar and grill menu from Buffalo to the Bay Area, these nuclear missiles of flavor have inspired eating contests galore and I’m prepared to reveal their secrets.

Most restaurants and fancy places like that deep fry their drumettes and then toss them in a 50/50 solution of melted butter and the hot sauce of their choice. They also serve you celery and bleu cheese dressing on the side. If I wanted a salad I would make a salad. No room for any veggies on this plate, sister. I’ve augmented the standard recipe for home ease and my personal taste. Make these and devour with your boys over cold beers and the NBA playoffs.

You will need:

2 lbs chicken wings (you can buy these in party packs at the supermarket)

3 tablespoons butter

Quarter cup Sriracha hot sauce or any of your choosing

2 tablespoons honey

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Pat the wings dry with a paper towel and line them up in one layer on a roasting rack on an aluminum foil line sheet pan. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes. Flip the wings over with a pair of tongs and roast for another 40 minutes. In the mean time, melt butter over a low flame in a small saucepan. Once butter is melted, add honey and hot sauce and stir to combine. Once the wings are done, immediately toss them in a large bowl with the prepared sauce and devour. An hour and twenty minutes seems like a long time to roast such small pieces of meat but to achieve crispy wing nirvana, you must resist the urge to pull the wings earlier. Go crazy with sauce options. Like jalapenos? Chop a fresh jalapeno into rounds and cook it with the sauce. Add some ginger and soy for a little bit of an Asian flair, or cumin and chile powder for South of the Border wings.