Who doesn’t love Buffalo Wings? They go perfectly with watching football.
Baked Buffalo Wings
But they are something that usually are enjoyed at a restaurant because most people don’t have a deep fryer in their home kitchen.
Breaded and deep fried Buffalo Wings are super high in fat, so they are not something you should eat everyday.
But what if there a way to enjoy Buffalo Wings in your own home? And what if they had far less fat than the traditional sports bar appetizer, yet had all the great flavor?
That was the challenge I came up with for myself. The result were these delicious baked Buffalo Wings.
While chicken wings are still higher in fat than low-fat diet staples like boneless skinless chicken breast or ground turkey, because these Buffalo Wings are baked instead of submersed in hot cooking oil they have less fat and fewer calories than those found at Hooter’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, or your favorite watering hole.
Chicken wings are also some of the least expensive proteins you can buy. Usually, you can find them for $.99/lb or less.
Only a few decades ago, chicken wings were either thrown away or used to make chicken stock.
But back in the 1970s, a woman named Teressa Bellisimo – owner of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York — invented them on the spot to feed a bunch of hungry college students her son Domonic brought home unexpectedly. She threw a bunch of wings in a deep fryer then tossed them in a mixture of cayenne pepper sauce and butter, then served them up with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
They quickly became a fixture on sports bar appetizer menus everywhere.
Franks Wing Sauce
My reduced fat recipe uses the same sauce — melted butter and Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce — but the wings are baked instead of fried, then tossed with bread crumbs and baked again.
The result is a delicious, reduced fat version of this classic appetizer. And just in time for the NFL playoffs!
Baked Buffalo Wings
1 lb. Chicken Wings (about 8 to 10 wings)
Sea Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1/2 cup Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 cup Bread Crumbs (I used Panko, Japanese-style breadcrumbs that are larger than traditional breadcrumbs)
Celery Stalks
Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing
1/4 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Separate wings at the joint. If the wing tip is included, you can either save it for stock or discard it because it doesn’t have enough meat on it to make it worth keeping. Spray a baking sheet with pan spray and lay out the chicken wings. Season with S&P, flip over and season the other side. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven.
2. Combine melted butter and wing sauce in a mixing bowl. Add chicken wings and toss so that all are thoroughly coated. Add bread crumbs and toss again. Return wings to sheet pan and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove from oven. Combine dressing and blue cheese crumbles. Serve on the side with celery stalks.
A question for my foreign readers: Are Buffalo Wings strictly an American phenomenon or are they popular elsewhere as well? I’m just curious!
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