Buffalo Chicken Wings
Dry-brined overnight for real crunch, deep-fried until golden, then tossed in a glossy Frank’s-based buffalo sauce. Served with a proper homemade blue cheese dip and crunchy crudités on the side.
Don’t skip the overnight dry-brine, that uncovered rest on a rack pulls surface moisture out of the skin and it’s the real secret to crispy wings, more than the frying itself. Fry in batches too, overcrowding the pot drops the oil temperature and leaves you with pale, soggy skin.
Keep the buffalo sauce off a rolling boil, butter-based sauces like this split easily under high heat. Wings keep in the fridge for 4 days or the freezer for 3 months, toss in fresh sauce after reheating, not before.
Buffalo Chicken Wings
CHICKEN · APPETIZER · MEDIUM
Proper crunch, proper buffalo sauce
The overnight dry-brine is a genuine game-changer for home fried wings, pulling moisture out of the skin so it crisps up properly instead of steaming in the oil.
Making your own buffalo sauce means you control the balance completely, butter for richness, honey for a touch of sweetness, and enough Frank's to bring the heat without drowning the wings.
A homemade blue cheese dip beats anything from a bottle, and it comes together in the time it takes the wings to fry. Proper game day food, done right.
Buffalo Chicken Wings
Ingredients
Chicken & Oil
- 1.6 kg Chicken Wings Drums & Flats
- Salt
- Sunflower or Vegetable Oil For Frying
Buffalo Sauce
- 100 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 (300ml) bottles Frank's Hot Sauce
- 2 Garlic Cloves Crushed
- 20 g Honey
Blue Cheese Dip
- 80 g Mayonnaise
- 40 g Sour Cream
- 22.5 ml Buttermilk
- 1 Garlic Clove Minced
- 0.5 g Yellow Mustard Powder
- 50 g Blue Cheese Crumbled
- Salt & Pepper
Serving
- Carrots Batons
- Celery Batons
Method
- Trim and separate the chicken wings into drums and flats, patting them as dry as possible with paper towels. Add to a bowl, season lightly with salt, and combine. Lay the wings on a rack over a baking tray and refrigerate overnight, uncovered, to dry out — this is what gives the perfect crunch.
- Preheat oil in a large, deep pot to 200°C (390°F). Fry the wings in batches for 11–12 minutes, or until golden and crispy on the shell and the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F). Remove and drain on a wire rack, seasoning with salt right as they come out of the oil.
- To make the buffalo sauce, add all the ingredients to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk gently and heat until everything is combined. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed. Remove from the heat — don't let the sauce boil, or it will split.
- For the blue cheese dip, place all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well, breaking up the blue cheese if it's in a block. Once smooth, check the seasoning.
- Add the cooked wings to a bowl, pour over the buffalo sauce, and toss to coat well. Serve on a platter alongside the blue cheese dip and crudités. Dig in.
Do I really need to dry-brine the wings overnight?⌄
It's optional, but it makes a real difference to the crunch. Pulling surface moisture out overnight is what gives you that shatteringly crisp skin rather than just relying on the fry.
Why does the buffalo sauce need to stay off a rolling boil?⌄
Butter-based sauces split easily under high heat. A gentle simmer is all it needs to come together into something glossy rather than greasy and separated.
Can I bake or air fry these instead of deep frying?⌄
Yes, air frying works particularly well after the dry-brine step. You won't get quite the same shatter as deep frying, but it's still properly crisp.
Can I make the blue cheese dip ahead of time?⌄
Yes, it keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days, so it's an easy one to make ahead of a get-together and just pull out when needed.
