Author Notes: I am from Buffalo, NY and I love wings. Strange right. I also prefer the wing portion over the drummette. However, I find it frustrating to try to effectively dip the wing portion in bleu cheese. So this recipe is my attempt to integrate the cool, rich flavor of bleu cheese with the thrill of hot sauce and the least post fying work necessary. Enjoy! – foodfighter —foodfighter
Food52 Review: Foodfighter, a Buffalo native, knows wings. When we said we were open to the best version of a traditional favorite, a recipe like this one was what we were driving at. The glaze — butter, hot sauce, honey and a spritz of lemon — is classic and perfectly proportioned, and the technique of smearing the wings with a blue cheese “dip” before coating them in flour and cornstarch is sheer brilliance. With every bite, you get tangy heat, a satisfying crunch, tender meat and a seductive hint of blue cheese. Trust us: even your non cheese-eating friends will happily tuck into these. – A&M —The Editors
Serves: 4
Ingredients
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4
ounces strong bleu cheese
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2
ounces cream cheese
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2
ounces sour cream
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2
pounds chicken wings
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4
tablespoons Corn Starch
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2
tablespoons All Purpose Flour
-
1
teaspoon Pepper
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1
teaspoon Salt
-
.5
cups Franks Red Hot Sauce
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4
tablespoons Butter
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2
tablespoons Honey
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Lemon juice, to taste
Directions
- Combine cheese and sour cream in Food Processor or Mini Prep and process to smooth spread/puree.
- Combine Corn Starch, Flour, Salt and Pepper in a shallow dish.
- Thoroughly dry wings using paper towels. Cover the skin/meat of each wing with a thin layer of the bleu cheese spread. Then dredge each with in the Corn Starch Mixture, making sure each wing is well covered. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Bring 2 – 3 quarts of peanut oil to 365 degrees in a heavy pot (I use a enameled dutch oven). Fry wings in 1 pound batches for about 15 minutes until crispy. For each batch, to cooling rack over newspaper in a sheet pan.
- Melt butter, stir in hot sauce, honey and lemon juice. Add ground cayenne or more Frank’s Red Hot Sauce to taste.
- Place wings in a wide mouth bowl and pour sauce over the top. Shake bowl gently to distribute sauce.
- Root for the worst football team in the league, the Buffalo Bills. Not mandatory.
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An artist's palette: honey, corn starch, hot sauce, butter, cream cheese, sour cream and Stilton.
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If you wash your wings, dry them well — you don't want any sputtering in the hot oil.
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The ingredients for the blue cheese "dip" go into the food processor for easy blending.
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Aren't food processors fun?
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Don't worry: it may look a little like green caulking, but it works wonders on these wings.
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Amanda delicately smears the blue cheese mixture onto each wing.
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And then they're dunked into cornstarch and flour.
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Into the fridge for half an hour; there, the flavors will meld and the skin dry out a little more.
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These guys go into the hot oil until golden brown and crispy, and cooked through — we found 8 to 10 minutes was just right.
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While the wings are frying, you can quickly whip up the sauce, which starts with melted butter and hot sauce (we used Frank's).
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And ends with a little honey and lemon juice to taste.
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Draining the wings on a rack over a baking sheet catches drips and keeps them crisp.
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We chose the dip and swirl method for the sauce, but you can also throw the wings in a bowl and pour the sauce over them.
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