The Wing Authority, Author at The Wing Authority.com

Bake those Buffalo wings

Eating healthy? Watching your carbs? Give up fried food for Lent? BAKE THOSE WINGS!

These flaps and drummettes got dusted with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne.

Baked is healthier than fried, right? And once you drop the extra salt and the breading from fried wings you’re pretty much just eating a lean piece of meat, right? So it goes. When you think about it, there’s some truth to those statements. But baked wings aren’t exactly the lightest meal. While baked chicken falls toward the healthier end of meat options, you’re still consuming the skin in a higher quantity than if you ate, say, one chicken breast with the skin on.

Nevertheless – there are those of us who are overcome by Buffalo wing cravings at least once a week, and there are those who would rather not eat fried food on a weekly basis. When the need for wings hits at full strength, baked wings are a lighter option than the breaded and fried variety of buffalo wings, so The Wing Authority says: BAKE THOSE WINGS!

The basic gist is that wings need to be roasted and crisped, then flipped over to get plenty of roasting on the other side. You can’t have Buffalo wings without that distinctive crispy bite. Next, you toss them in hot sauces and something buttery, and you’re all set. Baked wings that are totally Buffalo. The most common disadvantages to baked wings are that the skin can be soggy or that the meat isn’t as juicy from overcooking. The Wing Authority will show you how to get them crispy and keep them moist.

The key to successful baked, truly Buffalo wings is getting the skin crispy. This can be tricky when you consider that you also have to watch not to dry the meat out with too much heat. No worries. We’ve got the way right here.

These came out nicely! — This separate batch without spices came out nicely!

THE WING AUTHORITY “CRISPY WING” METHOD

1. Pre-heat over to 425 degrees

2. Arrange thawed, rinsed chicken wings on a broiler pan so that the heat envelops the meat. Try to turn each flapper skin-side down and to leave some room between wings, if you can.

3. Bake wings for 18-22 minutes. Look for the chicken skin to begin to brown and for the wings to tighten up and lose their “wet” look.

4. Turn up oven temp to the HIGH BROIL setting, and set the time for 5-8 minutes. Remove the wings from the oven when the skin has browned and at least a few of the wings have small charred spots.

5. Using tongs, flip each wing on the pan to turn them over. Reduce the oven heat back to 425, and slide the pan of wings back into the oven. Set your timer for 15 minutes. This last stretch of baking time may vary depending on the number of wings and your type of oven, but what you’re looking for is that the skin browns.

6. Once the wing skin is looking brown, increase the heat up to HIGH BROIL again, and scorch the wings for about 5 minutes. Again, if you see a few of the wings start to blacken, then you’re where you want to be. The meat inside will be tender and juicy and the skin will have the familiar CRISP of classic, fried Buffalo wings.

7. Stop reading this and make some hot sauce. You’ve got wings to bake!

Zaxby’s – Southern Buffalo!

There’s a lot to say about Zaxby’s. This is a short order restaurant chain that stretches from Florida to Virginia to Texas to Missouri. It’s entire aesthetic speaks to old Americana and country cooking. The menu is substantial but not overwhelming, the food is fast and always tasty, and the number of locations spread throughout the land makes it a reliable stop for Buffalo wings.

Check those out. Great red color, peppery sauce, served with celery and…Ranch Sauce. The Wing Authority refuses to acknowledge ranch as part of a truly Buffalo wings experience. Nevertheless, after two or three bites of Zaxby’s delicious “Insane” sauce, I’ll eat just about anything to cool the palette. Zaxby’s also serves milkshakes, by the way.

Southern Buffalo wings may sound like an oxymoron. I am pleasantly surprised by just how fantastic Zaxby’s chicken really is. The hot sauces are as zesty as can be, sharp and peppery, not at all dull or too greasy. The Wing Authority has been a Zaxby’s-lover for years, and anytime you’re on the highway needing Buffalo wings to keep it interesting, this is a place you can count on.

My friends in Georgia are all big fans and, despite the single-use plates and cups, this restaurant is completely acceptable as a place for lunch or casual dinner. That is, of course, unless you’re like me and a fan of “Insane” sauce. Zaxby’s does not bluff. Unlike many places that offer “extra hot” or “suicide” wings, Zaxby’s brings serious heat and you can expect a lift. I love it.

The Wing Authority stands by Zaxby’s and is proud to clock it in as very Buffalo (even without the blue cheese).

King Street Grill in Charleston, SC

While visiting a friend in Charleston, South Carolina, we found ourselves checking out the action downtown on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and got the hunger. Knowing me as well as he does, my friend mentioned that King Street Grille is known to have good wings. That’s really all it takes to get The Wing Authority interested.

We walk into the downtown location of this local restaurant chain, and it’s a big sports bar, tastefully dotted with TV’s, a full bar, and high-top tables. We scoped out one for ourselves and got a couple of beers while reviewing the nice-looking menu.

Didn’t take much to find the list of wing flavors. The wings were featured center stage. Naturally, I ordered up the XXX Hot. Alongside the Buffalo flavors were a number of novelty flavors that just didn’t really draw my attention.

But do these wings look XXX Hot to you? They were not. They’re pretty-looking chicken, no doubt, but that syrupy brown sauce – with no detectable hint of crushed habanero peppers or the sting of high-octane cayenne pepper sauce – just doesn’t scream XXX Hot. Tell you what though – this was some of the best blue cheese I’ve ever had. Cheers to that!

A-HA! The posters advertising wing night at King Street Grille show that this is a place that prides itself in its wings! The Wing Authority should swing by on a wing night, because on this rainy Sunday afternoon the XXX Hot wings were not the least painful and not even Buffalo. Great service, clean downtown location, and a fun, open atmosphere. Just don’t come here for the Buffalo wings.

Blue Cheese vs. Ranch? Choose the original!

“Ranch is for salads!” “Blue cheese all the way!”

There is a very serious debate taking place in the Buffalo wing-eating community:

WHEN IT COMES TO BUFFALO WINGS, WHICH DRESSING MAKES A BETTER CREAMY COMPANION?

Blue cheese is the original. Ranch has a salty, herbal tang that makes it an interesting choice.

But let’s be real – what’s next? Thousand Island? Mayonnaise? I just gagged a little.
The Wing Authority officially declares here that… BLUE CHEESE is the only way to do Buffalo wings. First and foremost, blue cheese was the original dipping sauce to accompany those first hot wings on that fateful night at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. We can’t change the history of Buffalo wings any more than we can change that the Romans spoke Latin. But in addition to the history & tradition, the stark color contrast of white dressing on red sauce, the way it cools the palette, the tasty bits of cheese – there is no better compliment to this food than chilled, creamy blue cheese dressing.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? COMMENT BELOW

I’m No Foodie

When describing this website to a friend the other day, he described me as a “food critic” and asked me if I was a “foodie.” I had no problem answering no.

You see, my taste buds are conditioned (damaged?) by years of sampling pounds of wings tossed in sauces with names like Atomic, Suicide, Insane, Triple Threat, etc. I’m not the kind of guy who can detect the oak barrel in a sauvignon blanc. Exotic ingredients, plate presentation, and food in general doesn’t excite me in the same way as your typical foodie.

My passion is for Buffalo wings. I eat them all the time as a necessity and with seriousness. There is work to do. Call me a food critic if that helps, but the truth is that the role of The Wing Authority is simple: TO OBSERVE AND PRESERVE THE BUFFALO WING TRADITION.

Anything else is mostly just fluff.