It’s primetime for lovers of TV sports, with baseball, soccer, basketball and hockey all lighting up the screen. It can be quite a workout cheering on your favourite team, but it can also be fun cooking up some fitting food so you don’t go hungry.
To me, the food you won’t strike out serving is a succulent batch of spicy chicken wings. With the right amount of heat, wings will perfectly complement that cold beverage you’re enjoying. I’ve cooked up three recipes that I believe achieve that, the first being a version of Buffalo wings.
Lore suggests that these wings were first served at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y. According to that establishment’s website, anchorbar.com, one night in 1964 a chap named Dominic Bellissimo was tending bar when a group of ravenous friends showed up late one evening.
Dominic asked his mother, Teressa, to prepare something for them to eat. She must not have had much to work with, because Teressa decided to serve them deep-fried chicken wings, a food back then most often destined for the stock pot.
After they were cooked, she tossed them with a “secret sauce,” which in most Buffalo wings recipes these days consists of hot pepper sauce and melted butter. Her wings, which were rich and spicy and an instant hit, ended up on the menu, and it didn’t take long for people to flock to the bar to experience this new taste sensation — and they still do.
In my version, the Buffalo wings are not deep-fried, they’re baked. That makes them lighter on the calorie count but they’re still richly flavoured, thanks to a multiple-hour soak in hot pepper sauce before they are cooked. Just before serving, for added richness, they too are tossed with a bit of melted butter before being served with a blue cheese dip and some crisp celery sticks.
My second recipe begins with marinating chicken wings with Asian-style flavourings, including sriracha, a spicy, smooth hot sauce that’s almost used like ketchup these days, it’s so popular. Also soaking their flavour into the wings are sake, teriyaki sauce, ginger and honey. Once cooked, the wings have a most compelling spicy, salty, sour and sweet flavour.
Rounding out my wing-o-rama is piri piri chicken wings. Those wings are marinated in a palate-awakening mixture of crushed chili flakes, olive oil, lemon, garlic, and herbs before being baked.
All of today’s recipes can be made spicier or milder by simply increasing or reducing the amount hot pepper sauce, sriracha or crushed chili flakes. To my palate, today’s wing recipes were slightly above the medium-spice level.
All of today’s recipes call for chicken wingettes, the middle portion of the wing near the tip, and chicken drumettes, the meaty section attached to the breast. Many groceries stores sell chicken wings cut this way, but if your store does not, you’ll have to split whole wings into these pieces.
> Recipes on page C3
Baked Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip and Celery Sticks
This version of the famed barroom dish starts by marinating the wings in a simple hot pepper sauce mixture. They are then baked and tossed with a little melted butter to enhance their flavour even more. To push things over top, the wings are then served with an addictive blue cheese dip and some crisp sticks of celery.
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus marinating time
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes: 24 wings
For the dip
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp hot pepper sauce, such as Franks RedHot or Tabasco
* salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
100 grams blue cheese, coarsely crumbed
1 large green onion, very thinly sliced
Place the first six ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the cheese and green onion. Cover and refrigerate the dip until needed. Dip can be made several hours before serving.
For the wings
12 chicken wingettes
12 chicken drumettes
1/2 cup hot pepper sauce, such as Franks RedHot or Tabasco, or to taste
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
* salt to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter
24-36 sticks of celery
Place the wings, hot sauce, paprika and cayenne in a bowl and toss to combine. Cover the wings, refrigerate and marinate, turning occasionally, for up to eight hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the wings on the baking sheet. Brush with any marinade in the bowl. Season the wings with salt. Bake 35 minutes, turning once, or until cooked through.
Place the melted butter in a bowl large enough to hold the wings. Add the wings and toss to coat with the butter. Arrange the wings on a serving platter with the blue cheese dip and celery and enjoy.
Sriracha, Sake and Teriyaki Wings
Super satisfying wings flavoured Asian-style, with intriguing spicy, sour, salty and sweet flavours.
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus marinating time
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes: 24 wings
3 Tbsp sriracha
3 Tbsp teriyaki sauce (I used Kikkoman brand)
3 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 large garlic clove, minced
12 chicken wingettes
12 chicken drumettes
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the wings. Add the wings and toss to coat. Cover the wings, refrigerate and marinate, turning occasionally, for four to eight hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the wings on the baking sheet. Brush with any marinade left in the bowl. Sprinkle the wings with sesame seeds.
Bake 35 minutes, turning once, or until cooked through. Arrange on a serving platter, spoon pan juices over top, sprinkle with green onions, and enjoy.
Piri Piri Chicken Wings
Chicken wings spicily and deliciously flavoured Portuguese-style, with chilies, lemon, herbs and garlic.
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus marinating time
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes: 24 wings
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp dried, crushed chili flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
12 chicken wingettes
12 chicken drumettes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• salt to taste
• lemon slices for garnish
Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold the wings. Add the wings and toss to coat. Cover the wings, refrigerate and marinate, turning occasionally, for four to eight hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the wings on the baking sheet. Brush with any marinade left in the bowl. Season the wings with salt. Bake 35 minutes, turning once, or until cooked through.
Arrange the wings on a serving platter and spoon over any pan juices. Sprinkle wings with cilantro, garnish with lemon slices and dig in.
Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.