Buffalo Wings - Kicked Up with Frank's Red Hot!

Ok, for all of you who want to present something at your next party that your guests will love you for, try this one on for size! This dish will treat your guests with some heat, twang, crunch, buttery overtones, and lip smackin' great taste! Bring your napkins, please!

This is a great recipe to throw together when you don't feel like making an elaborate dinner with multiple ingredients.

For those of you who are struggling to find the right recipe for the Super Bowl party or your next event, search no more!

Philzgrill is all about simplicity. One of my key themes for cooking is simplicity and fresh ingredients. Now I'm all for creating some dishes with ingredients-a-plenty, but that can be costly, time consuming and leave you with little time to read your favorite book while trying to get some leisure time for yourself.

The following (5) ingredients will be needed for this dish:

1 Cup Frank's Red Hot

2-T Butter

1 T Red Wine Vinegar

2 lbs of Chicken Wings

Preparing Chicken Wings

I usually buy the wings with the drums and the wings already separated. In California, we have a company, Foster Farms, that produces "Party Wings" (see photo). Some stores may not have this option for you. If not, you will have to cut through the wing and the drum yourself. This will take a little longer but won't present any problems.

Rinse chicken thoroughly with water. Pat down with paper towel to remove excess water. Place chicken wings in a large bowl and combine with salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (enough to coat chicken wings). Toss together and prepare to place on BBQ.

BBQ'ing the Wings

I will usually set BBQ to medium high heat and place chicken on BBQ. Watch closely as wings will drip fat and flare-ups can create problems. I usually will turn wings every minute or two and allow skin to get crispy. Crispy skin is one of the key features and secrets to creating a masterful wing recipe. The process of turning chicken may take around 15-20 mins or until chicken is well cooked. I really want to emphasize cooking the skin well so it is very crisp. Once accomplished, remove from heat and set aside.

Preparing Sauce

In a larger saucepan, heat pan under medium-high heat. Add 1 Cup of Frank's Red Hot and allow to come to boil. Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the saucepan and whisk mixture. To kick it up a notch (old Emeral Lagasse expression), add your red wine vinegar and mix thoroughly. As dish comes to boil, reduce heat. Now you are ready to add wings. This easy sauce will have a buttery consistency with a kick.

Wings

Add wings previously cooked on BBQ and coat with sauce in pan. Mix sauce well with chicken allow chicken to reheat in pan (2-3 minutes). Once done, plate and serve warm. I usually will cut up a baguette and serve with dish. Additionally, celery and carrot sticks are a great complement.

Summary

This dish can be used as a stand alone dish, but more likely, you will use it as an appetizer. I have a great blue cheese complement to the dish which I will write about later. The key to this dish is to BBQ the chicken on higher heat so the skin is cooked quicker and whose desired texture should be more crispy. I will usually crisp the chicken first, then lower heat and allow chicken to cook without drying out the meat. If you don't get the skin crispy, this dish will not make the cut.

Frank's Red Hot speaks for itself. It's outstanding and has great spice and heat without blowing you away. You can find this in your local grocery store.