It was in the early spring of 1964 when Teressa Bellissimo, owner of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo accidentally created the chicken wing, but it wasn't until 1977 that the chicken wing would find itself at the center of national attention. A large part of the reason that you and I even know the goodness that is the chicken wing is because in 1977, then mayor of Buffalo, Stan Makowski proclaimed that July 29th should officially be celebrated as National Chicken Wing Day. And it has been ever since.

Chicken wings are a staple in our house. We have a family wing night once a month where we make our own wings- not only because it’s cheaper than going out, but because it allows us to spend time together trying out new flavor combinations. My husband and I have spent countless hours perfecting our wings and we're excited to share with you our favorite sauce recipe.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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Ingredients:
2 cups canola oil
2pounds chicken wings
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
Hot Sauce (have fun by trying different flavors of hot sauce, or even BBQ sauce!)
2 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Directions:
Fry the wings naked (that means with no batter or breading) in the oil until they are golden. Or you can use a deep fryer (faster and less mess, for sure!). We have an air fryer and tried making our wings that way, and while good, they just weren't the same. When we cook our wings in the deep fryer, we cook them for 13 minutes at 350 degrees because we like our wings to be extra crispy.

Traci Taylor
Traci Taylor
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Once the wings have cooked, remove them and put them on a plate covered with a couple of layers of paper towels to drain the oil.  After the oil has drained, place the wings in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the hot sauce and vinegar.

How much hot sauce you add really depends on how hot you like your wings. Really, there’s no way that I can tell you how much hot sauce to add because it’s totally a personal preference. My suggestion is to always start with less hot sauce and then add more if after doing the pinky taste test you think your sauce isn't hot enough.

For two tablespoons of butter, I would start with two tablespoons of hot sauce if you like your wings to be on the mild side. If you like them a little more on the hot side, go with a 2 to 1 ratio of hot sauce and if you like your wings to burn with every bite, then you want a 3 to 1 ratio. The best thing though is to let your taste buds be the judge. Once you've got the sauce as hot (or not) as you want, add them to the sauce and toss together with kitchen tongs.

Hot Sauce
Traci Taylor
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Serve with carrots and celery if you’d like. And of course, lots and lots of blue cheese for dunking!

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