Speaking of photography, if you want to grow your food blog fast, there is no better way out there right now than getting your photos accepted by Foodgawker and/or Tastespotting. If you have tried and been rejected, don’t give up! And don’t be bitter – get better! Nobody wants to hear you whine (on your blog, twitter, or to anyone else who will listen) repeatedly about how they only accept a certain type of photo, or from certain blogs, or whatever it is you tell yourself to soften the blow of their rejection! I’ve been rejected so many times I’ve lost count!!! I STILL get rejected way more often than I get accepted – especially by Tastespotting!! But when I do make the cut, my blog traffic spikes dramatically. We have a love/hate relationship (love to get accepted, HATE to get rejected!), and I credit their exposure for getting me to this point so quickly. Though I have cussed them out mentally many, many (many many many many many…a LOT ok?) times, I’m grateful to them both! So work harder, learn the basics of lighting and exposure (again, Plate to Pixel people!) and keep submitting! Oh and do yourself a favor and pore over the submission guidelines and do your research! Sarah G. over at Tastespotting finds photos of half eaten food gross, hates cilantro, and won’t accept your photo (even if it’s amazing) if your post is boring or too personal (Uh oh, this post is toast! ha ha!!) (see Sarah, I have been paying attention!) Keep abreast of what’s trendy or popular and blog about it – it will raise your chances of getting accepted by a lot!
And so I’m finally moving on to the food which is why most of you are here! Sorry it took so long, guess I had a lot to say today! If this is your first time here I swear I’m not usually quite this wordy! But cut a girl some slack, it’s a big day for me! So, the chicken wings! Who doesn’t love them?? Nobody I’ve ever met that’s for sure! And since it’s playoff season and no Superbowl party worth attending is without a big platter of wings, this seemed like as good a time as any for this recipe! There are a million delicious variations on chicken wings but since I’m doing low carb this week I kept it simple and sugar free – though a sticky, sweet, teriyaki chicken wing is hard to beat! The classic buffalo wing (at least in CT where I’m from) is generally Frank’s red hot sauce and butter. I added a quartered habanero for more heat but that was my only flavor enhancement. One thing I don’t do is deep fry my wings. It’s completely unnecessary in my opinion. There is enough fat in the skin and wing to fry itself when you bake it in the oven.
The trick is to bake them with no sauce first until they are crispy and cooked through. Then a bath in the sauce and back in the oven where they will get nice and crisp and the sauce bakes on – yum!. There isn’t much worse than a soggy chicken wing. But if you put the sauce on while they are raw and then try to bake them, by the time they get crisp (if ever) the meat will be completely dried out and barely palatable. So bake first, then sauce, then bake – repeat if you like them really saucy! And another thing – do yourself a favor and don’t pay extra for the bags of frozen winglets! Fresh wings are cheaper and all you have to do is make two cuts per wing to get the same product! Cut off the tips (I use them to make stock) and then cut through the joint to separate the “wing” from the “drumette.” It’s cheaper and better quality than those freezer burned thingy’s they sell in a bag!
Classic Buffalo Wings
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 lbs of fresh chicken wings
- 1 lrg bottle of Frank’s Red Hot sauce
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 1 habanero, seeded & quartered (optional)
Instructions
- After you trim the chicken put the pieces onto a cookie sheet (preferably foil covered, it took me forever to scrub mine clean last time!). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until golden and crisp – longer if you like them really crispy.*
- Meanwhile in a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the entire bottle of hot sauce as well as the habanero, if using. Simmer over low heat while the wings are in the oven.
- Remove wings from the oven and dump into the sauce, toss until well coated. Take them out and put them back on the cookie sheet – back in the oven for another 30 minutes or more.
- If you love them really saucy you can repeat this step. Or if you are cooking them for a party later, refrigerate the sauce and wings and then re-dunk and blast for 20 minutes in the oven right (375 F) before your guests arrive.
- Serve with lots of celery sticks and good quality blue cheese dressing! Nom, nom, nom!
Notes
*I seasoned mine with salt and pepper before baking and the finished product turned out a bit too salty. I didn’t use unsalted butter which may have been the problem. So if you season them before baking, use a light hand with the salt and make sure you use unsalted butter in the sauce!
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Chicken
Kim Bee says
I am sitting here in awe and close to tears that you counted me among your faves. I am beyond touched and completely blown away by this. To be included in such company as I am I am quite honestly almost speechless. And you know that does not happen often with me. Thank you so much for this. Also a huge thanks for your continued support of my blog. It really means so much to me. The connections we all make through a shared love of food and cooking is always amazing and humbling to me.
Congrats on a wonderful 6 months. I think you are rocking the blog world. I quite often come here for inspiration for photo styling and blog layout. Yours is so much cleaner and well designed than mine. Lol! I need to tweak mine for my 1 year coming up.
I have never tried making my own wings. I usually buy pre made ones for some unknown reason. You have inspired me to try my own. Toodles and smoochies. And a huge virtual hug for being so sweet! xx
Mellissa @ IbreatheI'mhungry says
Awwwwwww! My very own personal “Toodles and smoochies?!” I shall cherish it forever! Thanks so much Kim! I think you are awesome and I love hearing about mini-me and all of your family’s adventures! You make me laugh all the time! I love your lists and your candor. Your kind words really mean a lot to me–I’m speechless and teary that you’re speechless and teary! :) Yay for blogger solidarity! Big hugs to you! Looking forward to what you have in store for your blog for the 1 year but don’t sweat it – people love you for you, not a shiny, perfect blog page! XOXO
Jeff Liesener says
Thanks! I’ve been suffering from soggy chicken wings forever. We have a great natural drumette, but I’ve never been able to get them right. I’ll be sure to share if they turn out like they do in your pictures! :-)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hey Jeff! My condolences on the soggy chicken wingitis! Hope this helps – let us know how they are! May you feast on crispy wings from here on out!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Matt! I agree with you about the broiling, especially in the last few minutes! I used to boil mine to get some of the fat out and get them mostly cooked, then broil them with the sauce on and turn and baste them a few times to crisp them up – worked awesome! Especially boiling them first so that they are fully cooked since broiling can crisp the outside too fast and then they are raw or chewy inside – harder for the novice cook to master I think. For myself, I always seem to be making this for a party along with 5 other things going at the same time and I can’t remember how many times the fire alarm went off and I realized “CRAP, the wings!!!” I always forget them and burn the heck out of them so I went with the baking because the margin for error was much less! For me anyway! But when you don’t have a lot of time to wait, and can multitask or remember to set a timer, broiling is definitely a great way to get your wings crispy without frying them. Thanks for the reminder!!
MattS says
Just found this blog and really like it. One suggestion for the wings, if you don’t mind. Broil them and they will get a really nice crispness you can’t get by baking them at 350 without overcooking.
Beth says
I have a slightly different cooking method and no issues at all with soggy wings. Bake seasoned wings in a 400 F convection or 425 F oven non convection 20 minutes. Toss in the franks & butter. Even my son who dislikes chicken commented how good the wings were and crispy. I served them with sliced celery and ranch dressing. Yumo!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks FoodEpix, submitted!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Welcome Balvinder & congrats on 6 months too! Thanks for subscribing, I look forward to more of your comments!
FoodEpix says
Looks delicious. Would love for you to share your pictures with us over at foodepix.com.
Balvinder Ubi says
Its been 6 months to my blog as well.
Nice crispy and spicy chicken wings. I am following you thru mail subscription. This might seem strange to you as much as to me blogs which I have subscribed thru email takes some time to update.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks cue! Looking forward to it!
cueyourlife.com says
Happy blogiversary! Cheers to another 6 months!
Edi says
These look delish. What can one replace Frank’s sauce with. Not available in South Africa. Maybe a homemade recipe if you can’t suggest one. Do other chicken portions work just as well? Can’t wait for your reply to make them!! What a delightful blog! Edi
Anjali says
Late reply, but Nandos sauces are even better than Franks !
gravyst says
I’m in Australia and would love to try this recipe. I’m also looking for a sub for Franks Hot Sauce. Which Nandos sauce do you recommend, as there are many…
Jackie says
You can buy franks hot sauce from Woolworths :)
Charlotte says
And Coles too :)