Buffalo Wings

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Chef Kenny

Senior Cook
Joined
Aug 4, 2015
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126
Location
Central, VA
Well, since there seems to be nothing but crickets chirping in this new forum, I will throw some threads out and see if there is any interest. I see no one cares about hemp hearts so far!


You know what’s low carb by default? Chicken wings! Yep, one of my favorite foods. I had chicken wings down to a science…OK, I had just gotten them basically perfect every time. Then I went “low carb”…and since then I’ve been trying different coatings to replace the cornstarch I have used for years for that extra special “something’. Nothing really equaled the cornstarch and I tried several different flours, meals and starches.


I just recently discovered you don’t need a coating! Yes, typically most wings are not cooked with a coating in those big wing restaurants, and simply deep frying them for 12-15 minutes does make for a decent wing. But I recently ran across someone who wanted low carb crispy wings, and guess what? The double fry like is done with proper French fried is the ticket!


There are several “methods” out there now that I have found, including a very time consuming method developed by the Food Science writer J Kenji Lopez-Alt whose work is outstanding and solves and debunks a lot of repeated fallacies…like “country farm eggs taste better than supermarket eggs”. Yep, he eventually had to do a blind taste study using green food coloring so people could not see the rich color of the farm eggs. Once people could not psychologically have the color of the eggs in front of them, people could not taste a difference.


I digressed, but here’s his research and development on super crunch chicken wings. Pretty extensive, and I’ll try this at some point.


The method I used, was similar but a little less time consuming. I first deep fried the wings at 275° for 14 minutes. Then allowed them to cool to room temp for over an hour. Then re-deep fried at 375° for 6 minutes. The result was very, very crunchy…to the point I may back off the re-fry time just a couple minutes next time. The exterior is really crunchy, yet the interior is still moist and yet still ready to come off the bone.


I’m a Buffalo wing fan…big time. To the point that I literally see no need for any other varieties because I never get tired of Buffalo wings. I have to force myself to play with other versions like Asian, garlic butter parmesan, and dry coatings.


For years I thought I had been using Alton Brown’s Buffalo sauce recipe, but when I searched to find it to provide a link here, none of the results matched my recipe, so, unable to find where this came from (or did I tweak this myself, I can’t be sure), I am sharing the recipe I use.


Buffalo Wing Sauce:
2/3 Franks Red Hot Sauce (absolutely no substitution, ever…for me)
1/2 cup (that’s a whole stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (don’t use more, this is perfect little tweak)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Frank’s is actually not that hot)
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste (I don’t really add salt, I don’t think it needs it and I love salt, but it’s in this recipe for some reason)


Heat and stir all in a pan until fully blended


Alt: I usually do it in the microwave in a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. Be sure to melt the butter first, covered with something, stopping frequently to stir a bit, then add the sauce and everything else, and carefully heat on high intermittently, stirring with a whisk until warm/hot and combined. Let sit at room temp for a while to let flavors meld. Re-heat a bit before tossing with wings, the butter will re-solidify.


I like to let the wings rest for a few minutes fresh out of the fryer, if they are blistering hot and just out of the fryer, I think they steam a bit in the sauce softening the crunch of the exterior.


I use just enough sauce to coat the wings, tossing in a stainless bowl. I’ve worked as a metal guy doing stainless work in the kitchens of Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant chain and seen how they do it. It’s always a toss in a container, but they use plastic containers (from what I observed) and have one for each flavor to re-use all day. They pull the wings from the oil, let them rest a few, then toss in to the plastic bins, squirt a portion of sauce over top, shake until coated and dump on the plate. That’s it!

So, low carb? You bet. Franks sauce says zero carbs in a teaspoon. My guess is there is a carb or two in a few tablespoons though as food companies are not required to list below 1 carb, at least in the past…that’s why manufacturers use ridiculously small serving sizes in so many cases. There is essentially no carbs in white vinegar at this amount, there are 3 grams carbs per tbls in Worcestershire, so the ¼ tsp is negligible and the dry spices (which do have carbs by the way) are so small as to not really register.


So, just to be generous, I’ll say a “serving” of the sauce probably has about 1 gram carbs.
There are zero carbs in chicken wings.
There’s one gram carbs in 2 tbls of the ranch or blue cheese dressing I buy
1 large stalk of celery is maybe 1 gram net carbs (total carbs minus fiber is the Atkins formula)
*By the way, I had never seen celery peeled of its fibers before I saw it on a cooking show. A french chef took a stalk of celery and using a small knife, starting at the smaller end grabbed the long fibers that run the length of a stalk on the backside and pulled them off. I do this all the time now, it eliminates those strands of chewy fiber thing that comes with a lot of celery.
Here's a video showing this...a game changer for me. I really love celery now!



So, this entire meal (and yes, for my wife and I 6 large or 8 medium wings is dinner) is roughly 3 grams net carbs! I was so happy when this occurred to me because I lost so many of my favorite foods and meals over this low carb life change.


This makes me happy.
 

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Maybe you could make Buffalo Crickets?

I broil my wings as it's the only way I can get my wife to eat more than 1. Deep frying is a no no in our house, pluse she prefers them on the well done side.
 
I hear some people like crickets...and I'll bet deep frying them makes them taste best...heck, deep frying can make a napkin taste good:shock:


So you have one of "those" eh? Fortunately my wife will gnaw down some deep fried...almost anything. She's on the zero sugar diet...no restrictions on deep frying OR chicken wings...and she's lost so much weight I feel like I'm cheating on her!..not with food...:brows:
 
Anyone who likes their wings overcooked should just go to Hooters. :ermm:

I love wings, but almost always cook them on the outdoor grill. They stay moist and tender, and I can either season them in advance, or toss them in a sauce after they are cooked.

Frank's makes a Buffalo sauce that is actually pretty good. If I want Buffalo wings, I use Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce.

CD
 
BTW, de-stringing celery is easy. I don't mind the strings, but if you do, all you have to do is break the stalks in half, and the strings will pull out. I didn't watch the video, but I am assuming that is what it showed.

CD
 
Anyone who likes their wings overcooked should just go to Hooters.
CD

Hooters doesn't work in NYC 'cause the waitresses get nasty with you for actually having the nerve to look in their direction while you order as they wear skimpy outfits.
 
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Hooters doesn't work in NYC 'cause the waitresses get nasty with you for actually having the nerve to look in their direction while you order as they wear skimpy outfits.

Given today's social climate, I'm surprised Hooters still exists.
 
I have heard about using corn starch before. I am lightly dusting with flour.
I have tried plain with no flour or starch and they are good, but not a good golden brown color.

I also use Franks. Crystal is a very good sub for it.
Butter and honey. Just a bit of honey. Really rounds it out and it sticks to the wings better.
I also use my Fry Daddy unless we have more than two eating. I can fry 8 wind sections at a time in the FD with room to spare.
I can cook two batches in about 10-15 minutes. I'm sorta guessing on how long. But the first batch is still hot when I pull the second.

Now that football is back, I will make wings more and more.
The frozen Kirkland (Costco) brand wing sections are the biggest I have found.


I peel celery. Rarely do I serve celery with wings.
And it seems Hooters would be extra Okay now that we have a womanizer in the white house.
 
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I always thought someone should start a competitive restaurant whose target demographic would be straight women and gay men. It would, of course, be called “Hangers.”
 
When I make wings (rarely lately), my sauce is franks hot sauce 1 cup, 1/2 cup butter and 1/3 cup dijon type mustard, melted and warmed. I like it that way.
 
That only works when clothes shopping, Joel. And only for so long.
My wife used to go shopping with her straight girlfriends and gay male friends, but someone always doesn't understand fabulous, and then it all goes to hell.
 
That only works when clothes shopping, Joel. And only for so long.
My wife used to go shopping with her straight girlfriends and gay male friends, but someone always doesn't understand fabulous, and then it all goes to hell.
LOL, that’s too funny.
 
I started doing wings in the basket of my Weber charcoal grill's rotisserie. Much better flavor.
 
[FONT=&quot]
Thanks Kenny. I too am a low carber. I hope this grows immensely
[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I invited someone who actually contributes to low carb cookbooks, but this site is prickly about pros linking their own stuff here. She says she takes no money for her work and asked whether she could post here and link to her own stuff. I haven't seen a response from administrators here and if they responded to her in a PM it must have been a no. That's a shame, some of her recipes have made a huge difference in my low carb life[/FONT]

It is far better to say she has me.

Multi-level wisdom, I do impart.
Ha,ha! Yes, some men definitely need to walk those eggshells! My leash is pretty long with my lady, I made it clear early on I would not be changing me for a woman ever again, or walk on eggshells. Somehow she found a way to still love men and still marry me after 12 years of dealing with my “independence” as a “significant other”. We get along very well…her leash is long too…that helps!
Anyone who likes their wings overcooked should just go to Hooters.

I love wings, but almost always cook them on the outdoor grill. They stay moist and tender, and I can either season them in advance, or toss them in a sauce after they are cooked.

Frank's makes a Buffalo sauce that is actually pretty good. If I want Buffalo wings, I use Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce.

CD


I’ve only been to Hooters with a group of guys on golf trips. My personal experience with the food was actually remarkably good. I find the whole scantily clad ladies thing a little weird, but then again after going to real overseas…um…”adult entertainment venues”, I find most American dance/strip/lap dance clubs pretty lame. What surprised me is how many families go to Hooters! I also find Karaoke and loud obnoxious sports fans very uncomfortable, so…other than the fairly decent food (in my experience), nothing else attracts me to Hooters.


Nothing wrong with grilling wings…or baking them. Wings are like $ex and golf, even when they're bad, they're still pretty good! I just prefer to deep fry, I find it easy, mostly because I have an EZ clean fryer permanently set up in my garage.


Franks prepared wing sauce is good. If I catch it on a really good sale I’ll buy it for ease, but I think the recipe I shared above is just a bit better for me. I only use Frank’s sauce for my wings. I keep a few others for different things, but Franks is it for me and wings.

BTW, de-stringing celery is easy. I don't mind the strings, but if you do, all you have to do is break the stalks in half, and the strings will pull out. I didn't watch the video, but I am assuming that is what it showed.

CD


I have de-stringed my celery for years now. Like I wrote, I’d never seen it until I watched a French chef on TV. I’d never seen the break in half method until that video I shared. I don’t do that though, I start at the narrow end of the stalk, use a birds beak knife and pull them off the whole length.


I have heard about using corn starch before. I am lightly dusting with flour.
I have tried plain with no flour or starch and they are good, but not a good golden brown color.

I also use Franks. Crystal is a very good sub for it.
Butter and honey. Just a bit of honey. Really rounds it out and it sticks to the wings better.
I also use my Fry Daddy unless we have more than two eating. I can fry 8 wind sections at a time in the FD with room to spare.
I can cook two batches in about 10-15 minutes. I'm sorta guessing on how long. But the first batch is still hot when I pull the second.

Now that football is back, I will make wings more and more.
The frozen Kirkland (Costco) brand wing sections are the biggest I have found.


I peel celery. Rarely do I serve celery with wings.
And it seems Hooters would be extra Okay now that we have a womanizer in the white house.


I find cornstarch works better for me than flour, but one of the main reasons for my post was about the double fry method. They come out very crunchy and browned with no flour or cornstarch. Next time I make a batch I’ll take pics and share them here. Honey is off my menu for low carb.


I like my EZ Clean Fryer https://www.t-falusa.com/Cooking-appliances/Fryers/Ultimate-EZ-Clean-Fryer/p/7211001726


I haven’t had nearly the problems some people have reported with it. It works great for me. It will do a dozen pretty easily.


I’m not touching the White House thing or politics in general here. I get enough politics elsewhere!
 
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With comments like " You've got one of those", and "I made it clear that I would no be changing me for a woman", I'm a little surprised a woman tolerates you at all.

But, they aren't called "the better half" for nothing, huh?
 
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With comments like " You've got one of those", and "I made it clear that I would no be changing me for a woman", I'm a little surprised a woman tolerates you at all.

But, they aren't called "the better half" for nothing, huh?


I suppose an emoticon could have raised your perception of "you've got one of those" to the "tongue in cheek" it was meant to be, so I'll take the blame for that "misunderstanding". The written word is left to the perception of the reader's frame of mind. Never occurred to me that would be taken in the way you may have. I certainly meant no offense to your wife.



And yes, up front, at the beginning, I explained to my wife that I had tried to be someone I'm not for my ex-wife...notice the designation "ex-wife". Changing me didn't work. Being me, in my life of truth has worked much better. My wife love's "me", she would never want some compliant wuss. Plus, like I wrote, her "leash" is very long as well, I encourage her to do what SHE wants and never change for me either;)



I am very well "tolerated".:cool:
 

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