What a name! Where’s the buffalo in all this?
Regardless of the odd name, buffalo wings are a firm favourite amongst
the chicken-braai masses and after you’ve eaten your first one, you’ll find these sticky bits of hand-held food become a bit addictive. Traditionally, the wings are deep-fried, and untraditionally they cook fast and well in an oven, a frying pan or best of all over a slow braai. The secret, if there is one, is in the sauce. It’s as simple as that.
Let your tastebuds take flight
To make buffalo wings as a main dish for four diners, you should cater for at least five wings per person
20 chicken wings
2 big red chillies
2 cloves garlic
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Mrs Ball’s Hot Chutney
½ teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
½ teaspoon salt
And for the sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcester sauce or soya sauce
½ teaspoon red Tabasco
Sunflower or canola oil
We begin with preparing the marinade.
Chop the peeled garlic and the chillies. Then take a heavy-bottomed frying pan and set the heat to a simmer.
Melt the butter and sauté the chopped chillies and garlic for two minutes, stirring from time to time.
Add the salt, pepper and Mrs Ball’s Hot Chutney and stir into the mix. Let them combine in the heat for one minute, then remove the frying pan from the hob. Cover and reserve.
Next, whip together the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl with a fork or a ball whisk, and reserve for the diners to use liberally after you’ve dished up.
Next, butcher the wings. I prefer to remove the wing tips, which I feed to the cats. With a sharp, heavy knife or ideally a Chinese cleaver, separate the two remaining sections of each wing at the joint.
Now for the marinade application. In the past, I’ve used bowls as the vessels of choice, but this meal is easier to prepare if you pour the marinade into a fresh, clean, unused Ziploc bag (the so-called gallon size), drop in the chicken pieces and shake it all about. Depending on the size of the wings, you may need two bags. The ease with which this method distributes the marinade, plus the absence of washing up, makes this process a winner.
Now for the heat. Traditionally, this is a deep-fried meal. Deep-frying without a deep-fryer is the direct road to hell as splashing cooking oil will coat every single surface of the kitchen, including the ceiling and inevitably the cook. So don’t do it.
Instead, give the buffalo wings 10 minutes or so in a pre-heated hot oven (200ËšC) and remove them when the fluids run clear. Alternatively, a slow-fired braai produces a wonderful, lightly smoked and crispy version.
You can serve these delicious morsels with a baked potato rather than chips for a slightly healthier meal. Remember to invite each diner to spoon a little of the special sauce over their individual servings, including some on the potato. Enjoy! – David Basckin
