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Buffalo Wings with Herbed Ranch and Blue Cheese-Celery Salad

Jason Santos' House-Made Boston Buffalo Wings
Jason Santos' House-Made Boston Buffalo WingsNathan Congleton / TODAY
Cook Time:
2 hrs
Prep Time:
25 mins
Servings:
2
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(27)

Chef notes

I love this recipe because it has all the classic elements of Buffalo wings, but the presentation is elegant enough to serve for plenty of different types of parties. 

Technique tip: Cooking the wings in oil over low heat first ensures that they are fully cooked and guarantees they will get super crispy.

Ingredients

Confit chicken wings
  • 1 dozen chicken drumettes, frenched
  • 8 cups canola oil, plus more for frying
Buffalo sauce (makes about 3 cups)
  • 1 pound (4 sticks) butter, divided
  • Spanish onions, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chile powder
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 ounces white wine
  • cups hot sauce, preferably Frank's RedHot
  • 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • Honey, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Ranch dip (makes 1 quart)
  • 2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
  • 2 tablespoons minced chives
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons celery salt
  • 1 pinch cayenne
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Blue cheese and celery salad
  • 1 stalk celery, shaved with a vegetable peeler
  • 1 radish, shaved with a vegetable peeler
  • 1 tablespoon crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 teaspoons minced chives
  • Vinaigrette dressing, homemade or store-bought, to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Italian parsley leaves, for garnish

Preparation

For the confit chicken wings:

1.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

2.

Place the wings in a deep pan, cover with canola oil and lay a sheet of parchment paper over the top. Place in the oven and cook until the meat begins to pull away from bone, about 2 hours.

3.

Remove the wings from the oil and let cool.

4.

Preheat a deep fryer (or large pot of oil) to 400°F. Fry the wings until golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes.

For the Buffalo sauce:

1.

In a sauce pot, over medium-high heat, add half of the butter. Once melted, add the garlic and onion and sauté until barely translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chile powder, paprika and cumin and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

2.

Pour the wine into the pot, followed by the hot sauce and brown sugar. Stir to incorporate.

3.

Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Puree with the remaining butter and season with the honey, salt and pepper to taste.

For the ranch dip:

In a bowl, stir all the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the blue cheese and celery salad:

In a small bowl, toss the celery, radish, blue cheese and chives together. Dress with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:

Toss the confit wings in the buffalo sauce and stack on a plate. Top with the blue cheese salad and garnish with parsley leaves. Serve with a side of creamy herb ranch.