Test Kitchens Favorite Buffalo Wings Food

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE BUFFALO WINGS

Steps:

• Blue Cheese Dip: In a bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Fold in blue cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day ahead.
• Wings: Pour 2 inches oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pot (to ensure safe frying, pot should not be more than one-third full). Heat over medium-high until a deep-fry thermometer reads 320 degrees. Reduce heat to medium to maintain temperature. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large resealable plastic or brown paper bag. Add wings, seal or fold bag closed, and shake vigorously to evenly coat.
• With a Japanese spider or slotted spoon, add one-third of wings to oil, stirring a few times, until cooked through and oil returns to 320 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Fry remaining wings in two batches. Let cool completely, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, garlic, and cayenne in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts; simmer 1 minute more. Remove from heat; discard garlic. Stir in hot sauce.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring oil in pot to 380 degrees. Return one-third of wings to oil, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Return to rack-lined baking sheet; let excess oil drain to prevent sogginess, 30 seconds. In a large bowl, toss with one-third of hot-sauce mixture; serve immediately with dip and vegetable sticks. Fry remaining wings in two batches, returning oil to 380 degrees in between. To serve all batches at once, keep wings warm on rack in a 225-degree oven, and toss in sauce all together at end.

BUFFALO CHICKEN POCKETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook chicken over medium heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes, breaking into crumbles; drain. Remove from heat; stir in wing sauce., On a lightly floured surface, roll each biscuit into a 6-in. circle and top each with 1/4 cup chicken mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold dough over filling; pinch edge to seal., Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 12-14 minutes. If desired, serve with blue cheese dressing. Freeze option: Freeze cooled pockets in a freezer container. To use, reheat pockets on an ungreased baking sheet in a preheated 375° oven until heated through.

MEATBALLS IN HONEY BUFFALO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Combine first 10 ingredients. Add meat; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape meat mixture into 1-1/2-in. balls; bake on a greased rack in a 15x10x1-in. baking pan lined with foil until lightly browned, 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together sauce ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved., Transfer meatballs to a 3-qt. slow cooker; add sauce. Cook, covered, on low until meatballs are cooked through, about 2 hours. Serve with hot cooked rice or pasta and, if desired, sliced celery., Freeze option: Freeze cooled meatballs and sauce in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a covered saucepan, stirring gently; add water or broth if necessary. Serve as directed.

BUFFALO RANCH POPCORN

Steps:

• Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the wing sauce, butter and cayenne; drizzle over popcorn and toss to coat. Sprinkle with dressing mix and additional cayenne to taste; toss to coat.

TEST KITCHEN'S FAVORITE BUFFALO WINGS

Steps:

• Blue Cheese Dip: In a bowl, stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Fold in blue cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day ahead.
• Wings: Pour 2 inches oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pot (to ensure safe frying, pot should not be more than one-third full). Heat over medium-high until a deep-fry thermometer reads 320 degrees. Reduce heat to medium to maintain temperature. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large resealable plastic or brown paper bag. Add wings, seal or fold bag closed, and shake vigorously to evenly coat.
• With a Japanese spider or slotted spoon, add one-third of wings to oil, stirring a few times, until cooked through and oil returns to 320 degrees, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Fry remaining wings in two batches. Let cool completely, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, garlic, and cayenne in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring until butter melts; simmer 1 minute more. Remove from heat; discard garlic. Stir in hot sauce.
• Increase heat to medium-high and bring oil in pot to 380 degrees. Return one-third of wings to oil, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Return to rack-lined baking sheet; let excess oil drain to prevent sogginess, 30 seconds. In a large bowl, toss with one-third of hot-sauce mixture; serve immediately with dip and vegetable sticks. Fry remaining wings in two batches, returning oil to 380 degrees in between. To serve all batches at once, keep wings warm on rack in a 225-degree oven, and toss in sauce all together at end.