Recipe: Sous Vide Buffalo Chicken Wings
By Jack Lawson Chicken Sous Vide
May 20, 2021
Buffalo chicken wings are a comfort classic made better by sous vide. With less than a day's notice you can have restaurant-quality wings at home.
- Yields: 2-4 servings
Ingredients
For the Sauce
1/4 cup Frank's RedHot, or your favorite similar hot sauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
Kosher salt and a few twists of black pepper to taste
For the Wings
1-2 lbs of chicken wings, tips removed and divided into drums and wings.
kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
3 quarts, or just under 3 liters, of peanut oil or canola oil for frying
Blue cheese dressing to serve
Celery sticks top garnish
Directions
1Set your water bath to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, or 71 degrees Celsius.
2Season wings with salt and pepper liberally. Place in vacuum sealable bags into a single layer. Use multiple bags if necessary.
3Cook for 2 hours at 160 degrees Fahrenheit.
4Remove the wings from the wire rack and pat dry. Place uncovered on wire racks with a drip tray below and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours and up to overnight. This further desiccates the chicken and leads to crisper skin during frying.
5Before you begin frying prepare the Buffalo sauce.
6In the meantime begin work on the sauce by combining hot sauce, butter, white vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat.
7Continue to heat through until at a bare simmer. Whisk constantly. When you see bubbles forming at the sides of the pot this is a good indicator that it has come together. Be careful! If you bring the sauce to a boil the butter will separate and the sauce will break.
8Remove the sauce from the heat, give it one last whisk and set aside.
9In a large pot add your frying oil and heat until 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
10Using a spider strainer, or mesh dipping spoon, fry the wings in small batches until golden brown.
11When each batch is done toss quickly in Buffalo sauce.
12Finally, plate your chicken wings with a side of blue cheese dressing and slice celery sticks.
Although you can make your own blue cheese dressing there are plenty of Buffalo stalwarts you can try instead. Both Walden Farm's and Ken's Steak House are great options. Making your own is also dead easy - using mayo, buttermilk, sour cream, lemon, salt and pepper, not to mention your favourite blue.
Note that any homemade dressing will last up to one week if refrigerated.
Photo credit: istetiana/Shutterstock