Before anyone gets super-offended, let’s clear up what we mean—deep-fried chicken wings, smothered in Buffalo sauce is delicious but that is not its only potential. There are many different methods of cooking the wings and various types of dry and wet rubs, marinades and seasonings that can absolutely blow your mind. Additionally, Buffalo sauce isn’t only made for chicken wings. The buttery, spicy sauce can jazz up a dish like no other so, even your vegetarian friends can enjoy the beauty that is Buffalo sauce. Let’s look at how we can break up this happy marriage of Buffalo chicken wings and find them some other suitable partners. After all, wings are good and Buffalo sauce is good—why not find dozens of other ways to enjoy them?
Cooking The Wings
Wings were meant to be seasoned, fried, grilled and smothered in all types of sauces but, it’s mostly fried and then, smothered in Buffalo sauce. Here are two other just-as-delicious methods that can drastically change the flavour and texture of your wings:
Grilled
Grilled wings are very different from their fried sisters. They don’t have a poppin’ crunch skin but also don’t absorb a lot of oil and are a lot lighter on the tummy (this just means you can eat more—yum!). Instead, grilled wings are charred, smoky and unbelievably tender and juicy.
Oven-Baked
This is what you do when you want that deep-fried feeling without all of the oil and fat. Throwing your wings in a 400°F preheated oven will make your wings crispy, crackly and crunchy—just like they came straight out of a deep fryer. Our secret trick? Coat the wings in baking powder and salt as this helps remove moisture content and achieve golden-brown, crispy chicken wings.
Seasonings
A buttery, spicy sauce is not the only thing that can make wings shine. We’ve rounded up our favourite types of sauces and seasonings that can make wings sing. So, the next time you decide to have wings whether at a restaurant or making them at home, step outside the box and try any of these delicious flavours.
Salt + Pepper
It may sound classic and boring but traditional salt and pepper is bright, pungent and crunchy. Use coarsely ground black pepper for texture and an earthy, spicy bite. We prefer to use sea salt as it carries the most flavour. This works best with battered and fried wings. Mix your salt and pepper together and then, toss your wings. Alternatively, you can mix salt, dehydrated/granulated garlic and chilli for a peppery bite.
Honey Garlic
The sweet, sticky and slightly umami sauce will have you licking your fingers because the sauce is just that good. The moreish sauce usually contains brown sugar, honey, mustard, soy sauce and of course, garlic. The great thing about this sauce is that the brown sugar and honey caramelise to create a crisp, brown chicken wing with tonnes of tiny, crunchy bits (and we know those are the best parts).
Barbecue
Most Trinis love ‘a good barbecue’. But, have you ever tried grilling and basting your chicken wings with barbecue sauce? Like honey garlic, the sugars in the sauce caramelise and become crisp and supremely delicious.
Hong Kong
Chinese restaurants have a style of a dish called, ‘Hong Kong’. The dish can vary between meats and wontons. In Trinidad, anything that is Hong Kong style is usually seasoned with chives, onions, garlic and scotch bonnet peppers. This would work brilliantly with fried wings. A freshly fried, salty wing topped with Hong Kong aromatics would flavour the wing intensely. Also, the heat from the wing would sightly cook the seasoning to make it even more delicious.
Jerk
Whether you make your own (always best) or, use the powder or paste form of jerk seasoning, you’re sure to be in for a punch of flavour. This method works best if grilled or oven-baked. We definitely suggest topping it off with fresh pineapple salsa.
Ways To Use Buffalo Sauce
We’ve said enough things about how great buffalo sauce is over wings however, not enough was mentioned about how great buffalo sauce is on everything else. The yummy sauce can add a spicy kick and luxurious, buttery texture to almost any dish. So if you’re tired of buffalo wings, then treat yourself to these buffalo dishes.
Pasta - There’s no surprise that the spicy, butter-based sauce is great at blending into a cheesy pasta sauce. If you’d like it to be extra naughty, add bacon and tonnes of cheddar cheese. To keep it healthy, we add snipped chives—in reality, they had a kick of brightness.
Popcorn - Tossing popcorn in buffalo sauce is the next best thing since caramel popcorn. We recommend diluting it with additional butter and then coating the popcorn with that. It’s butter, spicy and oh-so-good!
Nachos - Add buffalo sauce to shredded chicken and then layer it on your tortilla cheese along with melted, gooey cheese for addictive nachos. If you bring this to any ‘lime’ you will for sure, be the star of the party.
Hot Dogs and Burgers - Adding a few dashes of buffalo sauce while pan-frying your burgers and hot dogs elevate it to a new level. The buffalo sauce permeates the meats and makes it extra savoury. It’s also an easy way to jazz up what can be a mundane meal.
By the way, we definitely suggest grilling or pan-frying hot dogs as this crisps out its exterior and increases its juicy factor.