Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip
Serves 6 as an appetizer
For the wings:
2 lbs chicken wings (wings, drummettes, or a combination of both)
4 cups water
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup kosher salt
½ cup Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the dip:
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons buttermilk
3 ounces (about 2/3 cup) crumbled blue cheese
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Serve with: carrot and celery sticks
In a large bowl, whisk together the water, sugar, and salt until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add the chicken wings and cover. Refrigerate for one hour.
Set up a steamer with water and bring to a boil. Remove the chicken from the brine (the brine should be discarded) and carefully place the wings in the steamer basket. Turn the heat to medium and cover the steamer. Steam for 20 minutes or until the wings are just cooked through. Remove the wings from the steamer and place them on a baking sheet to cool. Refrigerate the cooled wings for at least one hour or as long as overnight.
To make the dip, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk in a small bowl. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
When ready to serve the wings, put a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler on high. In a small saucepan, heat the hot sauce and butter over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When the butter has melted, set the sauce aside until ready to use.
Place the chicken wings on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for 7 to 8 minutes, checking often and turning the wings as needed, until wings are browned and crispy. Remove the wings from the oven and toss them with the hot sauce. Serve immediately with carrot and celery sticks, blue cheese dip, lots of napkins, and a good game on television!