Buffalo Wings

So, I'm pretty sure I have a brand new addiction and it looks something like the picture above {Aren't they adorable?} My husband has always been a huge fan of buffalo wings and I always thought they were just... okay. I never knew that they could be one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted! As I've come to learn over the last couple of years, home-cooked meals are 10x better than anything in a restaurant. Really. Truly. I promise! That's one reason I enjoy spending so much time in the kitchen. I love watching a recipe take shape and come together in the end, only to become one of the tastiest things I, or my family, has ever tasted. I just love to cook. And fry. Yes, I said it, I love to fry things! Greasy foods are one of my worst enemies and also my best friends. We definitely have a love-hate relationship. My pregnancy doctor doesn't need to know about this, okay?

I have to share these delicious little fried beauties with you so that you, too, can become insanely addicted and think about them, dream about them and even possibly lose sleep over them. I also have to share the PERFECT buffalo wing dipping sauce with you. It's a Pioneer Woman recipe and I will never eat chicken wings without this sauce. Ever.

{Note:} These are not super spicy! If you want spicier wings, you can add some tobasco sauce, if you'd like. I personally love that these aren't overly spicy, because that means I'm able to eat 20 of them without getting heartburn! Yay!


Buffalo Wing Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken wing pieces (about 20 pieces, total)
1 cup flour (split in half)
1 teaspoon salt (split in half)
1 teaspoon paprika (split in half)
2 large pinches of black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablspoons Wing Sauce (I use FRANK'S®)
Oil for frying

Creamy Ranch Dipping Sauce: {via Pioneer Woman}

Ingredients:
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
{You can also add blue cheese crumbles if you'd like!}

Instructions:

To make the ranch dipping sauce, combine ranch mix and milk in measuring cup. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise and sour cream. Pour ranch/milk mixture in bowl and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Divide flour, salt, paprika and pepper between two small bowls. Combine each. Set one aside for later use.

Take one bowl of flour mixture and use it to coat all 20 chicken pieces. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and place in fridge for 30-45 minutes.

In your skillet, pan, or deep fryer, heat your oil to 350 degrees (I used my dutch oven and put in about 2 inches of oil).

Remove chicken pieces from the fridge, and using the other (unused) bowl of flour mixture, coat chicken wings once more, tap off excess flour, and drop in oil. You can cook about 10 pieces at once. Cook wings for about 14 minutes, or until no pink remains and juices run clear.

Repeat steps with remaining chicken wings.

While wings are frying, cube your butter and place into a medium saucepan with wing sauce, over medium heat. Melt until mixture is smooth and no butter pieces remain. Turn off heat.

Remove wings from oil, drain well, place in a large bowl and pour half of the butter/wing sauce mixture over. Stir, shake and turn wings until they are coated with sauce. Shake off excess sauce and place on your serving plate/platter.