Classic Buffalo Wings

Classic buffalo wings are a quintessential game day snack. Luckily, they’re naturally low in carbs, and therefore diabetes friendly, too. Catherine Newman shares a keto-friendly recipe, which includes a blue cheese sauce served alongside the chicken for dipping.

These wings! It’s hard to overstate how fantastic they are: crispy, falling-off-the-bone tender, perfectly seasoned, and just the right balance of tangy and spicy. And all you do is put them in the oven.

I’ll admit that I set out to follow my go-to formula here of roasting a protein and a vegetable together, but then I decided that the wings really need a whole sheet pan to themselves. And when it comes right down to it, what everyone wants to eat with wings is crispy, cold celery with blue cheese dressing, not the roasted cauliflower I made on a separate pan (though you should feel free). I’m making the strong case that chicken wings and tons of celery makes for a perfectly balanced meal. I hope you’ll agree with me.

Recipe Details: Classic Buffalo Wings

From Catherine Newman

Active time: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes, plus optional extra time for salting the chicken

Makes: 4 servings

Total carbohydrates: 4 grams per serving

Recipe Note

A note about the wings: I use “party wings,” which are wings that have been separated into flats and drumettes. But it’s fine to use whole wings instead – you just might need to bake them a little longer.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds chicken wings
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour (this keeps the sauce from separating, but it’s fine to omit to keep it keto)
• 1/4 cup hot sauce, preferably Frank’s Original RedHot
• Blue cheese dressing (recipe below)
• Celery sticks and/or carrot sticks for serving (I used a whole head of celery for 4 servings)

Instructions

1. Line a large rimmed pan with parchment paper or nonstick foil. Arrange the chicken wings on the pan and salt them, first on one side and then on the other, using all the salt.

2. Cover the wings – I just lay a piece of wax paper over them – and refrigerate them for 4-6 hours (or even better, overnight). Note that the recipe will still work fine if you don’t have time to refrigerate at all.

3. When you’re ready to bake them, take the wings out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 375ºF.

4. Roast the chicken wings for an hour, flipping them once halfway through, or until the wings are deeply golden, very crisp and frying in puddles of their own fat. (If they are not browning for some reason, turn your oven up 25º.)

5. A few minutes before the wings are finished baking, melt the butter in a small pot over medium-low heat. Add in the flour and cook for 30 seconds (if using), then incorporate the hot sauce and whisk just until thick and blended, about another 30 seconds.

6. Transfer the wings to a bowl or on a platter, pour the sauce over them, and toss. Serve with the celery and blue cheese dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Using a blender, food processor, or a sturdy whisk, whir together 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, such as Maytag, Danish, or gorgonzola, 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use full-fat Best Foods or Hellmann's), 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon white or white wine vinegar, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Thin with more buttermilk as desired, add salt to taste, and serve with lots of celery sticks.

Photo Credit: iStock (top); Catherine Newman (bottom photos)