RECIPE: Boneless Buffalo Wings

I have always been a huge fan of Buffalo wings, that famous recipe born in New York and perfected all over the U.S. in restaurants. My father, a former chef, knew I loved Buffalo wings and decided to surprise me when I was a kid with his very own take on the famous recipe.  These wings a spicy and yet have a slight sweetness to them thanks to the use of maple syrup.  

INGREDIENTS:

chopped onion, green pepper, and scallions

1 tablespoon salt pork/or fatty bacon

1 12oz. bottle of Goya hot sauce (salsa picante) or other hot sauce

½ cup of maple syrup

12 oz of pure tomato sauce (Contadina works well)

1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon of celery seed

Salt and Pepper to taste

A 2/3 bread crumb/ 1/3 flour mixture- about 3 cups

1 ½- 2 cups of Flour

Corn, vegetable, or peanut oil

Egg wash (about 2-3 eggs beated with about ½ cup of cream)

Desired amount of chicken breast

Bleu cheese or ranch dressing

TOOLS:

Cutting board (for vegetables and chicken)

A large knife (for cutting chicken and vegetables)

Wooden Spoon and/or spatula (for stirring sauce and mixing wings)

3 small bowls (for flour, breadcrumbs/flour mixture, and egg wash)

A pot (for the hot sauce)

A large bowl (for breaded wings and eventually sauce)

A skillet or frying pan (to cook breaded chicken)

Flat baking sheets (amount based on how much chicken, and to bake)

DIRECTIONS:

THE HOT SAUCE

Take pot and place it on burner on high heat. Coat bottom of pot with corn, vegetable, or peanut oil and allow to get hot. You'll know when the oil is hot enough when u can see small bubbles beginning to form. Put in salt pork or bacon fat. Stir and allow to brown. Once browned, add chopped onions, scallions and green pepper. Stir and cook on high heat for about 2 minutes, or until onions begin to brown, at which point you can add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, and then add tomato sauce, hot sauce, maple syrup, and celery seed/salt/pepper to taste. Allow to simmer on medium heat for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then let sit with fire turned off.

THE CHICKEN

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take chicken breast and cut into desired portions and set aside. A whole breast should give about 6-8 pieces. Be sure chicken is dry. Take three small bowls. One should hold the egg wash. Another should hold the bread crumb/flour mixture. The final one should have plain flour. Season all three bowls with salt, pepper, celery seed and basil.

Take large skillet or frying pan and coat it about ¾ inches thick with corn, vegetable, or peanut oil on high heat. Allow to get hot. Take pieces of chicken and one by one, dust them in flour, then dip them in egg wash, then coat them in bread crumbs, then place them into the frying pan. Cook chicken till browned (about 2 minutes), then flip them and brown the other side. As each piece of chicken is cooked, place them into the large bowl.

Once all pieces of chicken are cooked and in the bowl, carefully pour in the hot sauce, making sure to get all the chicken covered. Gently turn the chicken with wooden spoon or spatula. Be careful not to lose the breading on the chicken. Once all covered, place each piece of chicken on baking sheets leaving about ¾ inches of space between each piece. Place in oven and cook on raised rack for about 7 minutes. Check chicken looking for desired browning and overall look, then flip each piece and cook for about another 7 minutes.

Serve with bleu cheese or ranch dressing.