Essentials of chicken wings

However, the animalistic element of the chicken wing is why they are so perfect for gathering around the television and watching grown men tackle each other. Chicken wings form community. And a delicious homemade plate of wings will be remembered for many Super Bowls in the future.The Basic Buffalo WingYou can find many recipes for buffalo wings all over the Internet or in those dusty cookbooks located somewhere in your kitchen (remember those?). The basic buffalo sauce is a mix of hot sauce and butter (yes, buffalo wings aren’t known as a health food). Some wing masters swear by Frank’s Red Hot sauce, while others are Tabasco aficionados. The choice is yours, of course. Fly by your own chicken wing.While most restaurants and food stands at arenas deep fry their wings, you can cut a bunch of calories, preserve flavor and not risk burning your house down in a fry oil fire by baking the chicken wings at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they start to firm up and the skin turns a delicious, crispy caramel-y brown. You want to quickly toss the wings with the hot sauce/butter mixture in a large bowl and serve right away hot.Dips, of course, will make everyone happy. Blue cheese and ranch are pretty popular choices and can be easily found in the supermarket (or made at home if you are feeling creative or want to create a more healthy and delicious elixir).VariationsIf you’ve ever been to a wing joint, you know there are many other places to go besides Buffalo. Many are actually better options health-wise because they don’t require the copious amounts of butter that buffalo wings demand.Create some Beijing Wings with soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar and Sriracha (if you’re feeling feisty). Other options include barbecue, honey mustard or even chicken Parmesan. Go nuts. Maybe you’ll never find your way back to Buffalo.This article is part of a series on family, friends and football sponsored by King's Hawaiian.(alwaysthelifeoftheparty.com)ANN.Az