Finger Lickin' Good Buffalo Wings

You might have guessed by now that I have a bit of a penchant for American style food. It's not really what I cook on your average weeknight (I'd be the size of a house), but done well, American food can be pretty amazing, and in moderation, it deserves a place on your table.

One of my favourite Americano treats are buffalo wings. Luckily for my cholesterol levels I don't own a deep fryer, so this isn't the authentic recipe. But, your waistline will thank me for this oven baked version of the Yankee classic.

Baked Buffalo Wings (serves four):

• 20 chicken wings
• 2 cups standard flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 cup Melted butter
• 1/2 cup hot sauce (Franks Red Hot or Crystal for the real thing)

Line two trays with baking paper.

Place the dry ingredients in a zip-lock bag (if you want to avoid spraying the kitchen with flour like myself). Shake to mix. Add the chicken wings, 10 at a time, and shake to coat.

Spread wings out on baking trays, and place in the fridge for at least one hour. 

Preheat oven to 200C. Mix melted butter and hot sauce together. Dip each wing in the hot sauce mixture to coat, and place back on baking tray.

Place the wings in the oven and cook for approximately one hour, turning them over at half time. They do take a while to really crisp up, so use this time to make the blue cheese dipping sauce. NB this sauce is NOT optional- serving buffalo wings without blue cheese sauce is like having fish and chips without T-sauce.

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise (I ran out of mayo so whipped up some from Jamie Oliver's recipe)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 Tbs chopped parsley
• 2 Tbs white vinegar
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 100 grams blue cheese, crumbled

Mix all above ingredients, and set in fridge to chill for about an hour (or until your wings are ready).

By now your wings should be looking golden, crispy, and a spicy buttery smell should be wafting from the oven. Get the napkins and finger bowls ready, grab your dipping sauce from the fridge, and serve em' on up. 

P.S. Here's a photo of the recipe, to make life easier should you want to print it.