These Are a Few of My Favorite Wings
"We always hang in a Buffalo Stance."
These Are a Few of My Favorite Wings
Growing up in Central New York and later attending college in the area, nearly every decent pizzeria or sub shop also offered better-than-they-needed-to-be Buffalo Wings. Pizza and Wings was like Chocolate and Peanut Butter. That’s definitely not the case here in New York City. There are great pizza places, but most don’t offer wings. And when the do, it becomes apparent that whether it’s a neighborhood pizzeria or a national chain, they’re going to look and taste terrible.
A confession… despite hailing from Upstate New York and having briefly dated a coed attending SUNY-Buffalo, I’ve never had Buffalo Wings from the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, the alleged 1964 birthplace of the now-famous Buffalo Wing. Since that day, the tangy, spicy profile of “Buffalo Style” has morphed into a flavor unto itself in the world of potato chips, pretzels, dips, subs, cheesesteaks, pizzas, and beyond.
While there’s some factors to consider—breading or no breading? flats vs. drumsticks? dry rub or sauced? mild, medium, or hot? blue cheese or ranch?—like a Club Sandwich on a hotel room-service menu, an order of Buffalo Wings is generally a safe-bet, whether it’s a sports bar or a fast-casual chain like Chili’s or a generic airport lounge.
On a personal note, I have no issues eating or sharing Buffalo Wings with friends out in the wild, but Buffalo Wings are best enjoyed in the privacy of your own home, ideally in a “pants off” situation. I put that qualifier in quotes because I don’t mean in my boxer briefs (necessarily) but a “no pants” frame of mind that can be achieved from a well-worn pair of or basketball shorts, sweat pants, or long johns bottoms. Comfort is key, because it’s going to get a little messy.
A final note, most of the wings in question here would fall under the “Buffalo Wings” or “Hot Wings” umbrella. I dip into the chain restaurants from time to time, but these are mostly independent or smaller operations. And while mostly fried, this isn’t about American fried chicken or Korean-style fried chicken wings (that’s a conversation for another occasion).
Buffalo Wing Basics
Bone-In or Boneless?
This isn’t a valid question. All chicken wings should be served on the bone as nature intended. Boneless Chicken Wings are an oxymoron.Flats or Drumsticks?
Ultimately, I’ll take what I can get, but when I have a choice I’ll pay for the upcharge and I go all in on flats for the higher skin-to-meat ratio crispier texture.Cooking Method
For at-home wing action, I use the oven and finish under the broiler (and I have friends who use a kitchen counter-hogging air fryer), but in the wild chicken wings should be fried (I typically ask for “well done” to ensure crispiness), with smoked/grilled preparations considered on a case by case basis.Breading or No Breading?
You’ll see I have one exception below but all of the wings on this list, and in life, should be without breading. Just crispy skin and sauce.Dry Rub or Sauce?
I’ll admit I’ve eaten some decent dry-rubbed wings and generally don’t have an issue If a there’s an initial layer of seasonings on the wings before they’re sauced, but having neon-orange sauce staining your fingers, face, and shirt, is part of the chicken wing experience.Acceptable Wing Sauces
The classic foundation of a “Buffalo”-style chicken wing sauce should be Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce mixed with different levels of melted butter (for a richer texture and flavor) to achieve Mild (1:1 hot sauce/butter), Medium, (2:1 hot sauce/butter), Hot (3:1 or 3:0 hot sauce/butter). I have no desire for the XXX, Scoville-scale scorchers that serve only to numb your face. My only add-on to a usual order of Hot Buffalo wings would be a splash of teriyaki glaze added to the bowl before they’re sauced up. Beyond Buffalo, I do enjoy barbecue sauce as a wing option but personally don’t stray too far from there.Blue Cheese or Ranch?
Blue cheese is the correct answer. When sharing wings with others I have a hangup about requesting my own ramekin of dressing. The wings always need more blue cheese than initially offered and I don’t like the move when everyone passes around the ramekin and tries to gently pour some out onto their share plate. Everyone should have their own blue cheese. And celery and carrot sticks are the correct garnish to the plate of wings.
So grab some wet-naps and dive into my sauce-stained, personal round-up of some of my favorite wings. This isn’t ranked and if I left off a favorite place of yours it’s likely because I haven’t had the chance to visit. And please let me know if any of these are also among your personal picks, or if not, leave a comment to share the who, what, and where of your favorite chicken wings.
Who Makes Your Favorite Chicken Wings?
The Wings of My Youth
Pepi’s Pizza
(228 Genesee Street, Oneida, New York 13421)
I wrote extensively about my personal history with my hometown pizzeria in Oneida, New York, in the LAST CALL dispatch “Pepi’s Pizza: A Central New York Landmark.” And yet, I wasn’t able to find one decent photo of their signature wings in my camera roll. So instead I present photo evidence of a post-wings Pepi’s pizza with my nephew Jack from 2019 when he was just a lad of 18.