Hot wings (also referred to as Buffalo wings) are chicken wings tossed in a mixture of butter and hot sauce. Hot sauce is a condiment that is a mixture of chili peppers, vinegar and spices. Hot wing sauce is one of the simplest sauces to make because it consists of just two ingredients, and you can easily control the level of spice.
Traditional
Make homemade hot wing sauce fresh. Due to its high liquid content, it is unlikely to store well. For a typical batch of hot wings (about 12 whole wings or 24 wingettes), you'll need about six tablespoons of butter. Use real butter, not margarine spread. The hot wing sauce will not have the proper texture with margarine because the additional oils in the spread can make it runny. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat until it's smooth without bubbling. Once the butter is melted, move it away from the heat and add in the hot sauce. One-fourth cup of hot sauce is standard for a batch of hot wings sauce, but you can increase the amount for a spicier sauce. Whisk together the butter and hot sauce, then taste it. If you feel it's too hot, melt an additional pat of butter and stir it in to mellow out the hot sauce.
Mild
For a milder, more kid-friendly homemade hot sauce, add a sweet base with just a touch of hot sauce. This can also be used for people who can't handle the spicier variety or who simply don't care for the taste of hot sauce. Melt four tablespoons of butter over low heat, then remove from the stove and stir in one-third cup of ketchup and just two tablespoons of hot sauce. The sugars in the ketchup will give it a sweet flavor, and the small amount of hot sauce will give it subtle spicy undertone.
Coating Wings
Hot wing sauce is generally tossed with fried chicken wings, although you can lighten the dish by substituting grilled or baked wings. Pour your homemade hot wing sauce into a large bowl, then add in the chicken wings. You need plenty of room to toss the wings around in the sauce, so add the wings into the sauce in batches of six or so. Use tongs to gently move the wings around in the sauce, making sure each wing is thoroughly coated. Place the coated hot wings on a platter lined with wax paper to prevent the sauce from spilling off the plate. If you want a more intense wing flavor, transfer the coated wings into a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes so the sauce forms an outer glaze, and then toss them in additional sauce before serving.
Tags: wing sauce, chicken wings, around sauce, batch wings, butter sauce, coated wings