Atomic Buffalo Wings

Me and my husband love good chicken wings. And I mean good chicken wings. He likes his a bit more spicy than I do, but I can take some spice if I need it!

The problem with this is that most wings are expensive. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like paying 8 dollars for 6 wings! So... I decided to bite the bullet and make my own. I can control the heat, and I can make them as crispy as I want to!

So let's get started, shall we?

There needs to be some explanation here. The onion and the shallots are actually options ingredients. If you'd like some more flavor and some more heat... go ahead and put them in!

For this however, I'm going to just use Shallots, and no onions.

We're going to start out with 4 fresh cloves of garlic.

Sure, you could use canned garlic, but why would you? The fresh garlic is amazing in this!

Super easy to crack too.

Just take the flat blade of your knife across the clove...

And smash it with the heel of your hand!

Tada! Smashed garlic!! And those flavors will just release and the smell will just hit you in the nose.

And it will be marvelous.

Go ahead and do this to all the cloves, peeling them after smashing.

And mince! Just a quick rock with your knife across the cloves will get them to where they need to be.

Put the minced garlic aside and get out a shallot (This is one, just 2 small ones in the same bulb).

Peel and cut off both ends...

And cut similar to an onion. You can do the same rocking action here that you did with the garlic as well, just to get a smaller cut.

Now you're going to melt 1/2 stick of salted butter, or 1/4 cup.

Go ahead and throw in the garlic and shallots (and onions) and let it all cook down.

Cook over the stove until that garlic turns a pretty golden color.

Then go ahead and pour in your hot pepper sauce. I use 1/2 cup, but you can use anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 cup, depending on how you like the heat.

Then toss in a pinch, or grind a pinch, of sea salt!

And cook it all down, stirring gently.

Then, if you have a stick blender you can do this straight in the pan. Or if you're like me and don't, go ahead and pour your sauce into your blender...

And liquefy! You can pulse this if you prefer, really we're just trying to get everything combined and the sauce nice and smooth.

Go ahead and set this sauce aside. Get out your wings, and set them in a sink to defrost and rinse them.

Take out as many as you can fry at once time, and make sure they are completely dry!

The dryer the wing, the crispier the skin. And trust me, you want a nice crispy skin on this!

Heat your oil to at least 375 degrees, but 400 degrees is preferable. Throw them in a basket if you have one, if not don't worry about it.

And deep fry!

You're actually going to cook these for 13 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crispy.

You'll be able to tell because the bubbling will slow way down and the wings will actually float.

Go ahead and drain them on some paper towels.

And after draining well, throw them into a nice bowl.

Drizzle some of your buffalo sauce over top... but not all of it unless you are doing all of your wings at one time.

And toss!

You can toss this however you want. Actually make the wings jump in the sauce, use a spoon, smear it on... whatever you want to do.

The making the wings jump thing is more fun though.

Enjoy! And trust me... these bad boys are spicy! If you're familiar with Buffalo Wild Wings, following this recipe exactly will put you near the hotter sauces. You can actually tweak this however you would like though... make it hotter or even milder.

Go crazy! Use a green pepper sauce, or a Chipotle Chili Pepper one. Do it with extra garlic, or even extra onions. This recipe is such a blank palate! But I've given you a good start.

And speaking of starting, I think I need to start on the rest of my wings!

Now if you'll excuse me... I need to go douse my lips in ranch, since they've been tingling for at least 45 minutes now.

Atomic Buffalo Wings

10-12 chicken wings (2 1/2 lbs.)

1/4 to 3/4 cup hot pepper sauce

1/4 cup butter

Vegetable or peanut oil (for frying)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced (optional)

1 onion, finely minced (optional)

pinch of sea salt

Fill a heavy bottomed, deep-sided frying pan with at least 1 inch of oil and heat until temperature reaches 400°F.

Split the wings at each joint and discard tips. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat with minced garlic. (Finely minced shallots or onions may optionally be added at the same time as the garlic.) If you prefer a smoother sauce, a stick blender may be used to smooth it out and blend in the flavors of the garlic, etc. When the garlic is a golden color, stir in the hot sauce. Add a pinch of salt.

When the oil is the correct temperature carefully lower the wings into the hot oil using a slotted spoon or wire basket, and deep fry for about 12 minutes, or until wings are cooked and crispy.

Drain on paper towels. Toss with the hot sauce, coating several times to cover well.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with a side of extra hot sauce for dipping, and a bowl of Blue Cheese Dressing or Ranch dip and celery sticks.