Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

My husband and I LOVE chicken wings. Before we had our daughter, we'd hit up a local pub on Wednesday nights for their Wing Night - .15 cents a wing. That's pretty hard to beat. We don't get the luxury of late nights at the pub now that we have our daughter, but the chicken wing craving still hits me pretty hard. I've discovered I don't have to let go of my desire for chicken wings or pay $10 at a restaurant for 10 wings. They are really easy to do at home (thank goodness for me!)....and it makes for a pretty fun supper date if you combine the chicken wings with other restaurant-style appies and a movie for an Appetizer-for-Supper night.

Adapted from Leesah @ Allrecipes
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Serves 2 for supper or 4-5 as an appetizer

3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove fresh grated)
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb chicken wings
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup hot pepper sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a bag place the flour, cayenne pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt and shake to mix. Add the chicken wings to the bag and shake until well coated with the flour mixture. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (I only did 1/2 an hour and it was fine).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl. Dip the wings into the hot sauce mixture, and place back on the baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 40-45 minutes. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.

Serve with carrot and celery sticks (just like the pubs :) and ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Click here for printable version of Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
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THE RESULTS?Loved these!! Even though these wings are baked and not deep-fried, they are still crunchy and golden on the outside and nice and moist and juicy on the inside. The fact that they are baked helps you justify it when you are reaching for another wing ;) The flavor is perfect and definitely hit the spot.

Oh and I even found these babies on Manager's Special %50 off....so I ended up paying .16 cents a wing. Just like at the pub.

While these do take awhile to make time-wise they are not a lot of work. If you wanted to make these on a weeknight, you could have the wings dredged in flour and placed in the fridge in the morning before work. That way when you get home, you really only have to throw them in the oven. And wait (im)patiently.

Meal Ideas: