Farm Kitchen Buffalo Wings

Yes, the Farm is not far at all from the city of Buffalo—about a thirty-minute drive. Because of that, the watching of football is an absolute necessity. And Chicken Wings. But, of course, the Farmer’s Wife has her own special way of making them.

And this is how it’s done:

First off, the chicken wing is split into its two edible sections: the drumstick and the ‘flat side’. Just lay your wing on the cutting board and cut along the joint, discarding the tip: like this:

Sure, you can buy your wings ready cut and frozen, but they won’t be nearly as good. Not to mention doing it this way helps you keep your flat to drum ratio perfectly even. Trust me, people notice when there’s more of one and not enough of the other.

This recipe is for twenty-four wings, so, you’ll need to start with twelve sides. Once they’re done, set them in a gallon sized plastic bag and put them in the fridge while you make the marinade.

The Marinade: Zest and juice three limes, or enough to make one cup of juice. Place it in the blender, along with a half-cup brown sugar, a sweet onion, roughly chopped, a tablespoon cinnamon, two peppers, one of the jalapeno variety, one of the cayenne: seed and chop. Finally, a quarter teaspoon of salt, to finish the job. Blend until fine.

Pour the marinade in the bag with the chicken, making sure all are swimming in it. And let them keep on that way for at least four hours, overnight would be better.

Now, these can be cooked three ways: Smoked, grilled, or air-fried. Do not bake. Trust me, they’ll be mushy. And do not deep-fry—all the water in that marinade will cause quite a ruckus.

Now, how the Farmer’s Wife does it depends on the season and the weather. In the Summer, you can bet these get grilled or smoked. Right now? With all this snow on the ground? In the air-fryer they’re going. To do it that way, take twelve wings and bake for twelve minutes at four-hundred degrees, opening the air-fryer every few minutes and giving it a little shake. Take them out when they’re bronzed and glossy. Eat hot with blue cheese dressing. Yes, I said it. No ranch served here. We’re from Buffalo!