Easy buffalo wings and a cold beer — there are worse ways to spend a football afternoon. This recipe takes a kilo of wings, a handful of cupboard ingredients, and a two-stage oven method that gives you properly sticky, deeply flavoured results without a deep fryer in sight. The cider vinegar cuts through the honey, the celery salt and seeds add that classic buffalo character, and a final baste in the reserved marinade finishes everything off. Make them the night before and let them sit in the fridge — the longer the marinade, the better the wings.

Sticky, spicy, demolished – Casa Adora

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg chicken wings
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Red chilli flakes, to taste
• Black pepper, a good grind

To serve:

• Sesame seeds
• Green leaves
• Flat-leaf parsley

METHOD

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl — everything except the chicken. Add the wings and turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight for best results.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 160°C (fan). Drain the wings and reserve the marinade – you'll need it later.

Arrange the wings on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

Increase the oven temperature to 180°C (fan). Brush the wings with the reserved marinade and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, turning and basting a couple of times during cooking.

To serve, arrange green leaves on a plate, place the wings on top, and scatter with flat-leaf parsley and sesame seeds.

Easy Buffalo Wings – The Flexible Chef's Notes

Easy buffalo wings benefit from the two-stage cooking method here — the lower temperature renders the fat and cooks the meat through, while the higher heat and repeated basting builds up that sticky, caramelised finish. Don't skip reserving the marinade; it's where most of the flavour ends up. If you like more heat, be generous with the chilli flakes.

If you enjoy this kind of thing, here are two more wing recipes worth trying: Baked Chicken Wings with a Spicy Cupboard Marinade and Crispy Sesame Wings.

FOOTNOTE

This recipe is part of the Chicken Hub — browse the full collection for more easy chicken dinner ideas.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef