Mark Shares His Buffalo Chicken Wings Recipe for International Chicken Wing Day

In honor of International Chicken Wing Day Sunday, I'd like to share with you my homemade Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe. Where can you get the best wings in Utica? Who has them? How do you like them? Spicy? Mild? What are your favorites? My friends all say my Buffalo wings are the best. Here's why:

There are some must have ingredients for just the right amount of wings for a small gathering:

• 4 to 5 pounds of chicken wings (the larger the better)
• 4 to 5 cups vegetable, canola or peanut oil or 1.25 gallons
• maple syrup for barbecue wings
• 4-6 tablespoons or 1/2 to two sticks of butter, unsalted
• 5-10 tablespoons Louisiana-brand hot sauce or Tabasco sauce or Franks Hot Sauce
• salt, pepper, garlic powder and garlic salt
• celery and carrot sticks
• blue cheese dressing for dipping

After you've shopped around and found the plumpest wings, you may have to cut them carefully. With the large carving knife first cut and discard the tip of each wing. Then chop the wings in half at the joint to make 2 pieces each. Keep chopping until you've cut about 50 wings or a bucket size. Rinse and then  salt and pepper the raw wings if desired. Meanwhile your deep fryer should be filled to the proper level with the preferred oil and completely heated to 400 degrees. Cooler oil will give you soggy wings.

Deep-fry the wings, stirring occasionally, until they're a crispy golden brown. An occasional shake will work and about 10 minutes per dozen wings should be just right.  Then drain on paper towels.

For hot wings, melt the butter at medium heat then add hot sauce into a cover-able, shake-able container. Use less sauce for milder wings. Pour the wings into the mixture, shake them up until covered and serve. You can flame broil them by putting the coated wings briefly over flame for a short period of time consistently tossing and then serving.

For barbecue wings use the same process as hot wings with a mixture of your favorite barbecue sauce, some melted butter and a splash of maple syrup.

For butter and garlic wings, add garlic power and garlic salt to a container of melted butter.

For teriyaki wings simply coat the freshly fried wings with with your favorite teriyaki sauce.

Some prefer ranch dressing, but for the original Buffalo wings recipe blue cheese dressing is a MUST along with chopped celery and carrot sticks.

However you serve up your wings, the most important thing it to enjoy!