Buffalo Chicken Wings -- When the Line Reaches Detroit, You Fry Something Worthy of It

The TEDx video went viral. Not Beyoncé viral — Tamika-Washington-son-talks-about-fried-chicken viral. Which is its own category. The video hit twenty thousand views, then fifty thousand. A food blog shared it. Then a parenting blog. Then a grief support page. People were watching my son talk about Mama's kitchen and crying in their own kitchens and the ripple was moving outward, from a high school auditorium to the internet to kitchens everywhere.

I received emails. Dozens. Women who lost their mothers and cook through the grief. Men who learned to cook from their grandmothers. Girls who want to start their own Set the Table programs. A woman in Detroit who said, "I watched your son's talk and then I made fried chicken for the first time in ten years, since my mama died, and it tasted like her kitchen." I read that email at my counter and I held the Folgers can and I cried because the line is extending beyond what I can see. The line is in Detroit now. The line is everywhere someone stands at a stove and refuses to stop.

Marcus is handling the attention with the characteristic nonchalance of a sixteen-year-old who has no idea what he's done. He said, "It's just a talk, Mom." I said, "It's not just a talk." He said, "It's a GOOD talk." I said, "It's more than that." He said, "Fine. It's a great talk." He grinned. The boy is impossible and perfect and his grandmother's grandson and his mother's son and the world is listening and the world is cooking and the table extends and extends and extends.

When I read that email from the woman in Detroit — the one who made fried chicken for the first time in ten years — I knew I had to put something in this post that honored what she did. Not a salad. Not a muffin. Something that requires you to stand at the stove with intention, something that sizzles and demands your full attention the way grief does, the way love does. Buffalo Chicken Wings aren’t exactly what her mama made, and they’re not exactly what my mama made either — but they carry that same heat, that same mess, that same willingness to get your hands into something real. This one’s for Detroit. This one’s for the line.

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 4 lbs chicken wings, split at the joint, tips removed
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• vegetable oil, for frying (about 4 cups)
• 2/3 cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing, for serving

Instructions

1. Dry the wings. Pat the chicken wings thoroughly dry with paper towels. The drier they are, the crispier they’ll get — don’t skip this step.
2. Season. In a large bowl, toss the wings with baking powder, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated. Let sit uncovered at room temperature for 20 minutes, or refrigerate uncovered for up to 8 hours for extra crispiness.
3. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to a depth of about 3 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until a thermometer reads 375°F.
4. Fry in batches. Working in batches of 8–10 wings so you don’t crowd the pot, fry wings for 10–12 minutes, turning once halfway through, until deep golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Allow the oil to return to 375°F between batches.
5. Make the buffalo sauce. While wings fry, whisk together the hot sauce, melted butter, white vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until fully combined and warm. Taste and adjust heat to your liking.
6. Toss and serve. Transfer the fried wings to a large bowl. Pour the buffalo sauce over the top and toss until every wing is well coated. Serve immediately with celery sticks and your choice of blue cheese or ranch dressing on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 38g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 980mg