Baked Buffalo Wings

Are you ready for some football?!??!  We were!  This past Sunday, we had our second playoff party of the season, to watch our beloved New England Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens, in a nailbiting game.  The game was the reason for the party, but after having hosted the week before, the question was what to make that was different, yet delicious?  I had been wanting to make hot wings for a while.  I used to make them, but wanted to see if there was a different way to experiment with.  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com, and the key difference was coating the wings with flour first.  They came out good, but I think next time, I would add a little more of the butter/hot sauce mixture, first because I just barely had enough, but also I might baste at least once during cooking.

And the game?  With a bit of luck at the end when the Ravens' kicker shanked wide left, the Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl.  We're going to the Super Bowl, baby!!!

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 20 chicken wings
• ½ cup melted butter
• ½ cup hot pepper sauce (i.e., Frank's RedHot)
  (less or more, to personal taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. Place the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and salt into a resealable plastic bag, and shake to mix.
3. Add to the bag the chicken wings and then seal and toss until well coated with the flour mixture.
4. Place the wings onto the prepared baking sheet, and place into the refrigerator.
   (I actually used a Rubbermaid container instead of a baking sheet for this step)
5. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
6. Preheat oven to 400°.
7. Whisk together the melted butter and hot sauce in a small bowl.
8. Dip the wings into the butter mixture, and place back on the baking sheet.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and crispy on the outside, about 45 minutes.
10. Turn the wings over halfway during cooking so they cook evenly.
    (I didn’t end up turning because I was afraid that the hot sauce/flour coating would come off while turning)
    

Adapted from:  allrecipes.com