Spicy buffalo chicken legs

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Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 chicken drumsticks
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce

Dunking sauce:

  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

METHOD

Preheat oven to 400 F. Place a roasting rack on a baking sheet.

Trim excess skin from chicken. Season with salt. Combine oil with garlic and hot sauce. Brush over chicken legs and thighs. Place on baking sheet (do not crowd) and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, turning once, or until juices run clear and skin is crisp.

Combine hot sauce, cider vinegar and butter in a small bowl. Add half a cup of hot sauce mixture to a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. (You could omit this step and just serve the legs with the sauce as a dip, depending on heat tolerance). Serve immediately with the remaining extra hot sauce.

Suggested Wine Pairings:

It’s hectic back-to-school time. You deserve a glass of wine even if the kids must settle on milk or Sunny D. Perhaps you favour beer, the classic wings pairing. Understandable. But, contrarian as this will sound, it’s not a great pairing. A few years back, Wine Spectator magazine made the case for wine and tested a variety of styles against hot Buffalo wings, among other foods. There were two clear losers: chardonnay and pinot noir. Much more successful, and I’d have to agree, are off-dry riesling and red zinfandel. Both fan the spicy flames with sweetness and complement the aromatic pungency with jammy fruitiness. Other good options include Australian shiraz and aromatic white blends based on viognier, pinot gris, gewurztraminer and/or riesling. You could also fall back on Sunny D, but don’t quote me. - BeppiCrosariol