Old Bay Chicken Wings – Baked, with Hot Butter Sauce

Step-by-step recipe

1. For Old Bay chicken wings it is best to buy a pack of wings without the tips, since they are usually not used in dishes anyway. Old Bay seasoning is sold in stores; it has a really interesting aroma and flavor, and I liked it a lot. It is actually marketed for seafood and chicken. The hot sauce used in authentic recipes is Frank's RedHot, the most popular brand of medium-hot sauce and a must for Buffalo wings; it is made from cayenne pepper. By the way, the sauce and the seasoning come from the same manufacturer. You can swap it for a similar sauce such as Crystal Hot Sauce, which is also popular and easy to find.
   
2. Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry with paper towels. It is best to cut off the tips, as there is hardly anything to eat there; use them for soup instead. Cut the wings at the joints into drumettes and flats and put them in a bowl. Mix the spices: 1 tbsp of Old Bay seasoning, half a packet of baking powder (optional) and 1 tsp of fine salt. Toss the chicken with the spices, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6-8 hours, or better still overnight.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 200-210°C. Get a baking dish ready: I use an ovenproof glass one, because a metal pan always overcooks the underside of the meat. Lining the dish with foil is often recommended; that is up to you. Take the wings out of the fridge and pour off any liquid that has collected. Add 0.5-1 tbsp of vegetable oil and mix well. Arrange the wing pieces in the dish in a single layer.
   
4. Put the dish with the chicken in the oven. Roast until the wings have a golden, slightly crispy skin. Stir them with a spatula now and then so they brown more evenly. The wings usually take 40-45 mins, but it is worth giving them a little longer so they get more color. Just make sure they do not stick to the dish, and do not overcook them either, or they will dry out.
   
5. Now for an important step: the sauce for the wings. You do not need much, just enough to coat the wings all over before serving. I make a bit more, use part of it and mix the rest with a good mild tomato sauce to serve alongside the wings for dipping. In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp each of hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and melted (but not hot) butter. Add 0.5-1 tsp of Old Bay seasoning and mix thoroughly. The sauce turns out smooth and glossy.
   
6. Transfer the roasted wings to a deep bowl and add half of the sauce. Toss everything well so the sauce coats the wings evenly. Unlike Buffalo wings, this version needs no further cooking once the sauce is added: the dish is ready to serve.
   
7. Get out a large plate and a small bowl for the sauce. Since celery seed is the main ingredient in Old Bay seasoning, you can lay the wings on fresh celery leaves. Mix the rest of the hot sauce with a good tomato sauce, preferably a mild one, and add a pinch of finely chopped green onion. Set the bowl of sauce right on the plate next to the roasted wings.
   
8. As a side I like fresh cut vegetables, usually carrot and juicy celery stalks cut into sticks. You can also add crisp seasonal vegetables such as radishes, cucumber, tomato and so on, as well as fresh herbs. Serve the wings while they are hot; no need for forks, they are easy to eat with your hands.