4
Feb

Buffalo Wings with Dairy Free Ranch Dressing

A plate of spicy chicken wings with dairy free ranch dressing.

I think I will always remember the time when I realized that buffalo wings were, in fact, not made from buffalo. I was 25. Kidding, I was a kid, but I still feel kind of silly for not realizing that it was impossible seeing as buffalo are an extremely large  animal. I of course learned that the dish originated at a bar in Buffalo, New York and the legendary football food was born. I wanted to recreate these paleo Buffalo Wings with Dairy Free Ranch Dressing so everyone could enjoy this spicy appetizer!

Another little piece of insight – despite their appearance, the small leg looking pieces are also not chicken legs. They're part of the wing! But you all knew that.

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Typically, buffalo wings are either coated in flour and baked or deep fried. Some are baked without a breading and that's the route I chose to go. Most Americans cannot fathom a game day without them, so I set out to recreate them for you all Paleo style! The type of sauce you use is important. A lot of hot sauces have hidden ingredients so I love to use the Arizona Peppers Organic brand that you can find at a lot of health stores. Here it is on Amazon so you can see the label, but this is a bulk box so beware of the price! There's varying levels of spice with different bottles so chose one that works for your taste. This one has quite the kick! When you're checking the labels you want to look for simplicity – peppers, vinegar, and salt really should be it.

The dressing is also key in my opinion. While I do love a good blue cheese dressing, I chose to do a dairy-free herb Ranch style dressing. You can absolutely throw some blue cheese crumbles into this dip though if you can tolerate dairy! And don't forget the celery and carrot sticks to help cut the bite of the spice.

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Buffalo Wings with Dairy Free Ranch Dressing



AUTHOR:

SERVES: 4

Cuisine: American

Category: Appetizers

PREP TIME: 20 mins

COOK TIME: 40 mins TOTAL TIME: 60 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1½ pounds chicken wings
  • 3 tablespoons melted ghee, divided (or unsalted butter or coconut oil)
  • 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
  • ¼ cup pepper sauce such as Arizona Peppers Organic or Franks
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar

Dressing:

  • ½ cup paleo friendly mayonnaise (I used the recipe from my cookbook)
  • ¼ cup coconut milk
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Remove the tips and reserve for chicken stock, then separate the wings at the joint. (see tutorial here)
  3. Toss the wing parts with 2 tablespoons of the melted ghee, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne.
  4. Arrange the chicken on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes until crisp. Turn the wings over halfway through.
  5. Meanwhile, make the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
  6. Prepare the wing sauce by combining the pepper sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon of melted ghee, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne. Set aside at room temperature.
  7. Toss the wings in the sauce and serve immediately with the dressing and carrots and celery on the side.


Keywords: dairy free, gluten free, kept friendly, whole 30, paleo, super bowl Sunday, tailgating