Oven-Baked Buffalo Wings

Buffalo wings are one of the great party foods. No utensils needed, full festive flavors, and makes it perfectly acceptable to lick your fingers in public.

Most buffalo wings are prepared by frying. While I have nothing against fried wings, I'd rather not make them at home. Frying is a mess, and requires both standing over a stove and serving the food quickly. I'm not a fan of nursemaiding a pot of hot oil while a party is going on. So instead, these wings are baked. A bit of cornstarch gives a lightly crisp crunch on the outside. It cuts the workload way down, makes the wings a bit healthier, and still makes a great addition to the party.

Ingredients:

5 lbs of chicken wings, wingtips removed, and cut at the joint to separate the wing sections. You can buy them pre-sectioned, but I find it cheaper to buy them whole and do it myself.
2 tblsp. hot sauce.
2 tsp. garlic powder.
1 tblsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tblsp. chili powder
2 tsp. onion powder
Half a shot of tequila or rum.
3 tblsp. corn starch
A bottle of your favorite buffalo wing sauce, or a homemade sauce. I don't make my own buffalo wing sauce anymore. I found a bottled version that I really like, and the cost is the same that I would spend to make it myself. So, I figure I'd just run with it.

The night before, mix together all the ingredients except the corn starch and wing sauce. Toss the wings well to coat, and marinate in the fridge overnight. It's best to do this in a large bowl or container, well-covered.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan (or a good-sized cookie sheet with sides) with nonstick cooking spray or cover the bottom with foil. Add the cornstarch to the wings and toss until they're well-coated. Spread the wings out in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Remove the wings from the pan (I use cooking tongs for this), and put in a large bowl. While still hot from the oven, add the desired amount of wing sauce and mix well to coat. Serve right away.