Week #31: New York - Buffalo Wing Pizza

State:  New York

I used to live 4 hours away from NYC and have only visited one time in my life, which happened when I was living in Tampa.  It makes me wonder why I didn't go so much when I lived in Maryland.  I was originally going to do a traditional NY style pizza, but I do that all the time.  NYC pizza is my favorite style, so it would have been easy for me to do this version.  I debated between a Ruben style pizza or the Buffalo Wing Pizza.  I love making a buffalo chicken pizza, but not like this.  My goal was to focus on the wing itself, which is big in Buffalo and then I can pick apart the meat for the pizza.  When making the other version, people use meat from the breast.  I wanted to exclusively focus in on the wing, which is why this pizza was different.  In addition, the blue cheese base for the pizza was amazing.  I hope you try this pizza and make it your own.  Let me know what you think!  

Ingredients:

Buffalo Sauce:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup bottled hot sauce (Louisiana, Crystal or another brand) or more depending on your preference

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon of sugar or you can use 1/4 cup of honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blue Cheese Sauce:

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 lbs of Chicken Wings

1 Pizza Crust

1/2 cup of white cheddar cheese

2 stalks of celery - diced into small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

Blue Cheese:
Mix all ingredients together and stir together.  Set aside


Buffalo:

In a sauce pan, on medium heat melt the butter.  Next add in the hot sauce and seasonings.  Cook until sauce is mixed thoroughly and alter according to your own taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meat:

Preheat oven to 450.  Allow the wings to get near room temperature. In a mixing bowl, add the wings and 2 tablespoons of canola oil.  Salt and pepper wings to your taste.  On a greased pan or baking sheet, cook wings for 45 minutes or until 170 degrees.  I like my wings a little crispy, so I try to sear both sides of the wing.  After cooked, place into a new mixing bowl and add sauce.  Whisk around in the bowl until all wings are covered in the sauce.  Allow to cool.  After chicken has cooled, pull the meat off the bone and set aside. 

Don't be afraid to gobble down a couple of wings while you are doing this! :)

Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400.  If crust is from scratch, cook first at 450 for 7-10 minutes depending on size.  Next, add blue cheese sauce and coat the entire base of the pizza.  Add a layer of remaining sauce across the bottom of the pizza and then spread out the celery accordingly.   Spread out the chicken pieces across the pizza.  Add mozzarella cheese and bake for 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Set aside and allow pizza to cool before eating.

Pairing:

When pairing a wing pizza, you have to have a nice pale ale or IPA.  The spicy flavors of the buffalo sauce and a pale ale make it go down very easy.  I decided to go with a double IPA from Brooklyn Brewery called the Blast IPA.  I love hoppy beer, so this made the pizza much more enjoyable.  When drinking wine, you need a nice Pinio or Riesling to balance out the spice.  Enjoy!  

Learning Moments:

This pizza is very similar to a traditional Buffalo chicken pizza.  The difference is the meat is actually from the wing and not the breast and the blue cheese base.  I really enjoyed this pizza and it was very tasty.  I know when people think of New York, they think of traditional pizza.  If you love wings, this is your pizza.  It is very tasty!  I hope you try it and enjoy it.  Let me know!