Without the right sauce, they're just fried chicken wings, and calling them Buffalo wings would be a lie. No need to lie, Buffalo wing sauce is super easy to make at home.

It's simply cayenne pepper sauce and butter, two ingredients that have been making great Buffalo wings for decades.

You can make Buffalo wing sauce with any cayenne pepper sauce, but I believe Frank's RedHot is the best choice for traditional Buffalo wings. It's what I grew up using in Buffalo, it's what most restaurants use, and it's still the one I prefer most. In fact, I went most of my life having no idea there were other options available. Once I tried the other options, I quickly realized there were no other options available.

3 parts Frank's to 2 parts butter is the standard medium heat Buffalo wing sauce ratio, and it's the version I recommend. This base recipe produces a medium spice level that is just right for most people and serves as a great starting point for making adjustments. I think this is the perfect balance of butter and Frank's. It tastes great and, though it does have a bit of heat, most people would not find it too spicy. This makes it ideal for groups with different tastes and spice tolerance. We'll discuss how to adjust the spice level later.

Premade Wing Sauce

There are many premade wing sauces available, some good and some less good. If you are short on time, find one you like, warm it up on the stovetop, and you are good to go.

If you have time, nothing is better than the sauce you make yourself. It's quick and easy with only two ingredients: Frank's and butter.

Franks brings the spice and flavor, but butter makes everything better, and Buffalo wing sauce is no exception. Butter is the x factor people can't quite place, and they are often surprised to learn that Buffalo wing sauce is nearly half butter.

Salted vs Unsalted Butter

Short version: use unsalted butter.

Why? Frank's already contains plenty of salt, and you will have already salted your wings before frying. We don't need any more salt in the sauce.

If all you have is salted butter, use it. Most people will never notice the difference.

Clarified Butter

Clarified butter is butter that has gone through a process to remove the milk solids and water. When done, you are left with almost pure butterfat.

Is clarified butter better? Is it worth the effort? It depends on who you ask. If you ask me, I say it depends.

When melted butter and clarified butter are tasted side by side, there are some subtle flavor differences. However, if you make the sauce using clarified or unclarified butter, most people won't be able to tell the difference when eating their wings.

Melted butter has been commonly used in Buffalo since the recipe was created, and most restaurants still use it today.

The main advantage of using clarified butter is that the Buffalo wing sauce is more stable. When cooking wings over an extended period of time and the sauce temperature is raised and lowered several times, the sauce is less likely to break (separate) when made with clarified butter.

Ghee is another name for clarified butter. It is shelf stable and available in most grocery stores. This is a great way to use clarified butter without the time and effort involved in making it yourself.

Don't overthink it. If you're not sure, just use plain butter. You won't regret it. But whether you use regular butter or clarified butter, both will produce excellent results.

Mixing and Heating

The process of making the sauce is minimal. Simply warm the butter until just melted, remove it from the heat, add the Frank's, and whisk until the sauce is uniform in color and texture.

Don't Overheat the Sauce

Prevention is easier than repair. Frank's and butter is actually very forgiving and can handle some heat, but excessive or prolonged heat is unnecessary and may eventually damage the sauce.

Overheating will eventually lead to one of two problems: burning, which leaves a bad taste, or breaking, which causes the sauce to separate.

Uh Oh, I Overheated the Sauce

Burned taste: There is nothing that can reverse a burned sauce. Toss it and make a new batch.

Separated sauce: If your sauce is separated, try letting it cool a bit, then whisk it vigorously. If that doesn't work, add a little Frank's or water and try again. If that still doesn't work, you can try other emulsifiers such as mustard, but they will affect the taste.

Reheating the Sauce

Do it gently. Use low heat, stirring frequently, and stop as soon as the sauce is hot and uniform.

Choosing Spice Levels

Everyone has their own spice tolerance and preference. Sometimes it's cultural. If you grow up eating spicy food, chances are you'll enjoy foods with a little more heat. Other times it becomes a social thing, almost a competition, where people take pride in being able to handle more heat than everyone else.

Mostly I try to create wings that will work for everyone. Some people love heat and think that the hotter the better. I used to be in that category, but as my wing palate has matured, I have become more focused on flavor and making wings that most people will enjoy, not just a few.

I believe the medium sauce recipe, as found below, achieves the perfect balance and is the version I recommend. It is a delicious example of classic Buffalo wing flavor and hits the sweet spot with just enough spice that most people can comfortably enjoy it. For those who want to adjust the spice level, let's talk about how to get there.

Adjusting the Spice

Adjusting the spice level is as simple as adjusting the butter to hot sauce ratio.

• Mild: 1/2 cup Frank's, 3/4 cup butter
• Medium: 3/4 cup Frank's, 1/2 cup butter
• Hot: 3/4 cup Frank's, 1/4 cup butter

When making wings for young children, I will often use only butter or butter with a splash of Frank's. Though technically not Buffalo wings, the kids don't know that or care because perfectly fried chicken wings covered in butter are delicious.

Adding Even More Spice

Classic wisdom says to make Buffalo wings spicier, add more Frank's. This works, but there is a downside. More Frank's means less butter, and butter is delicious.

If you want even more heat without giving up the butter, there are other options. Frank's XTRA Hot, powdered cayenne pepper, and capsaicin extract can all increase the heat level while maintaining a buttery sauce.

These methods can dramatically increase the heat level and deserve a deeper discussion than this article allows. We'll cover them in a future article.

Suicide Wings

When trying to create a Buffalo sauce that is extremely hot, you quickly discover that cayenne pepper has its limits. For this reason, many suicide wing sauces no longer taste like traditional Buffalo wing sauce. In fact, depending on how they are made, they may not even technically qualify as Buffalo wings according to the definition used throughout the BuffWing website because they no longer contain cayenne pepper sauce or, in some cases, even butter.

Cooking for a Crowd

When cooking for a group, medium is the magic sauce that works for almost everyone, but don't feel like you need to choose a single spice level and force everyone to eat it. Buffalo wing sauce is quick and easy to make, so I often prepare multiple bottles with different spice levels. This allows everyone to get their wings exactly how they like them.

Squeeze bottles work especially well for this. Label each bottle and keep them warm so everyone can choose their own heat level.

Learn More: Saucing Chicken wings

Have the sauce ready before the wings are cooked. The last thing you want is to be making sauce at the last minute while the wings are getting cold.

Tip: Use Squeeze Bottles

Squeeze bottles are inexpensive and the perfect tool for sauce management. They allow you to have your sauce prepped and ready to quickly and accurately apply it to hot, fresh wings exactly when you need it.

Closing Thoughts

Buffalo wing sauce is simple to make, but the details matter. If cooking for a crowd, remember that the goal is to make something everyone will enjoy, so know your audience.

You can't go wrong with the recommended medium recipe for a group with varying tastes. Better yet, prepare multiple bottles with different spice levels so everyone can get their wings exactly how they like them.

Don't overheat the sauce, have it ready when the wings are done, and use a squeeze bottle for easy application. Follow those simple guidelines and you can expect a smooth saucing experience.