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How do I adapt the "easy buffalo wings" recipe I see on the chowhound home page to kosher?

I would love to make the baked buffalo wings recipe I see here on the chowhound homepage, but it calls for buttermilk. Any ideas of how to make moist, juicy, baked buffalo wings for a crowd that is non-dairy?

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  1. I have faced the same issue with Classic Souther Fried Chicken which calls for a buttermilk marinade - I just create a marinade that I want to use - for the buffalo wings I think the true flavor will come form the hot sauce - in the past when I have made wings on the grill I simply marinated the wings in barbecue sauce with some added tobasco -

    1. someone posted a while back that soymilk with either lemon juice or vinegar will make a pareve buttermilk substitute

      4 Replies
      1. re: berel

        soymilk or almond milk with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice can be used instead of buttermilk. i've only used this in baking (muffins, coffee cake) never is cooking though.. so it might not work.

        1. re: cheesecake17

          never is cooking though.. so it might not work.
          then again maybe it will work

          1. re: berel

            it might.. but i don't want to say it definitely will. Chicken is more expensive than baking ingredients.. just wanted the poster to know that i never tried it.. wouldn't want ingredients to be wasted

            1. re: cheesecake17

              I understand the challenge addressed is the baking but traditional buffalo wings are not marinated in buttermilk. I've tried marinated in alternatives (like those mentioned above) and have never felt it was worth the time and energy. I think a touch of vinegar may just do the trick.

      2. There is no consistent answer to why it's done, just that it's the traditional way of doing it in the South (dating back to when you raised your own chickens). The more plausible answers are that the acidity helps to tenderize the chicken (never found this to be necessary) and the soaking keeps it moist. Given that kosher chickens are already soaked & salted it's not really necessary to soak; and if you do choose to soak it, there's definitely nothing in soy milk that would be more beneficial than water with a little salt and vinegar (or lemon juice).

        So basically, it's part bubbeh meiseh and part science (for previously un-kashered chicken).

        4 Replies
        1. re: ferret

          Interesting. Thanks all. I would love to hear from those who were successful at baking wings with moist, tender results.

          1. re: cappucino

            Alton Brown from food network has a good method.

            1. re: chuck


              i think thats the on youre talking abt, ive tried it with margarine before, it just cant be a totally fat free one

              1. re: shoelace

                That's the one but I have just used a little margarine and Franks to toss them.

        2. Go with the recipe on a bottle of Frank's hot sauce - use pareve margarine

          2 Replies
          1. That recipe is ridiculous. I don't think that you need to "adapt" anything. "Buffalo" style wings aren't even marinated!

            Quite aside from the "Buffalo" issue, marinating wings in buttermilk doesn't make sense. While buttermilk does very nice things to a chicken breast, it does nothing whatsoever for a wing (which is mainly skin and fat). In short, forget about it.

            You can season your wings with a dry rub - any spices that appeal to you are fine - and "marinate" them for a few hours.

            You can use the hot sauce in your marinade if you like, though Buffalo wings are sauced only after cooking. If you do use the hot sauce, don't marinate for more than an hour. Frank's hot sauce is appropriate for this dish and has an OU hashgacha. Tabasco is all heat and little flavour.

            I'd suggest preheating your oven as hot as you can get it. Meanwhile, dry the wings if you marinated them and sprinkle baking powder (yes, baking powder) lightly and evenly all over.

            Spray a rack with nonstick spray, add your wings, put them in the oven, and bake until they crisp (how long this will take depends on your oven).

            Buffalo wings are traditionally tossed in a mixture of hot sauce and butter before serving. I think chicken drippings taste much better than butter, but you can substitute any parve unsalted margarine if you prefer.

            The blue cheese is also traditional, but you're out of luck on that one.

            10 Replies
            1. re: embee

              Walden Farms makes a pareve bleu cheese dressing. i will serve it tonight.

                1. re: embee

                  It was alright, a little flimsy but the bleu cheese taste was in there and it was cool and creamy against the spicy wings. They make a dip as well, which is presumably thicker, but I couldn't find it. Here are the ingredients:
                  *Ingredients: Purified Triple Filtered Water, White Vinegar, Cellulose Gel, Buttermilk Powder, Sour Cream Flavoring, Salt, Lemon Juice, Bleu Cheese Flavor, Titanium Dioxide, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, White Pepper, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol, Alginate, Sodium Benzoate (To Preserve Freshness), Sucralose.

                  1. re: DeisCane

                    "Buttermilk powder"?? I wonder how they might make that....

                    1. re: embee

                      That's weird. I wonder if the version I got doesn't have it. It has an OU but no D, whereas other pictures online have a D.

                      1. re: embee

                        Here are the dip ingredients, maybe they've tweaked the recipe on the dressing?
                        Ingredients: Triple filtered purified water, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, white vinegar, salt, cellulose fiber, natural herbs and spices, natural flavors, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, potassium sorbate, food color, Sucralose.

                        1. re: DeisCane

                          Here's another set of ingredients, which seems more accurate:

                          Ingredients: Purified Triple Filtered Water, White Vinegar, Cellulose Gel, Sour Cream Flavorings (Nondairy), Salt, Lemon Juice, Natural Flavors, Natural Spices, Bleu Cheese Flavor (Non Dairy), Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, White Pepper, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Propyl

                          1. re: DeisCane

                            I "adapted" Alton Brown's wings recipe. Method of cooking - great (steam 1st, 40 min. fridge), roast at 425. Heat level - great (hot sauce + fresh garlic). Substitution of parve margarine for butter - disastrous! I should have known better than to ruin my otherwise super wings with that vile substance.

                            1. re: Kosher Critic

                              ive done this using pareve margarine, u just cant use one of the fat free ones

                2. re: embee

                  thanks. we'll see what happens.