Truely Canadian Chicken Wings

Few foods feel more Canadian than a plate of wings paired with a cold beer during hockey season. From pubs in Toronto to backyard barbecues in the Prairies, wings have become the ultimate game-day ritual. While Buffalo, New York, may claim their invention, Canadians have made wings their own — serving them by the platter at pubs, festivals, and living rooms across the country. Crispy, saucy, and meant to be shared, they’re part of our sports culture as much as cheering from the couch or celebrating a Saturday night win.

Ingrediants

For the Wings

• 2 lbs (900 g) chicken wings, split at the joint, tips removed

• 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp paprika

• ½ tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp garlic salt

• Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Buffalo Sauce (Classic Game-Day)

• ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 cup (240 ml) Frank’s RedHot sauce

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Maple BBQ Sauce (Canadian Twist)

• ½ cup (120 ml) ketchup

• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• Salt & pepper, to taste

Dill Pickle Dry Rub (Prairie Favourite)

• 2 tsp dried dill

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

Blue Cheese Dip (Classic Side)

• ½ cup (120 ml) sour cream

• ½ cup (120 g) mayonnaise

• ½ cup (75 g) crumbled blue cheese

• 1 tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar

• Salt & pepper, to taste

Method

• Prep the wings: Pat wings dry with paper towels. In a bowl, mix flour, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt, and black pepper. Dredge wings until coated, shaking off excess.

• Bake: Arrange wings on a lined baking tray, making sure they don’t touch. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes, flip, then bake another 20–25 minutes until golden and crispy.

• Buffalo sauce: In a small pan, melt butter and sauté garlic. Stir in Frank’s RedHot, Worcestershire, and brown sugar. Simmer 2–3 minutes. Toss a third of the wings in the sauce.

• Maple BBQ sauce: In another pan, simmer ketchup, maple syrup, vinegar, Dijon, garlic, salt, and pepper for 5 minutes until glossy. Toss a third of the wings in the sauce.

• Dill pickle rub: Mix dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the last batch of wings straight from the oven.

• Dip & serve: Whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, and lemon juice for dipping.

NOTE: Serve wings with carrot and celery sticks — and, of course, a cold Canadian beer.

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Canadians love their chicken wings — so much so that farmers produce over 1.5 billion wings every year. On big game days, the numbers soar even higher, with more than 80 million wings eaten during a single championship weekend. The demand is so strong that Canada often imports tens of millions of kilograms of wings to keep up. Whether it’s the Grey Cup, the Stanley Cup playoffs, or just a Saturday night at the pub, wings have become part of our national food culture — crispy, messy, and always shared over cold beer and loud cheers.

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