Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Chips

Are you sad that Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Chips have been discontinued? Make them at home with this recipe! (You can still grab takeout wings from BDubs for a truly authentic meal.)

One of my first dates with my husband, Dan, was at the Buffalo Wild Wings in downtown Chicago. Because we have always been classy bar food people, and I’m glad we realized that about each other early on.

It was the first BW3–as as we used to call it back in 2001–that I had ever dined at, and to this day remains the only Buffalo Wild Wings location we’ve visited that had real place settings and cloth napkins.

This puzzled Dan greatly, but not knowing any different, I didn’t see the weirdness. (Now I do.)

Our standard order was pretty much set from this first visit: a small order of wings with medium sauce and a basket of buffalo chips, with both blue cheese and celery for me and ranch and carrots for Dan.

No matter where we went, from South Bend to Phoenix to Greensburg, PA, this was our thing.

Until last year, when in the middle of so much pandemic turbulence, we went to place a takeout order at our local BDubs and realized… the buffalo chips were no longer on the menu!

Buffalo Wild Wings buffalo chips were the platonic ideal of a potato companion to wings. Crispy at the edges and tender inside, these thick, round slices were somehow not mealy like a steak fry.

The soft texture was ideal comfort for a palate overwhelmed by spice. And not only that, but because of the shape, the buffalo chips had a greater surface area for dipping into creamy blue cheese or ranch.

I can only imagine that in the era of expansion and supply chain simplification, it became easier for Buffalo Wild Wings corporate to streamline with frozen fries and tater tots instead of the more time-consuming, freshly sliced buffalo chips.

Luckily, you can still make Buffalo Wild Wings buffalo chips at home that taste just like the ones from the restaurant.

It’s a simple process, but there are two key elements to replicating the authentic BDubs taste and texture.

The first is to use yellow potatoes, also often called Yukon Gold potatoes. Yellow potatoes aren’t as starchy as Russet potatoes, which are typically used for French fries, so they’ll fry up with that signature tender texture.

The second secret is to bake the potatoes before slicing and frying them. This will guarantee that your buffalo chips will be cooked all the way through, instead of crispy on the edges but still too toothsome in the middle.

Some cooks like to par-boil their cut potatoes before frying, but I like to bake and then slice. For one, you don’t have to worry about thoroughly drying the potatoes before adding them to hot oil to avoid a dangerous splatter situation.

And I find it easier to gauge the right level of doneness to whole baked potatoes instead of slices. Underbaking the potatoes just slightly makes it easy to slice them and finish up the cooking process in the fryer.

With these elements in mind, all you need to do is to set up your simple stovetop deep frying station or use an electric deep fryer.

Afraid of frying at home? Don’t be! Read and watch my deep frying tutorial with video and you’ll be a pro right off the bat.

I also do a double fry on my potatoes to make sure the crisp and tender balance is right on. An initial lower-temperature fry creates a starchy coating around the potato slice, and a higher-temperature finish burnishes the ‘tatoes to the perfect golden brown.

Since takeout is part of our life for the foreseeable future, why not grab wings to go and enjoy them at home with your very own Buffalo Wild Wings buffalo chips?

Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Chips

Yield: 2 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 1 minute

Total Time: 1 hour 26 minutes

Sad that Buffalo Wild Wings Buffalo Chips have been discontinued? Make them at home with this recipe for fresh fried chips that taste just like the restaurant version.

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold (yellow) potatoes
• 1 quart canola oil or vegetable oil for frying
• kosher salt
• blue cheese and/or ranch dressing for dipping (optional)

Instructions

Bake the potatoes:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Pierce the potatoes a few times with the tip of a paring knife. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the potatoes are just baked through but not too tender.
3. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Slice the potatoes into rounds about 1 inch thick.

Fry the potatoes:

1. Line a clean baking sheet with paper towels and place an upside-down cooling rack on top.
2. Fill an electric deep fryer with canola oil or vegetable oil per manufacturer's instructions, or fill a heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven no more than halfway full with oil.
3. Preheat the electric deep fryer to 325 degrees F or place the pot over medium heat and use an oil thermometer clipped to the side of the pot to monitor temperature until it reaches 325 degrees.
4. Carefully add the potato slices to the oil in batches. Cook for 2-3 minutes—not long enough to brown them, but just to get an initial fry. This helps make the potatoes crispier.
5. Transfer the potato chips to the prepared baking sheet to drain.
6. Turn up the heat and bring the oil temperature to 375 degrees F.
7. Fry the potatoes in batches again, this time until they are golden brown. It will happen quickly, in 1-2 minutes per batch.
8. Transfer the potato chips to the prepared baking sheet once more and sprinkle with kosher salt.
9. Serve immediately with blue cheese or ranch dressing—and wings!

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