Flying High

I am elated about chicken wings. If I was the kind of person who believed in emphasizing elation with a series of exuberant exclamation marks, I'd punctuate that sentence with at least seven of them, maybe eight.


We're talking your typical budget-friendly wings, battered and deep fried and slightly, just slightly, reminiscent of the "buffalo" wings from my childhood. So you might wonder what's the big deal - especially since I just compared these wings to that ubiquitous Red Robin staple.


Well, for one, these wings don't come with ranch sauce on the side or a dipping sauce at all. Instead, you serve them slicked with an addictive sweet-sour-spicy sauce made with honey, lime juice and ichimi togarashi (or red pepper flakes if, like me, you didn't make any effort to obtain the Japanese stuff). 


Then there's the rice flour batter, gone crispy and golden after a dip in hot, bubbly oil, and the impressively tender meat within. The final touch - and the one I think makes these wings so good is a garnish of cooling mint and cilantro. That bright finish, plus a crispy shell and swoon-worthy sauce, makes for wings worth getting excited about.


Honey-Lime Chicken Wings

I lucked out and got assigned a story on these wings for a publication called TastingTable.com. Otherwise, being a health-food fan, I probably wouldn't have given them a passing glance. Don't make the same mistake. 

Serves 4

Wings

2 1/2 pounds whole chicken wings, separated at the joint

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup rice flour, such as Bob's Red Mill brand

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Sauce

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 cup scallion, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup thinly sliced serrano chile, with or without seeds

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or ichimi togarashi

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, torn

In a large bowl, mix the chicken wings with the buttermilk. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Place the wings in a strainer and drain for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour with the cornstarch, flour and salt; toss the wings in the rice-flour mixture until well coated. Bake the wings on the prepared baking sheets until they are cooked through and the rice-flour breading is dry, about 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the remaining flour.

In a large bowl, whisk the honey with the lime juice, fish sauce, scallion, serrano chile, salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Set aside.

In a deep fryer or deep, heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry the wings until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer the wings to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Toss the wings in the honey-lime sauce and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the herbs and any sauce that remains in the bowl. Serve immediately.

-From Chef Nick Balla of Nombe and TastingTable.com