← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg Chicken wings, split into drumettes and flats, tips removed
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1.5 l vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
• 120 ml Louisiana-style cayenne hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
• 60 g Butter
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• ½ tsp Garlic powder
• 60 g Blue cheese, crumbled (optional)
• 60 ml Sour cream (optional)
• 3 tbsp Mayonnaise (optional)
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
• 4 celery sticks, cut into batons
• 2 Carrot, cut into batons (optional)

Method

1. Pat the wings very dry with kitchen paper (dry skin is the secret to crispness) and toss them with the salt.
2. For the dip, mash the blue cheese with the sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice, leaving a few chunks. Keep it in the fridge.
3. Heat about 5 cm of oil in a large, heavy pot to 190°C (375°F). Fry the wings in 2 or 3 batches for 10–12 min, stirring now and then, until deep golden, crisp and cooked through (75°C / 165°F at the thickest part). Drain on a rack.
4. While the wings fry, melt the butter with the hot sauce, vinegar and garlic powder in a small pan over low heat, whisking until smooth. Don’t let it boil.
5. Tip the hot wings into a big bowl, pour over the sauce and toss until glossy. Serve straight away with the celery, carrots and blue cheese dip.

Tips

• Prefer the oven? Bake the dried, salted wings on a rack at 220°C (200°C fan) for 45–50 min, turning halfway, then toss in the sauce.
• More butter makes the sauce milder; less butter makes it hotter.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

James Beard Foundation The Daily Meal Tasting Table