On Wings

One of those things I enjoy very much is chicken wings. I prefer them fried, but baked works just as well. They are messy, but they have tons of flavor. Some believe they're too much hassle, but I honestly don't mind. I think the effort is worth the reward.

This past weekend, we decided to make wings with some Asian flavors. I was intrigued by a Tyler Florence recipe for curry honey butter baked wings that sounded delicious. I initially thought it was madras curry based, but the flavors didn't work as good. The red curry paste is definitely a better match. My only change was to use Agave nectar instead of honey. I also seasoned the wings with salt/pepper/garlic powder before tossing the mix and baking them.

For my own riff, I decided to borrow most of the  flavors of nuoc-cham, and made a sauce using garlic-chili paste, agave nectar, salt, and lime (no fish sauce). I used it as a tossing sauce with fried wings. The results were very good. A nice balance of the Asian sweet/salty/spicy/sour combination with the crispy wings. Highly recommended if you like those flavors!

For the sauce*:

1 teaspoon of Asian garlic chili sauce (I prefer Huy Fong: Amazon)
2-3 teaspoons of agave nectar (you can use honey, but probably use less)
1 teaspoon lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside
Fry the  chicken wings in 350 degree oil for about 8 minutes (more if you like them really crispy) and drain on paper towels.

Toss the wings with the sauce to coat. Serve hot.

Notes:

I make the sauce to taste, meaning that I eye-ball the quantities. I start with the chili paste, add the sweet and taste as I go until I get the desired heat/sweet ratio I want. Once I get there, I add about a 1/2 tsp of lime and taste from there. Once I get the balance I like, I give it a pinch of salt and pepper, and adjust as needed.
The amounts I've  provided are approximate based on what I saw in the bowl.

If you use honey, warm it up a bit so it flows and blends better. Also, use less initial quantity since honey tends to be sweeter than agave nectar.


I hope you like them as much as I did.