Sunny's Kitchen (27 page)

These have the perfect balance of each flavor, and the spritz of lime at the end seals the deal.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the wings.
Place the wings on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. Rest for at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, and up to 2 hours.

2
Make the sauce.
In a small pot, combine the jam, brown sugar, onion, jalapeño, orange juice, liquid smoke, paprika, garlic, lime zest, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat. When the sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat immediately to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with a pinch of salt.

3
Fry the wings.
In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4
Sauce and garnish the wings.
In a small, dry pan over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, tossing while they heat. They will begin to clump, then shine; remove them from the heat and set on a plate or paper towel to cool. Put some of the sauce in a large bowl and toss the wings in batches, adding more sauce to thoroughly coat. Then place the wings on a serving tray and spritz with lime juice. Finish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and scallions. Serve warm.

These are a nod to my favorite dip for nuggets at fast-food places. The sauce is quick to make, and the wings disappear just as fast.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the wings.
Place the wings on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. Rest for at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, and up to 2 hours.

2
Make the sauce.
In a small pot, combine the honey, brown sugar, mustard, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Give a taste and season with a pinch of salt.

3
Fry the wings.
In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4
Sauce and garnish the wings.
Place some of the sauce in a large bowl and toss the wings in batches, adding more sauce to thoroughly coat. Serve warm.

These are sweet and savory wings, soaked in a maple-flavored marinade, fried, and tossed in bacon sugar. Yes, bacon sugar.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Marinate the wings.
In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, maple syrup, sage, hot sauce, and salt. Whisk until the salt dissolves. Divide among large resealable plastic bags and fill with the chicken. Close and rest at room temperature for 1½ hours.

2
Prep the wings.
In a large paper bag, combine the flour, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Remove the wings from the marinade, shaking off any excess. In batches, toss the chicken wings in the paper bag until fully coated with flour. Place the coated wings on a wire rack and let sit at room temperature until the flour appears to be invisible or soaked into the skin, about 30 minutes.

3
Make the garnish.
Put the sugar, bacon, and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until granulated. Set aside.

4
Fry and coat the wings.
In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Place some of the sugared bacon in a large bowl or paper bag and toss the wings in batches, adding more sugared bacon as needed. Serve warm.

I’ve paired the sweet heat of sriracha with whisky and a chaser of brown sugar. I don’t know what I did before I discovered sriracha. Look for it in a tall plastic squirt bottle with a green spout, near the ketchup.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the wings.
Place the wings on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. Rest for at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, and up to 2 hours.

2
Make the sauce.
In a small pot, combine the sriracha, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, and whisky. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

3
Fry the wings.
In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4
Sauce the wings.
Place some of the sauce in a large bowl and toss the wings in batches, adding more sauce to thoroughly coat. Serve warm.

Stop wasting pesto on just pasta. Pesto is cleared for take-off on these earthy, crunchy wings.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the wings.
Place the wings on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. Rest for at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, and up to 2 hours.

2
Make the pesto.
Put the basil, garlic, onion, pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse while pouring a stream of olive oil through the top until it comes together and is the texture of a chunky mayonnaise, not loose. Taste and season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

3
Fry the wings.
In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough peanut or vegetable oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4
Sauce the wings.
Place some of the pesto in a large bowl and toss the wings in batches, adding more sauce to thoroughly coat. Serve warm.

If a piece of fried chicken fell into the dust at the bottom of your favorite bag of BBQ chips, this would be the smoky sweet result! That’s how I came up with this recipe—inspiration struck while turning an empty bag of chips inside out to lick the lining. Don’t judge me!
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the wings.
In a large paper bag, combine the flour, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. In batches, toss the chicken wings in the bag until fully coated with flour. Place the coated wings on a wire rack and rest at room temperature until the flour appears to be invisible or soaked into the skin, about 30 minutes.

2
Make the coating.
Put the paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Toast the spices, tossing constantly to avoid burning, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, add the salt and sugar. Place in a large bowl or large paper bag for tossing.

3
Fry the wings.
In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.

4
Coat the wings.
Remove the wings from the oil and immediately add them to the bowl or bag with the coating. Toss to coat. Serve warm.

The rub for these wings is built for a ride in the oven. The warmth allows the flavors of the herbs and spices a chance to intensify.
SERVES 4 TO 6

1
Prep the rub.
Pour an inch of olive oil into a small pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to swirl, add the rosemary and cook, turning the sprigs, until the leaves darken and become crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Add the sage to the same pan and cook until the leaves darken, slightly curl, and stop sizzling, just 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. In a medium dry pan over low heat, combine the cumin, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, and garlic powder. Toast the spices, tossing constantly to avoid burning, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. Put the herbs and spices in a spice grinder and pulse until combined. Remove and add salt.

2
Prep the wings.
Massage the wings with the herb rub and place on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet to let the rub set, 30 minutes. While the wings rest, preheat the oven to 400°F.

3
Bake the wings.
Transfer the baking sheet with the rack and wings to the oven and bake until crispy, flipping halfway through, about 40 minutes total. Serve warm.