Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer
Baseball has hot dogs, and football calls for hot wings. Instead of the Buffalo-sauce route, these take a sticky-sweet Southern turn with a pepper jelly glaze. Even though these wings are oven-fried, you’d never know it. I learned about this baking powder trick for making crispy, you’d-swear-they-were-fried chicken wings a few years ago from various sites, most notably Serious Eats. Those versions ask you to dry-brine the chicken overnight and/or cook it on a rack. I didn’t do either of those things, hoping for a faster way with less cleanup, and the results were fantastic. Just be sure you reach for baking powder, not baking soda; the latter will give the chicken a strong metallic flavor. Serve up a pile of these wings on game day and you’ll have a very happy crowd. They’re dreamy with the hearty crunch of kettle chips, carrots, and celery—all ready to take a dive in creamy blue cheese dressing.
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat chicken very dry with paper towels; place in a large bowl. Stir together salt, baking powder, coriander, and ginger in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over chicken; toss well to coat. Arrange chicken, fatty side down, in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or lined with aluminum foil and then parchment paper if you don’t want to wash the baking sheet).
Step 2
Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes. Turn chicken over; bake until well browned and crispy, 17 to 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven. Drain chicken on paper towels; let stand 5 minutes.
Step 3
Stir together jelly and vinegar in a large skillet; bring to a boil over high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until jelly melts, about 2 minutes. Add butter, and stir until butter melts, 30 seconds. Add chicken; toss well to coat, and remove from heat.
Chef's Notes
From kick-off to the Super Bowl, everyone will be asking for these wings all season. Here are a few things to serve along with these crispy baked wings.
Suggested Accompaniments
Celery
Carrots
Cherry Tomatoes
Blue Cheese Dressing
Potato Chips
Pickled Pepperoncini
