I made these Italian-influenced wings for the Super Bowl. They are shallow fried and then baked and coated in a garlicky and spicy sweet and sour sauce. This is an adaptation from a recipe in www.sipandfeast.com. It will serve about 6 as a main course and will take about an hour to prepare.
For the frying stage
2 lbs. disjoined wings
3 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
Vegetable oil for frying (~1 cup)
For the sauce
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
5 Tbs. (~1/3 cup) pickled cherry peppers, deseeded and destemmed, chopped
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. honey
¾ tsp. chicken stock
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan
2 Tbs. Italian parsley, chopped
In a small bowl mix together 1-1/2 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt with the black pepper and garlic powder.
In another small bowl put the remaining 1-1/2 tsp. of kosher salt.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and put a wire rack in it.
Dry the disjointed chicken wings with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of the wings with the salt/pepper/garlic mixture from the first small bowl.
Pour oil in a large skillet to about ¼ inch deep and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 360 degrees. Fry half of the wings in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Put the browned wings on the wire rack on the cookie sheet, and repeat with the second half of the wings. When all the wings are fried, sprinkle them with the salt in the second small bowl and put them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and browned.
Prepare the sauce while the wings are in the oven. Pour the used oil out of the skillet and wipe it clean with paper towels. Add the butter and olive oil and cook over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add the flour and cook for a minute, or until golden. Add the cherry peppers, white wine, vinegar, and honey, and cook, stirring frequently until reduced by about half, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and stir in well. Cook until reduced enough to coat a spoon. Reduce the heat to keep the sauce warm. Check the sauce for seasoning.
When the wings have finished baking add them to the skillet and toss them with the sauce. Mix in the Parmesan and parsley. Serve immediately.