While each cooking method has its benefits, the results from frying chicken wings are hard to beat in terms of speed and crispness. In just 10 minutes of frying, you can have golden brown, delicious wings. (I’m still an advocate of using the air fryer for chicken wings — and have included instructions should you want to use one — but its capacity makes it better suited for smaller quantities than the amount of wings called for here.)
Get the recipe: Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings
Understandably, some home cooks are hesitant to fry very often because they are afraid of injuring themselves or starting a fire, don’t want to deal with the amount of oil required, don’t like the mess or lingering smell, or some combination thereof.
When it comes to frying safety, the most important things to remember are that dry foods are your friend and to gently lay foods in the oil. For the former, that simply means patting the wings dry with a towel. For the latter, don’t drop food from any sort of height, as it will cause the oil to splash. This means you’ll need to get up close and personal with the hot oil. If you’re afraid to use your hands, tongs can give you extra distance for protection. And when you do add food to the oil, lay it away from you so that if there is a splash, it’s headed in the opposite direction.
Rather than using heaps of oil to deep fry, shallow frying can achieve similar results with a small fraction of the cooking oil, making it much easier to deal with when you’re done. (I haven’t tried them yet, but there are now also cooking oil solidifiers that make the disposal process even easier.)
Perhaps the biggest issue with frying is the mess it can create, but that can easily be solved one of two ways. The first is covering your skillet with a splatter screen, which can help to keep your stovetop clean. The other method, which I was introduced to by food and dining editor Joe Yonan, is to simply use a pan with tall sides, such as a stock pot or Dutch oven.
Unfortunately, the smell from frying can’t really be avoided. Your best bets to deal with it are to cook in a ventilated area (a.k.a. open a window), clean up as soon as you can and use some form of air freshener.
With these tips in hand, you can fry with ease.
The wings are simply seasoned with salt and pepper because this recipe is all about the honey barbecue sauce. While you can certainly use your favorite store-bought sauce, you can easily make one that’s finger-lickin’ good. Honey adds floral sweetness, a touch of molasses lends depth, apple cider vinegar’s acidity balances the sugar, and a handful of spices provide additional layers of complexity. The result is scrumptious.
Yes, these wings are pretty messy to eat, but don’t let having to use a few extra napkins dissuade you from experiencing them in all their saucy glory.
Get the recipe: Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings
Source link