If you're planning a watch party or shamelessly choosing to leave the dirty work to a family or friend, whatever you do, four Miami chefs say,
make sure to wing it.
The National Chicken Council released its annual Wing Report, which estimates Americans will eat more than 1.3 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday 2016. That's about 163 million pounds, which marks a near 38 million wing increase from last year's game. To put it into perspective, that's enough wings for every man, woman, and child in the U.S. to have four each. Even better, if those wings were laid end to end, they would stretch from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver almost 53 times. However you imagine it, that's a lot of wings.
From baked, sweet, and spicy, to honey BBQ and bourbon-style, there's an endless number of ways to style the wings Americans will munch on this Sunday, the second largest eating day after Thanksgiving.
Four Miami-based chefs have their own way of making chicken wings, using locally sourced ingredients and simple tricks to get the most taste and the best mix of juiciness and crunch.
Sugarcane's Timon Balloo prefers harissa-style wings with cucumber and yogurt. "I've used spices like harissa for years," he says. "And I love how this recipe plays on the dish like a traditional buffalo wing sauce. When you bite in, you will definitely get the heat from the spices and cool down from yogurt. I say finish it with some crisp vegetables to clean the palate."
Pubbelly's Jose Mendin opts for his Korean fried chicken wings recipe, while the Federal's Cesar Zapata suggests Vietnamese chicken wings with fish sauce caramel. Forego wings and try SushiSamba's chickenanticuchos as an alternative.
The four recipes are easy to follow, and most of their required ingredients can likely be found at your local supermarket.
"This recipe is super simple," Balloo says. "Just toss, cook, and serve. For an even tastier bite, marinate the wings overnight too."
Chef Timon Balloo's harissa wings with cucumber and yogurt from Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill
Ingredients:
1 pound wings
1/2 cup harissa paste, either store-bought or using recipe below
1 cucumber (cut into 1" thick rounds)
1 carrot (peeled and cut into spears)
Preheat oven to 350°. Toss wings with harissa paste and bake.
Harissa paste:
1 cup roasted red peppers
2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño, guajillo chili or chipotle in adobo
teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Toast the spices in a non-stick pan over medium heat until fragrant. Remove and add oil, garlic, and onions. Cook until golden brown, remove fromheat, and place into a blender with the toasted spices and remainder of ingredients. Blend until smooth.
Dip:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon curry powder
teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
Jose Mendin's Korean Fried Chicken Wings from Pubbelly
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (cut into 8 pieces)
1 Bibb lettuce head (cut into cups)
Buttermilk Marinade:
1 liter buttermilk
2 tablespoons kimchee base
1 tablespoon gochujang paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
Seasoned Flour:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon shichimi
Gochujang Mustard Miso:
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Marinade the chicken in buttermilk mix for at least an hour. Take chicken out of buttermilk and drench in seasoned flour, then leave out for at least 15 minutes. Fry at 360° for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Serve with gochujang mustard miso and Bibb lettuce cups.
For the Gochujang Mustard Miso:
Combine miso paste, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for one minute, or until miso dissolves and begins to bloom. Remove from heat, and stir in oil and vinegar.
Cesar Zapata's Vietnamese Chicken Wings with Fish Sauce Caramel at The Federal
Ingredients:
Fish Sauce Caramel:
3/4 cup water
1 lb white, brown, or palm sugar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup jalapeños (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon garlic cloves (chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger (chopped)
1 bunch scallions (sliced, including white part)
Chicken Wings:
3 pounds chicken wings split at the drumettes
2 quarts canola oil
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Fish Sauce Caramel:
Put water, sugar, and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan. Start heating over a moderate flame. Let the sugar boil until you achieve a pretty dark mahogany color. Once sauce reaches mahogany color, remove from the stove. As soon as you have it off the flame, add the fish sauce and stir or whisk until the bubbling settles down and you have a smooth sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients. Set the sauce aside and allow it to cool.
Chicken Wings:
In a large pot, heat two quarts of canola oil to 350°. Pat the wings dry on paper towels. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings, and turn to coat lightly. Dust off any extra. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through. Drain on cooling rack and transfer to a bowl. Add four tablespoons of fish sauce caramel to the bowl and toss until chicken wings are coated. Top with fresh mint and cilantro.
Chicken Anticuchos from SushiSamba
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast, cubed
1 pound shucked peruvian corn
2 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
10-12 6” bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water
2 tablespoon scallions, sliced on a bias
Cube the chicken into one-inch pieces and toss with enough marinade to coat them evenly. Place three pieces of chicken on each skewer, season, and grill. While the chicken is grilling, prepare the corn. In a warm sauté pan, heat oil. Place the corn into the pan and cook until slightly browned. Add the granulated sugar and lime juice. Cook until slightly caramelized. At the end, add butter and fresh cilantro. Place corn in a serving dish; when chicken is finished place the skewers on top of the corn and sprinkle with sliced scallions.
Follow Clarissa Buch on Twitter.
Sugarcane's Timon Balloo prefers harissa-style wings with cucumber and yogurt. "I've used spices like harissa for years," he says. "And I love how this recipe plays on the dish like a traditional buffalo wing sauce. When you bite in, you will definitely get the heat from the spices and cool down from yogurt. I say finish it with some crisp vegetables to clean the palate."
Pubbelly's Jose Mendin opts for his Korean fried chicken wings recipe, while the Federal's Cesar Zapata suggests Vietnamese chicken wings with fish sauce caramel. Forego wings and try SushiSamba's chicken
The four recipes are easy to follow, and most of their required ingredients can likely be found at your local supermarket.
"This recipe is super simple," Balloo says. "Just toss, cook, and serve. For an even tastier bite, marinate the wings overnight too."
Chef Timon Balloo's harissa wings with cucumber and yogurt from Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill
Ingredients:
1 pound wings
1/2 cup harissa paste, either store-bought or using recipe below
1 cucumber (cut into 1" thick rounds)
1 carrot (peeled and cut into spears)
Preheat oven to 350°. Toss wings with harissa paste and bake.
Harissa paste:
1 cup roasted red peppers
2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño, guajillo chili or chipotle in adobo
teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Toast the spices in a non-stick pan over medium heat until fragrant. Remove and add oil, garlic, and onions. Cook until golden brown, remove from
Dip:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon curry powder
teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
Jose Mendin's Korean Fried Chicken Wings from Pubbelly
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (cut into 8 pieces)
1 Bibb lettuce head (cut into cups)
Buttermilk Marinade:
2 tablespoons kimchee base
1 tablespoon gochujang paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
Seasoned Flour:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon shichimi
Gochujang Mustard Miso:
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon gochujang
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Marinade the chicken in buttermilk mix for at least an hour. Take chicken out of buttermilk and drench in seasoned flour, then leave out for at least 15 minutes. Fry at 360° for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Serve with gochujang mustard miso and Bibb lettuce cups.
For the Gochujang Mustard Miso:
Combine miso paste, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for one minute, or until miso dissolves and begins to bloom. Remove from heat, and stir in oil and vinegar.
Cesar Zapata's Vietnamese Chicken Wings with Fish Sauce Caramel at The Federal
Ingredients:
Fish Sauce Caramel:
3/4 cup water
1 lb white, brown, or palm sugar
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/4 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce
1/4 cup jalapeños (thinly sliced)
1 teaspoon garlic cloves (chopped)
1 teaspoon ginger (chopped)
1 bunch scallions (sliced, including white part)
Chicken Wings:
3 pounds chicken wings split at the drumettes
2 quarts canola oil
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Fish Sauce Caramel:
Put water, sugar, and lemon juice into a heavy saucepan. Start heating over a moderate flame. Let the sugar boil until you achieve a pretty dark mahogany color. Once sauce reaches mahogany color, remove from the stove. As soon as you have it off the flame, add the fish sauce and stir or whisk until the bubbling settles down and you have a smooth sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients. Set the sauce aside and allow it to cool.
Chicken Wings:
In a large pot, heat two quarts of canola oil to 350°. Pat the wings dry on paper towels. Put the cornstarch in a shallow bowl, add the wings, and turn to coat lightly. Dust off any extra. Fry the wings in batches until golden and cooked through. Drain on cooling rack and transfer to a bowl. Add four tablespoons of fish sauce caramel to the bowl and toss until chicken wings are coated. Top with fresh mint and cilantro.
Chicken Anticuchos from SushiSamba
Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast, cubed
1 pound shucked peruvian corn
2 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
10-12 6” bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water
2 tablespoon scallions, sliced on a bias
Cube the chicken into one-inch pieces and toss with enough marinade to coat them evenly. Place three pieces of chicken on each skewer, season, and grill. While the chicken is grilling, prepare the corn. In a warm sauté pan, heat oil. Place the corn into the pan and cook until slightly browned. Add the granulated sugar and lime juice. Cook until slightly caramelized. At the end, add butter and fresh cilantro. Place corn in a serving dish; when chicken is finished place the skewers on top of the corn and sprinkle with sliced scallions.
Follow Clarissa Buch on Twitter.
