Lord of the Wings

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, which explains a lot about chicken wings. Historically, wings have been a less prized part of the chicken, with breast meat hogging the glory and thighs getting plenty of love, too. But when there’s little room for waste, that’s when things really start sizzling. Cooking traditions around the world have long found ways to make chicken wings something to write home about, turning an often-overlooked cut into a culinary favorite.

Take a moment to channel your inner biologist because, anatomically, chicken wings have three different parts: the drumette, the wingette (or flat), and the tip. The drumette is attached to the body and looks a little like a miniature drumstick, while the flat has two bones running through it. The tip contains little meat but plenty of skin, bones, and connective tissue, making it better suited to the stock pot than the snack platter.

And don’t underestimate that connective tissue. Wings contain plenty of collagen, which breaks down during cooking and contributes body and richness to broths, sauces and braises. It’s also part of what makes properly cooked wings so wonderfully tender.

Now, if your wings are flapping over how to cook those wings, squawk not! There’s more than one way to get this bird in the air.

For crispy skin, frying is hard to beat. The hot oil quickly cooks the exterior, driving off moisture while creating that coveted crunch. Roasting and air-frying can also produce crisp skin with less oil, especially if the wings are spread out so hot air can circulate around them. A light coating of baking powder can help roasted or air-fried wings brown and crisp even more.

Want to bring some smoke into the equation? Fire up the grill. Grilling adds char and a little smokiness while rendering the fat in the skin. Smoking takes that flavor even further, although low-and-slow cooking can leave the skin less crisp. A quick finish over higher heat can help bring back some crunch.

Then there’s the road less crispy. Braising or stewing wings in a flavorful liquid allows the collagen and connective tissue to break down, resulting in tender meat and a rich, silky sauce. This approach is especially popular in dishes around the world that simmer wings with ingredients such as soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chiles, and aromatic spices.

Not to leave the tips dangling, skip trying to cook them up as a snack and instead add them to your next batch of stock. At BriarPatch, we’re all for getting as much goodness as possible out of the food we bring home, and those bony little bits have plenty to offer. Their skin, bones, and connective tissue can contribute flavor and gelatin to the pot.

With so many ways to cook them, there’s no need to wing it. And with football season underway, wings are ready for their biggest assignment: feeding a hungry crowd between touchdowns, field goals and questionable referee calls. Whether they’re crisped in the oven, charred on the grill, or simmered until tender, these little pieces of poultry have earned their place as the snack MVP.

Baked Tebasaki (Nagoya-Style Glazed Chicken Wings)

Serves 4

• 2 lbs chicken wings, split into flats and drumettes

• 1 Tbsp aluminum-free baking powder

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp gochujang

• 1 Tbsp garlic, finely minced or grated

• 2 Tbsp sugar

• 2 Tbsp miso

• 3 Tbsp soy sauce

• 1/2 cup sake

• 1/3 cups mirin

• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Completely dry wings with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of crisp skin. Toss in large bowl with baking powder and kosher salt until every piece is evenly, thinly coated with no white clumps. Arrange wings on a wire rack on a baking sheet lined with parchment and refrigerate uncovered for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Bake at 250°F for 30 minutes on the lower-middle and upper-middle racks. The wings won’t brown yet. This stage melts out the subcutaneous fat so the skin can crisp later.

Raise the oven to 425°F without removing the pans. Bake 40 minutes or until wings are deep golden and blistered.

While the wings bake, combine sake and mirin in a small saucepan and simmer 2 minutes. Whisk in soy sauce, sugar, miso, gochujang and garlic. Simmer over medium-low, stirring often, until reduced by about half and syrupy enough to coat a spoon, 8–12 minutes. Reserve 1/3 of the glaze.

With 10 minutes of baking left, brush wings generously with glaze, return to oven, and bake 10 minutes until the coating is tacky and lacquered. Watch closely at the end — the sugar and miso can scorch.

Transfer to a bowl, toss with reserved glaze, then sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and a few grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately, ideally with cold beer and a stack of napkins