Honey-Sriracha Wangs (...and yet Another skin-crisping technique)

Botch

 
Yet another Chef John recipe.  I remember about a year ago several folks here recommending cornstarch to help crisp up cheekun skin; the wangs here are tossed with a rub that includes baking powder, which somehow browns and crisps the skin under the heat.  I left one wang unsauced, and it tasted okay, although I will be brining my wangs from now on whether the recipe calls for it or not; the skin would pull away while eating and the chicken underneath not seasoned.  
 
The sauce was interesting; I'm not a big fan of sweet so won't use the honey again, but will experiment incorporating sriracha with the normal Frank's/melted butter sauce.  375º, raised direct (will go raised indirect next time), cherry smoke.  
 
From Food Wishes:

Crispy Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings – Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have a Winner

Every year about this time, I get a bunch of emails asking which of our previously posted oven-fried chicken wing methods is the best. I never know how to respond, since I think they’re all pretty close, but now I finally have a definitive answer…this one! 

By the way, the honey-sriracha glaze is quite delicious and incredibly simple, but merely an afterthought here. The real star of the show is the strange, but effective technique of coating the wings with a baking powder-laced spice rub before baking. Through the magic of chemical reactions, the surface of the chicken becomes bone-dry, and eventually crisps up to something very similar to what would come out of a deep fryer. 

Instead of the soft, slippery skin associated with most oven baked wings, we get a crispy, blistered surface that really holds onto whatever glaze you decide to toss your wings with. The surprising thing is, once these are cooked you would never know baking powder was involved. 

I’m not exactly sure who originally invented this; I heard about it via America's Test Kitchen, but that doesn’t really matter, since the only thing that really matters is who people 10 years from now think invented this. And if this is video somehow goes viral, that could be me. To that end, I really hope you give this unusual, and highly effective method, and honey-sriracha sauce a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 1/2 pounds chicken wing sections

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp baking powder (aluminum free)

- Coat wings, and bake at 425 F., turning every 15-20 minutes, until they are browned and crispy. Total cooking time will be about 1 hour, but that depends on the size and temperature of your wings.

For the Honey Sriracha glaze:

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup Sriracha

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 tsp sesame oil

sesame seeds to garnish
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDVg0u2YQ7Q&t=21s
 

Griffin

Nicely done!! Sometimes I add sriracha to my regular buffalo sauce from time to time. It's a nice addition.

Lowcountrygamecock

Where did you get those racks from?

FanOfFanboys

try Sosu's bourbon barrel-aged sriracha

game changer

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sriracha
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
melt butter on low on the stove. add other ingredients and stir together. cook wings indirect until 155-160, remove, lightly toss in sauce, finish raised direct until wings are done. once off the grill toss in sauce one more time

https://us.v-cdn.net/6029559/uploads/editor/4h/yapd7zswgnly.jpg

https://us.v-cdn.net/6029559/uploads/editor/x3/fw5pvb0o6kyf.jpg

SmokeyPitt

They look great. I will definitely be trying the baking powder trick. 

smbishop

@Botch I made this today, I decided to use the joetisserie instead of all the flips, it turned out very good, loved the flavor of the glaze.

I have never bought into the add baking soda, corn starch business.  However this recipe does what it says.  I will definitely add it to the rotation.

400+ for an hour, direct, on the Joetisserie...

smokingal

Very nice @Botch

Botch

@smbishop , I guess I need to try 400+ for an hour; I did mine at 375, and after just 40 minutes my Thermapen was showing 190 in the drummettes, and I pulled them.  The flesh was fine but the skin still not as crispy as I wanted, and pulled off the meat with the first bite.  
Thanks for posting.  

smbishop

@Botch I have never checked the temp on wings, just cooked until the outside looks good, and these were good!

TexanOfTheNorth

Speaking of baking powder... I've been using a kosher salt and baking soda dry brine on every turkey I've cooked over the last several years. Easiest and best results I've ever had. I even had to do a turkey on a propane grill a couple of Thanksgivings ago and you'd have never known it was so moist. The skin crisps up beautifully too.

bigguy136

Thanks!
I just tried the technique and the skin was much better. I didn't make the sauce because I just wanted to see how the skin was. Will continue to use this method. 
Thanks for sharing.

smbishop

Made these again.  11 months later.  Followed @FanOfFanboys recipe for the sauce and used @EggObsessed Kelley's It's My Rub Power Blend, http://itsmyrub.com/store/  Home Run today!

craigsotheregg

@Botch thanks for posting.I'll try it my next batch of wings. 

EggObsessed

Glad you enjoyed our "It's My Rub!" on your wings.  I really need to make some wings....SOON!!