Smoky chicken wings, cowboy candy and slaw
American food. Yeah? Nah? Or yeah-nah? Because when it comes to food, Americans do eat a lot of shit. If anecdotal evidence is to be believed, many of them don’t properly cook. (We’re not talking about the Alice Waters, Rick Baylesses, Nancy Silvertons or David Changs of the world. We know the US is no monolith.) There’s a tonne to love, but there’s a pile not to, too. We mean, spray cheese. C’mon.
Chicken wings, which the Yanks excel at cooking, are great with the syrupy chillies mixture here, dubbed ‘cowboy candy’. It took the inter webs by storm a while ago and we guess it emanated from America. Imagine jalapeños cooked in a thick, sweet syrup with a few choice aromatics and you’ve got the concept – it’s hella good, ridiculous amounts of sugar aside. (FYI the technical term for prepping chillies without wearing disposable gloves, which we did, is ‘Rank Effing Stupidity’ if you were wondering. As is not removing the seeds when you’re making this, so be bothered to do that too or you’ll end up with something so hot it’s crazy) We do love the very American seasoning blend in this recipe – who else uses powdered onion and garlic to such good effect? Or to any effect at all? Wings are one of the cheapest cuts of appealing protein you can currently buy and one of the most fun to eat too; they also go great with coleslaw. Which is not American (it’s Dutch, actually), but it was the U.S.A. that first turfed mayo at it so you’ve got to credit them for that. We haven't included a recipe for coleslaw… do you really need one? Everyone has their own, surely, but let us know and we can always conjure one for you.
SERVES 4-6 (IDK how many wings y’all eat)
60g (¼ cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
4 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2½ tsp sea salt flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1.5g chicken wings (about 14 and yeah, I know. Awkward number. Just fight over them)
2½ tbsp olive oil
coleslaw, to serve
Cowboy candy (makes about 1 cup)
250g medium green chillies
125ml (½ cup) white wine vinegar
220g (1 cup) caster sugar
1 tsp celery seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 fresh bayleaf
For the cowboy candy, make like the proctologist and put on some disposable gloves. Trim and slice the chillies, removing the seeds (optional, but a smart move). Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, whisk to combine (the turmeric can form lumps), then bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Add the chillies, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they are softened. Strain the mixture, transferring the chillies to a bowl and returning the liquid to the pan. Bring the liquid to the boil over medium-high heat, then for 12-15 minutes until it is quite reduced and syrupy. Pour over the chilli in the bowl and set aside to cool.
For the wings, preheat the oven to 200C. Combine the sugar, spices, onion and garlic powders and salt in a bowl and mix well. Line a large tray with baking paper. Place the wings in a large bowl, drizzle with the olive oil then, using clean hands, toss to coat the wings well. Place about a third of the spice mixture on the lined tray then, working in batches and adding more spice mixture as necessary, use dry hands to coat the wings all over in the mixture. Place a large wire rack over a large oven tray or roasting dish then place the wings, in a single layer, on the rack. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden and cooked through, then serve with the cowboy candy served cautiously to the side, and your fave slaw. The leftover cowboy candy will keep, stored in a sterilised jar in the fridge, for 2 or so weeks.
