Fabio's Hot Wings

You asked for them, you get them: Fabio's secrets to making restaurant wings at home.

Tips:

  • Trick to crispiest chicken skin: Preparation matters. Wash the chicken the night before, place on a rack on a baking sheet, and refrigerate overnight, allowing them to release excess water.

  • Secret to perfect frying: Make sure your skillet or pot is deep enough to hold as much oil as needed to cover the wings completely without crowding them. Remember if your wings are cold, they will bring down the temperature of the oil.

  • Hot wings too hot? Italian way to cure spicy is to eat bread. Fill your mouth with something that will soak up the spice, water will only saturate your tongue and worsen it.


Fabio's Hot Wings

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yield: 12 wings

Ingredients:

12 chicken wings, tips cut

peanut oil, for frying

2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 tbsp ground black pepper

½ cup olive oil

½ cup lemon juice

1 tbsp store-bought Buffalo sauce

3 tbsp ketchup

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Method:

To prepare wings, place them on a cooling rack set inside a baking sheet.

Pat dry with paper towels.

Refrigerate on the bottom shelf, uncovered, for at least 8 hours.

Pat dry once more with paper towels to remove any condensation.

Heat a large pot filled with two inches of peanut oil over medium-high heat until an oil thermometer registers 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Add wings and toss with clean hands to coat, massaging the seasoning into the skin.

Fry the chicken wings in small batches, for about 10 minutes, or until fully cooked. Do not overcrowd the oil!

Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.

While the wings cook, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Buffalo sauce, ketchup and Tabasco in a large bowl.

Season the sauce to taste with salt.

Toss cooked wings in the hot sauce until coated.

Serve in a bowl or bucket lined with parchment paper. Make sure to have lots of wet wipes, and cold beer on hand!

MANGIA!!