Super Bowl Staples: Wings

It's not a Super Bowl party without chicken wings. I adore wings so...welcome to the first edition of my wings mini-series.

In Seattle food, Tom Douglas is king. With eight successful restaurants in Seattle, popular cookbooks, and a line of rubs and sauces, it's not hard to see why. So it's only right that I consult the back of the house at Douglas' Dahlia Lounge for a major wing recipe! (If you're in Seattle, you can grab these tasty wings over at Palace Kitchen.)

 Hot-Pepper Wings with Cilantro Sour Cream
 by Tom Douglas
courtesy of Esquire Magazine

photo source: Tom Douglas blog

Ingredients

• 18 whole chicken wings
• 2 cups soy sauce
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 cup garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh sage, chopped
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

For the cilantro sour cream:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• 2 tsp chopped cilantro
• kosher or coarse salt
• ground black pepper

Instructions
To make wings:

1. Whisk all ingredients except wings together in a large bowl. Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade for basting and sauce.
2. Add wings to bowl with marinade, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight. Turn occasionally to make sure wings are thoroughly marinated.
3. Caution: Never use a "raw" marinade — any marinade that has had raw meat in it — to finish a dish. That's why we set some aside in this recipe.
4. Grill method: Remove wings and discard marinade. Grill wings over medium-low coals, turning often, until wings cook through, about 15 minutes. You want the wings to cook slowly so they cook thoroughly before the glaze burns.
5. While grilling, heat reserved marinade in saucepan and baste wings a few times while cooking. Cut into one of the wings to make sure no pink remains near the bone and remove.
6. Broiler method: Remove wings and discard marinade. Put wings in a broiler pan under a preheated broiler, 4 inches from heat source, and broil about 10 minutes per side. (If your broiler has a low setting, use that, otherwise watch carefully so the glaze doesn't burn.) Heat reserved marinade in saucepan and baste wings a few times while cooking. Cut into one of the wings to make sure there is no pink remaining near the bone and remove.

To make cilantro sour cream: 

1. In a small bowl, mix first three ingredients together. Salt and pepper to taste. Yields 1/2 cup.
2. To serve: Top wings with 1 tsp of warm reserved marinade. Don't use more than a drizzle, though — it's really strong. Serve whatever is left on the side for heat lovers. Serve with cilantro sour cream.

Grab some paper towels and wet-naps 'cause it's wing time!