Wild Wild Wings Recipe! (Marcus Samuelsson)

After seeing Marcus make these on TV, I had to do it myself! So glad I did. KILLER WINGS!\r
Ingredients\r
Wings:\r
4 cups water\r
1/4 cup sugar \r
1/4 cup coarse kosher salt \r
3 pounds chicken wings, separated into flats and drumettes \r
Wing Sauce:\r
1 tablespoon unsalted butter\r
1 tablespoon minced garlic \r
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger \r
1 cup hot sauce (we use Cholula) \r
1 tablespoon sugar \r
Frying:\r
1 cup all-purpose flour\r
1 cup cornstarch \r
1/4 cup cornmeal \r
3 tablespoons chipotle powder \r
Peanut oil, for frying \r
Serving:\r
Chicken Shake, recipe follows\r
Blue cheese dressing, optional\r
1/2 English cucumber, sliced into sticks, optional\r
Chicken Shake:\r
1/4 cup berbere\r
1/4 cup hot smoked paprika \r
2 tablespoons ground cumin \r
2 tablespoons freshly ground white pepper \r
2 tablespoons celery salt\r
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic \r
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt \r
Directions\r
\r
Serving:\r
For the wings: Bring 2 cups of the water, the sugar, and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the remaining 2 cups water and cool the brine completely.\r
\r
Put the wings in a bowl and pour in the brine, making sure all the wings are submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.\r
\r
For the wing sauce: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic and ginger are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the hot sauce and sugar and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes to develop the flavors. You can leave the sauce on the back of the stove until you need it.\r
\r
For the frying: When youre ready to fry, drain the wings and pat them dry with paper towels. Put the flour, cornstarch, cornmeal, and chipotle powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Dredge the wings in the seasoned flour, making sure each piece is well coated. Leave them on a rack while you heat the oil.\r
\r
Fill a large saucepan one-third full with peanut oil. Set over medium-high heat and heat to 360 degrees F.\r
\r
Working in batches, fry the wings until theyre fully cooked and golden brown, 8 to 9 minutes. Keep an eye on the heat and adjust it to keep the oil between 350 and 375 degrees F. Drain the wings on a rack set over a baking sheet.\r
\r
For serving: When youve fried all the wings, put them into a large bowl, pour in the wing sauce, and toss to coat all the wings with sauce. Pile the wings onto a platter, sprinkle on some of the Chicken Shake and serve with blue cheese dressing and cucumber if desired.\r
\r
Chicken Shake:\r
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix to blend.\r
\r
Adapted from The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem by Marcus Samuelsson © Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2016. \r
Buy Seasoning: \r
Buy Cholula Sauce: