Hot Honey Wings with Shishito Peppers – Husband Tested, Husband Approved! | Vicki James

When this recipe appeared in Bon Appetit this month, I knew I would have to make it right away.  The combination of sweet and heat is always good, and I loved the idea of crunchy and fresh garnishes.  The whole package lured me in.  I’m so glad we decided to make these amazing wings.  My husband says, unequivocally, that these are the best wings he has ever eaten in his entire life.  I think I have to agree, although good old Buffalo wings will always have a special place (second place) in my heart. 

If you don’t like a lot of spice, you may disagree with us.  Never fear, there are ways to tone it down a few notches if you like sweet more than heat.  If you like Asian flavors, you will love these wonderful wings.  They are like something I would imagine eating at a hawker’s stall in Singapore.  Unfortunately, I’ve never been to Singapore.  If you have, and if you make these wings, please let me know if my comparison is apt.

The cooking method sets these wings apart also.  Guess what?  You first roast them in the oven, then toss them in the sauce and finish them on the grill.  The chicken stays juicy and tender.  I had never tried this method before, but it makes a huge difference.

So, run to the store right this minute and scoop up everything you need to make this dish!

Shishito Peppers

Ingredients

1 tablespoon bird chili powder or cayenne (I have to confess that livin’ down here in little ole Tennessee, I have never heard of bird chili powder.  Cayenne works just fine.) 

1 tablespoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper.  Grinding the pepper gets a little tedious. See if you can’t find an unwitting child or spouse to do it for you) 

2 pounds chicken wings or wing pieces, patted dry

2 limes, divided

½ cup honey

1 tablespoon fish sauce 

3 tablespoons Chinese Chili Crisp sauce

8 ounces Shishito peppers (or mini bell peppers if you can’t find them)

3 to 4 red Thai chiles or jalapeños

¼ cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup coarsely chopped peanuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the chili powder or cayenne, salt and black pepper in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Toss the dry chicken wings in the spice mixture until well coated.

Place the chicken wings on a lightly greased sheet pan.  Cook wings on the center rack of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.  I found that 30 minutes was adequate.  Remove the wings from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

While the wings are in the oven, prepare the sauce. Combine the juice of one lime, the honey, fish sauce and Chinese Chile Crisp.  When the wings are cool enough to work with, toss them in the sauce.

While the wings are in the oven, fire up the barbeque grill. Grill the sauce coated wings and the shishito peppers for about 4 to 8 minutes over medium heat.  The honey will cause the wings to char quickly.  Our grill must have been a little hotter because we only cooked them for two minutes on each side.  The peppers will blister and char in a few minutes.  If you need to cook in batches, have a clean sheet pan ready to receive the finished wings and peppers and hold them in a 200-degree oven.

When all the wings are deep golden brown and the peppers are beautifully charred, place everything on your clean sheet pan or other platter.  Garnish with limes, chopped peanuts and cilantro.  Of course, if you are one of those people genetically programmed to think cilantro tastes like soap, leave it off. We finely chopped one jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and scattered the minced pieces over the chicken.  Bon Appetit suggested drizzling more Chinese chili crisp over the wings, but we did not do this and I’m glad we didn’t, because these bad boys were plenty caliente! 

If heat is not your thing, here are some suggestions: in the rub mixture, substitute 2 teaspoons cayenne and two teaspoons of smoked paprika for the tablespoon of cayenne.  For the sauce, cut back on the amount of Chinese chili crisp by one tablespoon.  Do not add more of the chili crisp when you garnish and leave off the minced jalapeño pepper.  The shishito peppers are mild.  Supposedly, one in ten peppers with be hot, but we did not have any hot peppers in our bag.  You can choose to use mini bell peppers, halved, with seeds removed instead of the shishitos. 

Whether you go for the nuclear option or the toned-down version, you are sure to love these wonderful wings.  They are truly the best ever. Can my husband be wrong?  Well, maybe you shouldn’t ask me that, but this time, his judgment is spot on!