Recipe from Will Horowitz
Adapted by Jeff Gordinier
- Total Time
- 1 hour 25 minutes, plus 7 to 14 hours marinating
- Rating
- 4(74)
- Notes
- Read community notes
At Ducks Eatery in the East Village, the chef, Will Horowitz, believes in the bar snack as a maximum-detonation flavor bomb. And he’ll go to great lengths to achieve that: Many of the dishes at Ducks, including the restaurant's wings, shown here, depend on labor-intensive rounds of fermenting and smoking. For our version of the recipe, though, we asked him to reel in the effort without cutting back on the flavor. Think of the result (which involves anchovy fillets, Thai fish sauce, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles and ground chamomile) as a stealth way to sneak ambitious gastronomy into your next Super Bowl party. —Jeff Gordinier
Featured in: The Chicken Wings Boom
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ¼cup brown sugar
- ¼cup kosher salt
- ¼cup lemon juice
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2tablespoons Thai fish sauce
- 2tablespoons soy sauce
- 1tablespoon smoked paprika
- 3garlic cloves, peeled
- Stems from 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 16large whole chicken wings
- 3dried guajillo chiles
- 1dried ancho chile
- 5garlic cloves, peeled
- 1small shallot, roughly chopped
- 1½teaspoons soy sauce
- 1½teaspoons Thai fish sauce
- 1½tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- Rinds and pulp of 2 juiced lemons, coarsely chopped
- ¼teaspoon smoked paprika
- 6white anchovy fillets
- 1tablespoon finely ground chamomile flowers (finely ground pure chamomile “tea” may be used)
- ½cup fresh lemon juice
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼cup melted clarified butter or ghee
- Zest of 1 whole fresh lemon, or finely diced rind of 1 brined lemon
- Coarsely chopped leaves from 1 bunch cilantro, for garnish
For Brining the Wings
For the Guajillo Sauce
To Roast and Serve
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
487 calories; 30 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 1767 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Brine the Wings
Step
1
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, kosher salt, lemon juice, granulated sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and smoked paprika. Add 2 quarts of water and mix well. Add the garlic, cilantro stems and chicken wings. Mix, cover, and refrigerate for 7 to 14 hours.
Step
2
Remove wings from marinade, rinse and transfer to a sheet pan with a rack. Allow to sit uncovered until dry and slightly tacky to the touch, 30 to 45 minutes.
Prepare the Guajillo Sauce
Step
3
Cut stem and cap off the guajillo and ancho chiles and remove the seeds; if the chiles are very brittle, warm them briefly in a skillet to soften. Sauté in a dry skillet until the skins change color and begin to smoke heavily, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a container and cover with hot water. Soak until softened, 30 to 45 minutes.
Step
4
Drain chiles and place in a food processor. Add garlic, shallot, soy sauce, fish sauce, black pepper, lemons, smoked paprika, white anchovies, chamomile, lemon juice and salt. Purée until smooth.
To Roast and Serve
Step
5
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush wings with butter or ghee and roast until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 20 minutes. (Alternatively, the wings could be smoked with your choice of wood at 225 degrees for 2½ hours.)
Step
6
Baste wings again with butter or ghee, increase oven temperature to 450 and continue to roast until the skins are brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes more. (Alternatively, the wings may be deep-fried at 350 degrees until golden brown and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.) Allow wings to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Step
7
To serve, slather wings with a generous amount of guajillo sauce and top with fresh lemon zest or brined lemon peel and a generous sprinkling of cilantro.
Ratings
4
out of 5
74
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Cooking Notes
Anne
Visited the website of Ducks Eatery and read reviews. Very opposite reviews, so I made my own opinion. Very very tasty. I think next time I would use a little less fish sauce. Perfect amount of zing!
George McCoy
My 1st time to fix wings. Required a little advance work but not hard. Outcome well worth it. The Guajillo Ancho sauce was especially tasty!
Shawn
Not my favorite . It made me want fried wings .
Michael
I found the sauce almost inedible. I kept trying it, thinking maybe it was a Moroccan preserved lemon thing I wasn't that into but, regardless, using the pulp and rinds of two whole lemons made it hard to like. (I read it multiple times thinking they just meant pulp and zest, but there it is on the page). After sampling a couple wings with the sauce, I scrambled to find some other glaze in my fridge because the brined wings themselves cooked up great. But that sauce...
Anne
Visited the website of Ducks Eatery and read reviews. Very opposite reviews, so I made my own opinion. Very very tasty. I think next time I would use a little less fish sauce. Perfect amount of zing!
George McCoy
My 1st time to fix wings. Required a little advance work but not hard. Outcome well worth it. The Guajillo Ancho sauce was especially tasty!
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