Sticky Onion Crunch Wings

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Chris' favorite foods are pasta, steak and chicken wings (in no particular order). My mom's pasta sauce is his favorite, so she's got him covered there. He's a grill master, so he usually makes his own steak grilled to perfection. So that leaves me with chicken wings. Someone has to make them for him...

Although I love to make his favorite meals, I don't make chicken wings too often since I usually like to fry them (I bake them sometimes, but let's be honest--there's nothing like a good ol' fried chicken wing). When I do break out the oil and decide to make these babies the correct way, I try to make one new version and one classic version that I know he'll love (in his case, just a mixture of hot sauce and butter). These Sticky Onion Crunch Wings stuck out at me after seeing them on the Food Network, so these were the wild card this past time.

I've been on a hoisin sauce kick lately, so I knew these would be a winner. They are slightly sweet from the pomegranate juice and brown sugar, but the hoisin sauce and horseradish offer a contrasting flavor for your palate. And the best part? The French-fried onions coating the outside. You know those onions you put on top of green bean casserole for Thanksgiving? Now they have another purpose. And it's fantastic. Enjoy, guys!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

For the wings:

• 3 lbs. chicken wings, whole or separated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• 1/2 cup French-fried onions (I like French's), crushed

For the sauce:

• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• 1 tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 4 scallions (white and green parts), finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the wings on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

To make the sauce, in a small saucepan, mix together the hoisin, pomegranate juice, brown sugar, garlic, horseradish, scallions, and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat. When the sauce starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

In a deep heavy pot, Dutch oven, or deep fryer, fill with oil to a depth of about 6 inches, and heat to 360 degrees F. Working in batches, fry the wings; the oil temperature will settle at about 350 degrees try to maintain that temperature by adjusting the heat while you fry. Fry the wings until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Put some of the sauce in a large mixing bowl and toss the wings in batches, adding more sauce as needed, until completely coated. Put the onions into another large bowl, add the sauced wings in batches and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve warm.

Source: Food Network