Sriracha chicken winglets with blue cheese sauce
Sriracha might be a Thai chilli sauce, but the Americans have claimed it as their own.
Serves 4 as a starter Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus marinating time Cooking time: about 25 minutes Oven temperature: 200°C
• 8 chicken wings • 250ml buttermilk • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped • 15ml lemon juice • a generous pinch of salt • 30ml sriracha chilli sauce • 30ml oil • about 500ml panko breadcrumbs • 3 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped • 5ml paprika SAUCE • 1 piece of creamy blue cheese, crumbled • 125ml sour cream • 60ml mayonnaise • 15ml apple cider vinegar • 15ml lemon juice • a knife-tip of fresh garlic • 1 bunch chives, chopped
1 Trim off the tips of the wings (use them for stock) and then cut each wing in half at the joint. Place all 16 mini winglets with the buttermilk, garlic, lemon, salt and sriracha sauce in a glass bowl with a lid. Marinate for an hour or two (longer if you have time).
2 Preheat the oven. Line a baking tray with baking paper and grease with 5ml oil. Place the breadcrumbs in a flat dish and season with the thyme and paprika; add salt and pepper. Now take the winglets out of the buttermilk, one by one, (keep them as wet as possible) and place in the breadcrumbs. Make sure each winglet is well-coated and press the crumbs firmly with your hands; place on the prepared tray. Repeat with all 16 pieces.
3 Drizzle the remaining oil over the winglets and bake for 10 minutes; turn and bake for another 10 minutes. Preheat the grill and roast for a further 5 minutes on each side or until golden in colour.
4 For the sauce Mix the blue cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar and lemon juice for the sauce. Season with garlic, salt and pepper to taste and a generous sprinkling of chives. Serve with the hot wings. The crumbed coating is quite delicate, so it makes this decadent dish a bit messy to eat!