Sriracha Wings

There are still a few more weeks to go before the big game, but that doesn't mean it's too early to start thinking about your Super Bowl party.  Nothing goes better than wings and football, but who wants to taint their party and their game with any connotations of the football that was played up in Buffalo this year? These Sriracha wings, made with the popular Asian chile condiment instead of the traditional American hot sauce, are a welcome change.  The key to these wings, adapted from a Michael Symon recipe, is the lime, which gives the dish acidity and sweetness that balance out the heat of the Sriracha.  Best of all, this dish can easily be scaled up or down, making it a great finger food for any party, big or small.  

Sriracha Wings
Serves 5 (1 lb chicken wings per person)

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs chicken wings, split ("Buffalo-style")
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 6 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• Grated zest and juice of 2 limes
• Peanut oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Put the wings in a large bowl.  Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and olive oil and stir well to coat the wings.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. In a small bowl, combine the Sriracha sauce, cilantro, melted butter, and lime zest and juice.  Set aside.
   
3. Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the wings on two baking sheets, making sure that each wing has 1/2 an inch or so of space.  Roast the wings for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add pour enough of the peanut oil into a deep saucepan so that it reaches 1/3 of the way up the sides.  Heat the oil to 375F.
5. After roasting the wings, add no more than half to the frying pan, using your judgment to make sure that the oil does not rise above the top of the pan and that the oil does not cool down too much once you add the wings.  Fry the wings for 5 minutes, then remove them to a large bowl.  Fry the remaining wings.
6. As the second batch of wings is cooking, add the Sriracha mixture to the bowl containing the fried wings.  Toss the wings well to coat each wing with the sauce.  Remove the wings to a plate, reserving the leftover sauce which will be used for the remaining wings.  Once the second batch of wings is done, toss them in the sauce.  Serve the wings immediately with plenty of cold beer.