Tailgatin' Thursday: Confit Chicken Wings with Homemade Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel Sauce, Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dessing, + Italian-Style Shaved Carrot and Celery Slaw

Confit Chicken Wings with Homemade Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel Sauce, Buttermilk
Bleu Cheese Dessing, + Italian-Style Shaved Carrot and Celery Slaw

Tailgatin' Thursday is back and it's back with a bang, my friends!! I'm going to go ahead and tell y'all that this is an-honest-to-goodness-fancy-ass game day treat. Fried Chicken wings are a staple at any table on a Football Saturday. And it's not specific to any region. It is just good 'ole American comfort food at its' best. We don't feature many wing recipes around PLC, but when we do, it's always worth the effort. Wings are sometimes brined, most of the time coated with flour, and always deep fried in a vat of hot oil. What's not to love? Well then, how could these be any different from all the others, you may ask. Y'all, the answer is simple, and that is they are CONFIT CHICKEN WINGS. We are lovers, cough cough, obsessors of duck confit or anything confit (if we're gonna get technical). So, when I ordered a confit duck leg at one of our favorite local sandwich places, Muss + Turner's. It just suddenly clicked... I wonder if I could do this with chicken wings. I am positively, genuinely, and overwhelmingly happy to report that this oddity of an idea is completely + utterly deep fried perfection. To make cooking easier, we did most of the work the day before (a.k.a Friday afternoon and night), so that we wouldn't have much to do while the games were on. This meant we needed to place all the chicken into a deep pot, place it on the stove, cover with canola oil, and slowly bring it up to 200 degrees. Then you place it into a preheated oven to cook for roughly an hour. This will cook the meat, slowly but surely, making them super moist on the inside, yet leaving the skin slightly flabby + soft, rendering out a bunch of excess fat that isn't even needed. THIS IS A GOOD THING DO NOT FEAR.

the wings after slow-cooking in their big pot of oil, see the excess fat at the top??

After slow-cooking, remove the wings from the hot oil and drain on paper towels, making sure to remove access moisture and oil as much as possible. I actually let my wings sit on the paper towels at room temperature for about an hour or so to cool down a bit and aid in draining. Then y'all just pop those suckers into a container and refrigerate overnight. This is possibly the most important step in the entire recipe because, technically, you should be able to fry the wings after about an hour or two of resting & drying, BUT DON'T. When I did this, my wing skin just never ever ever ever got crispy. I believe it is was due to the fact that there was still so much leftover moisture. Now that the wings are-a-chillin', it's time to make the BEST part of the whole-damn-dish, and that's the Homemade Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel. Yes, I didn't mess that up... sriracha. caramel. bourbon. sea salt. All in one sauce. We were literally drooling over this concoction; our minds were racing with ideas of how to use it next (sriracha caramel over pumpkin ice cream... apple cider floats with sriracha caramel... sriracha caramel apple pie). This shit is gonna get weird. But, weird in a good way, believe you me. It's a salty-sweet-boozy goodness that must be kept in your fridge at all times, and if not, at least it should be made for these wings. 

homemade sriracha-bourbon caramel wing sauce + confit chicken wings (pre-cornstarch)

Making the caramel is a cinch; however, I certainly recommend whipping it up while the wings are in the oven because it will be that much easier on you the next day... just make sure you refrigerate it as well. The last step of preparation is totally up to you and that's the making of the Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing. It's is overly easy to prepare as well and letting the flavors meld for a little bit ain't neva hurt a thang, butter bean. OKAY OKAY, enough about the prepping, now onto the next day (a.k.a. Football Saturday). Pull the chilled wings out and once again dry as much as possible, and then toss them in a light coating of cornstarch. Bring the 1Q of Peanut Oil to 400 degrees that way the wings will get finger-lickin'-skin-pickin' crispy. 

deep frying, the south's favorite, and most famous, past time

While the wings are frying in the golden goodness that is oil, it's time to make the caramel sauce that will coat the wings. I simmered the prepared caramel, Asian chili-garlic sauce, red pepper flakes, and butter until a cohesive sauce was made and it was thick enough to coat a wing. I left the amount of spice + butter up to you, as we are so spicy-friendly that we tend to overdo it. So add a little bit of chili-garlic sauce and red pepper flakes at a time, tasting to your preference. If it does get a little too spicy, add a little more butter. If I could share one tidbit of life advice with you, it would be not to be afraid of butter, it's the elixir of life. Toss the fried confit chicken wings in your extra-special-it-should-only-be-used-on-special-occasions-it-is-so-good caramel sauce and garnish them with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and a pinch of red pepper flakes. 

fried + sauced + tossed

resist the temptation to gobble these down before you can even plate them

Serve the wings with some of the Homemade Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing to cool the wings down a bit. And if one fancy ass twist on the original isn't enough, I decided to revamp the whole boring "side of carrot and celery sticks" into a slaw. I shaved carrots and celery, minced green onion, and then tossed it in a light vinaigrette. It is the perfect acidic component to partner up against the decadent wings and rich dressing. To seal the deal, I got a "these are the best wings I've ever had in my whole life" outta my Mountain Man. And that's one hell of a stamp of approval, y'all!! Enjoy :)

up close + personal of the fancy "carrot + celery stick" slaw

For the Homemade Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel:

1C Sugar + ¼C Water

½C Heavy Cream + 3T Sriracha Sauce

1T Bourbon

Heavy Pinch of Salt 

For the Confit Chicken Wings:

4lbs Chicken Wings + Drumsticks

2Q Canola Oil + 1Q Peanut Oil

Cornstarch, For Coating (after chilling)

For the Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel Wing Sauce:

1C Homemade Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel (room temperature)

1-2T Asian Chili-Garlic Sauce

½t-1t Red Pepper Flakes (depending on how hot your like it)

4-8T Unsalted Butter (the more better you add, the less spicy it will be as well)

For the Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing:

½C Homemade Mayo + ¼C Sour Cream

2T Buttermilk Powder + 1T Well-Shaken Buttermilk

2T White Wine Vinegar

¼t Worcestershire Sauce

1t Sugar  

¼t Garlic Powder + Onion Powder

1T Fresh Chives + Fresh Dill

½C Crumbled Buttermilk Blue Cheese

 

For the Italian-Style Shaved Carrot and Celery Slaw:

½C Shaved Carrots (using a vegetable peeler)           

½C Shaved Celery (using a vegetable peeler)

1 Green Onion, Minced

2T White Wine Vinegar

1T Olive Oil

1T Sugar

¼t Dried Oregano + Dried Basil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Confit Chicken Wings: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 225°F. Place 2Q canola oil and chicken wings in a large oven-safe Dutch oven. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it registers 200°F on an instant-read or deep-fry thermometer. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken wings are tender but not browned, 40 minutes to 1 hour (chicken should be tender but not falling apart). Remove pot from oven. Transfer chicken with a wire mesh spider to a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels. Allow chicken to rest in the fridge, covered, overnight or for at least 12 hours.

2. Making the Homemade Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel: Simmer sugar and ¼ cup water on medium heat, swirling pan (NOT stirring) for about 15 minutes, or until a deep amber color is reached. During that time, whisk together the heavy cream and Sriracha sauce until smooth and incorporated. Then turn off burner, remove from heat and slowly add Sriracha cream while stirring. Add pinch of salt and bourbon and place back on still-warm burner for another minute while stirring. Transfer to a heat-safe dish or bottle and let cool. Store covered in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature or heat in a warm water bath before using (if needed).

3. For the Buttermilk Bleu Cheese Dressing: Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk powder, and buttermilk in small bowl; mix until smooth. Stir in vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, seasonings, and herbs until well blended. Fold in cheese. Refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Frying the Wings: Once the wings have chilled, lightly coat them in cornstarch, making sure to shake off any excess. Meanwhile, heat the 1Q of peanut oil in a deep fryer to 400°F. Carefully add the wings, in small batches, and cook until golden brown + extra crispy, about 10-12 minutes (depending on your fryer). While the wings fry prepare your sauce.

5. For the Sriracha-Bourbon Caramel Wing Sauce:  When ready to serve, combine caramel, chili-garlic sauce, red pepper flakes, and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is completely melted and the sauce is smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and immediately toss the hot, crispy wings in the sauce until they are completely coated.

6. For the Italian-Style Shaved Carrot and Celery Slaw: In a medium mixing bowl, toss together the shaved carrots, shaved celery, and minced green onion. In a small bowl or Mason jar, whisk or shake together the vinegar, oil, sugar, and seasonings until fully incorporated. Right before serving, toss the slaw with the vinaigrette until coated. Serve on the side with the wings.

7. Serving: Place the wings onto a serving plate and drizzle over any excess or leftover caramel for extra flavor. Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and red pepper flakes on top for garnish. Spoon some of the homemade bleu cheese dressing onto the plate and finish with a pile of the slaw. Enjoy while the wings are still hot and crispy!!

source: homemade blue cheese dressing.

Read. To. EATTTTTTT :)

Date Night: Steakhouse Salad with Seared Filet Mignon on Mixed Heirloom Greens Tossed in a Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette with Candied Pecans, Dried Cherries, Sliced Apples, Apple Chips, Crumbled Bleu Cheese, & Crispy Shallots, Drizzled with a Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel

Steakhouse Salad with Seared Filet Mignon on Mixed Heirloom Greens Tossed in a Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette with Candied Pecans, Dried Cherries, Sliced Apples, Apple Chips, Crumbled Bleu Cheese, & Crispy Shallots, Drizzled with a Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel 

It's been a long, long, longgggggg time since I have last posted a Date Night recipe. And this meal will surely make up for the lost time! As many of you know, I am an avid lover of all salads, my Mountain Man, on the other hand, doesn't get that yearning for a big ole' pile of frilly greens like I do. But, his mind can quickly be changed when a hearty steak is added into the mix. Oh, and crispy fried shallots don't hurt it either. This bad boy of a salad is loaded with a bunch of yummy ingredients... sweet dried cherries, fresh apple slices, crunchy apple chips, crumbled bleu cheese, & candied pecans. The base of it all is a mix between heirloom greens, frisee lettuce, and baby arugula. Then, they are all tossed in my go-to Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette, which perfectly complements the other components of the dish. I like all of the balance of these different greens put together for a lot of variety and then the acidic-sweet dress that is dressed in. Now, here's where it all comes up to you... We love our filet mignons to be crusted in fancy fleur de sel and coarsely ground peppercorns. It is super hearty and extremely flavorful. But, most importantly, we prefer our steaks to be cooked to a bright red medium rare. It has such a deep, complex meatiness that way and it literally just melts into your mouth. But, I know that not everyone feels the same way we do, so please cook your meat according to your preferences. After every thing has been assembled, you have to garnish it off with a heapin' mouthful of crispy shallots. Life don't get much betta than this, y'all!! Enjoy :)

Beautifully Cooked Filet Mignon + Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel Drizzle

Crispy. Shallots. Are. My. Life.

Dried Cherries, Crumbled Bleu Cheese, Crispy Shallots, Apple Chips,  & Apple Slices

For the Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel:

½C Red Wine

1C Balsamic Vinegar

1T Dark Brown Sugar

For the Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette:

2T Olive Oil

2T Apple Cider Vinegar

4T Maple Syrup

2t Dijon Mustard

2T Grainy Mustard

2t Garlic, Minced

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Candied Pecans:

1 ½C Pecans, Toasted

½C Sugar

Pinch of Salt, Cinnamon, & Cayenne (or to your taste, I did a large pinch)

For the Crispy Shallots:

4 Large Shallots, Thinly Sliced

½C Buttermilk + 2T Hot Sauce

AP Flour, For Coating

Vegetable Oil, For Frying

For the Steakhouse Salad:

Mixed Heirloom Greens, Frisee Lettuce, & Baby Arugula (or your favorite salad greens)

Prepared Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette, For Dressing the Salad

Prepared Candied Pecans, Roughly Chopped

1-2C Dried Cherries

1 Fuji Apple, Thinly Sliced

Apple Chips

Crumbled Bleu Cheese

½C Red Onion, Finely Minced

2T Freshly Parsley, Minced

Seared Filet Mignon, Cooked to your Preference & Sliced

Prepared Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel, For Drizzling

Crispy Shallots, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel: Place red wine in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add the balsamic vinegar and boil until the vinegar has reduced to about ¼ cup and is very syrupy and big shiny bubbles are forming at the surface. Watch the mixture very closely at this point — it will burn very easily. If it appears too thin, be assured that it will thicken upon cooling. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Pour into a clean jar and let it thicken before drizzling over the salad.

2. For the Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette: In a mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients until combined. Season it with salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to toss the salad.

3. For the Candied Pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes until just toasted. Remove from the oven and let it cool. Meanwhile, pour the sugar into a medium saucepan and cook on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon while the sugar melts. Keep stirring until the color turns a medium amber color. Once that color is reached, add in the pecans to the pan and quickly stir to coat. As soon as they are coated, spread them onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Let them cool completely before adding them to the dish (after they have hardened, you can chose whether or not you want to chop them up or leave them whole).

4. For the Crispy Shallots: In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce until combined. Add in the thinly shaved shallots and toss them in the spicy milk mixture until they are thoroughly covered. Let these onions soak for roughly an hour. When you are ready to fry, heat some vegetable oil up to 350 degrees. While the oil is heating, drain the shallots from the milk, and then lightly coat them in some AP Flour, shaking well to remove any excess flour. Fry the shallots in the hot oil, in small batches, until they are crispy & golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Once cooked, strain from the oil onto a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining shallots. After they have all been fried, set them aside until you are ready to garnish the salad with them.

5. For the Steakhouse Salad: In a large mixing bowl, place the mixed greens and lettuce in a bowl, along with the candied pecans, dried cherries, apple slices, apple chips, crumbled bleu cheese, minced red onion, and parsley. Toss them together until all of the ingredients are incorporated throughout. Next, pour some of the Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss until just combined (don’t overdress the salad or it will be soggy). Lay the slices of the filet mignon on top of the dressed salad, and then generously drizzle some of the Red Wine-Balsamic Caramel over the steak and the salad. Garnish the salad with a big pile of crispy shallots. Enjoy immediately with a big glass of red wine!

source: balsamic caramel.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza with Ranch Dressing Base, Roasted Chicken, Hot Buffalo Sauce Swirl, Crumbled Bleu Cheese & Bacon, and Crispy Chicken Skin Cracklin's

We have really been on a pizza kick recently. And I really am not that big into pizza. I don't know why, but it's never technically been a meal that I would ever crave. But, I do know one thing, I love me some buffalo chicken pizza. And every buffalo chicken pizza up until this point was good, but this pizza I made finally did it justice. My pizza has all the traditional fixin's... ranch, bleu cheese, chicken, and buffalo sauce. However, I did decide to kick it up a notch by adding some crispy chicken skin cracklin's. I mean, what's better than some crispy chicken skin. It's like chicken bacon to me. And even though I have always loved buffalo chicken pizza, it was always missing something fried & crispy to resemble a real chicken wing. Well, my friends, these cracklin's are the answer. Sooooo amazingly good. Don't forget to garnish the pizza with some crumbled bacon and most importantly, fresh chives, which I think provide a nice herb-y component to this otherwise-decadent pizza. Obviously, you could leave off some of these ingredients to make it slightly easier to make, but trust me, don't. Just don't. We loved this pizza and it really perfectly resembles a basket o' buffalo wings at your favorite bar!! Enjoy :)

Over-the-Top Buffalo Chicken Pizza with all the Fixin's

Can you see the crispy chicken skin cracklin's? They are those gorgeous golden-brown nuggets!

A Must: Garnishing with Fresh Minced Chives

For the Roasted Chicken Breasts:

2 Chicken Breasts, Skin On & Bone In (reserve the chicken skin)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Crispy Chicken Skin Cracklin’s:

Reserved Chicken Skins, Partially Cooked & Dried

Vegetable Oil, For Frying

For the Buffalo Chicken Pizza:

Homemade Pizza Dough

Roasted Chicken, Cut into Cubes

Homemade Ranch Dressing

2C Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

1C Mozzarella, Shredded

Crumbled Bleu Cheese

Hot Buffalo Sauce, For Drizzling

Bacon Lardons, Cooked until Crispy

Crispy Chicken Skin Cracklin’s, Roughly Chopped

Fresh Chives, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. For the Roasted Chicken Breasts: Wash and dry the chickens breasts and toss them in the olive oil and salt & pepper. Roast the chicken breasts in a pan in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Once they have cooled, remove the skin and press the skins between paper towels to dry them and remove excess moisture. Set these aside until you are ready to cook them.  Roughly cut the roasted chicken into cubes, and then set it aside.
2. For the Crispy Chicken Skin Cracklin’s: Heat some vegetable oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add in the pressed, dried chicken skins and cook until they are golden brown and crispy, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Roughly chop the cracklin’s and set them aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and roll out half of the pizza dough as thinly as possible and place onto a large baking sheet (the other half can be used for another pizza).
4. Making the Pizza: Spread the homemade ranch dressing generously across the dough. Scatter the yellow cheddar on top of the ranch, and then sprinkle the top with the roasted chicken pieces. Lay the mozzarella on top of the chicken. Continue to layer on the crumbled bleu cheese and bacon lardons. Bake the pizza for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven and immediately garnish the pizza with a buffalo sauce drizzle, chicken cracklin’s, and fresh chives. Cut into squares or slices and serve immediately.

Buffalo Bleu Cheese Fritters

Buffalo wings are the quintessential football food. And now, there are a million ways you can turn that classic finger food into many other dishes. Some of my favorite variations are Buffalo Chicken Chips, Buffalo Chicken Mac n' Cheese, World Famous Buffalo Chicken Dip, and Buffalo Chicken Bombs. I knew that for the Super Bowl, I had to have that buffalo flavor in some way. I finally decided that I wanted to take the idea of mozzarella sticks and fuse it with buffalo wings. All I did was roll creamy bleu cheese into small balls, bread them in panko, and fry them until the outside was golden brown & crispy and the center was ooey gooey. Once you fry them up, quickly and gently toss them in your favorite buffalo sauce until completely coated. I personally would serve these fritters on top of a carrot-celery slaw with a side of homemade ranch for dipping. I think this recipe would also be great with goat cheese!! Enjoy :)

Buffalo Bleu Cheese Fritters

For the Buffalo Bleu Cheese Fritters:

8oz Bleu Cheese, Rolled into Balls & Frozen

½C AP Flour

1 Egg, Beaten

¼C Buttermilk

1C Panko Breadcrumbs

Oil, For Frying

Salt, For Sprinkling

Buffalo Wing Sauce, For Coating

Homemade Ranch Dressing, For Dipping

Directions:

1. Roll your favorite bleu cheese into golf ball sized balls until nicely compacted. Place them onto a plate and freeze the cheese for roughly an hour. This will help keep the cheese from melting when you deep-fry them.
2. Preheat your oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees.
3. Breading the Bleu Cheese: Set up a battering station. I use 3 pie tins. For the first station, I mix the flour. For the second station, I whisk together the eggs and milk. For the third station, use the Panko breadcrumbs. Now, place the balls of chilled bleu cheese into the flour mixture, then into the egg wash, and finally the panko (making sure they are completely covered). Put them on a tin foil-lined baking sheet with a cooling rack on top, and then put the pan into the refrigerator and let the balls rest for about 15-30 minutes.
4. Fry the bleu cheese balls, in small batches, in the hot oil for roughly 1-2 minutes each or until they are golden brown & crispy (make sure not to cook them too long because then the cheese will leak out). Drain the bleu cheese fritters onto a paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil and sprinkle with salt. Once they have cooled slightly, toss the fritters gently in your favorite buffalo sauce until completely coated.
5. Serve the Buffalo Bleu Cheese Fritters on a bed of carrot-celery slaw with homemade ranch dressing for dipping.