Game Day Wings with a Creamy Sriracha Dip

With the World Series coming to an end last night,I thought it would be appropriate to put together a simple dish that reminds us all of bar food. Most of us are familiar with Buffalo wings served with either blue cheese or ranch dressing. While Buffalo wings are spiced with Tabasco sauce, these wings are spiced with freshly ground black pepper and Sriracha chili sauce. While 10 years ago, you could only find Sriracha at specialty Asian stores and restaurants, it is now probably the most common Asian condiment found in almost every store and restaurant around the country. The creamy dipping sauce I paired with the wings and carrots is also infused with Sriracha.

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken wings
1/8 cup oyster sauce
1/8 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoon Sriracha (for the chicken)
1 teaspoon Sriracha (for the dip)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns (roughly crushed)
2 tablespoon garlic powder (for the chicken)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (for the dip)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Juice 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

Marinate the wings with the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, Sriracha, peppercorns. and garlic powder. Let this marinate for at least 2 hours (overnight is even better).

Deep-fry the wings in canola oil that has been preheated to 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until it is dark brown and the ends are crisp. Remove the wings from the oil and place on a sheet pan lined with paper towels to drain the oil and cool down.
For the dip, add the heavy cream and lemon juice to a mixing bowl. Lightly whisk the mixture until it beings to thicken. Add kosher salt and garlic powder and mix well. Finally, add the Sriracha and mix well or until the dip is a consistent pastel orange color. Garnish the dip with finely minced chives and serve along side the wings and veggies.

Remember that if you're planning to cook for game day or a party, preparing anything you can the night before such as marinating the chicken or cutting the vegetables will save you time in the kitchen and will make it a more enjoyable game you can actually watch.