Chicken Wings with Lemon and Caraway

Carrie Blease

Lord Stanley, San Francisco

Rupert Blease

Lord Stanley, San Francisco

First confited then pan-fried, this recipe makes the most tender, juicy chicken wings yet. A tart and luscious lemon curd dip doesn't hurt, either.

Yield

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

Chicken Wings:

  • 20 chicken wings (about 2 pounds)
  • 2 cups canola oil, plus more for reheating the wings
  • 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons toasted caraway seeds

Lemon Curd:

  • 10 lemons 
  • 1/4 cup salt, divided
  • 1/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup olive oil  
  • Pepper

Method

Prepare the chicken wings: preheat your oven to 145°F. Place the wings in a casserole dish and add enough oil to cover the wings so that they're fully submerged in the oil. Add the black peppercorns and toasted caraway seeds. Confit the wings in the oven for 2 hours. Remove and let cool slightly. Reserve the wings on a tray while you prepare the lemon curd.

Make the lemon curd: peel and juice 8 lemons. Reserve 1 cup lemon peels to blanch. In a saucepot over medium heat, add the reserved peels and cover with cold water. Add 1 tablespoon each of salt and sugar. Once the water comes to a boil, strain and rinse the lemon ppels. Repeat the process 4 times. After the fourth time, the peels should hold their shape but break when held between your pointer finger and thumb under light pressure.

In a food processor, blend the blanched peels with the olive oil to make a homogeneous purée. Season with the juice from 4 lemons, salt, and pepper. Set aside and reserve. 

To serve, working in batches over medium-high heat, pan-fry the confit wings in a little canola oil until they are golden brown on both sides, about 12 minutes. Deglaze with some of the lemon juice from the lemons. Serve the wings with the lemon curd as a dipping sauce and finish with some lemon zest grated with a microplane.


https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/chicken-wings-with-lemon-and-caraway