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Demon and Angel Chicken Wings

Recipe by The Cozy Bowl Kitchen

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  • Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
  • Yield1kg wings, serving 4 as a starter 1x

Oven-crisped chicken wings finished two ways: fiery Demon sauce built on gochujang and naga chilli, or zesty non-spicy Angel sauce with lemon, lime and honey. Both finished with sesame seeds and spring onions.

Ingredients

Scale

For the wings

  • 1kg chicken wings, separated into drumettes and flats, tips removed
  • 1 tbsp baking powder (not baking soda)
  • 1.5 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

For the Demon sauce (fiery)

  • 50g salted butter
  • 2 tbsp gochujang
  • 1/4 to 1/2 tsp naga chilli powder, or 1 finely chopped scotch bonnet
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, finely grated

For the Angel sauce (non-spicy)

  • 50g salted butter
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • Zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • A pinch of fine salt

To finish

  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
  • 3 spring onions, finely sliced

Instructions

Dry brine the wings

  1. Pat the wings thoroughly dry with kitchen paper. Genuinely dry, not damp — this is the most important step in the recipe.
  2. Toss them in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt and pepper until every wing is evenly coated.
  3. Set a wire rack inside a roasting tin and lay the wings out with a finger-width gap between them. If you have time, leave them uncovered in the fridge for 1 hour.

Roast

  1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan and roast the wings for 20 minutes, to render the fat under the skin.
  2. Turn the oven up to 220°C fan and roast for a further 25 minutes, turning the wings once halfway through, until the skin is blistered, tight and deep golden.

Make the sauces

  1. For the Demon sauce, melt the butter in a small pan over a low heat. Stir in the gochujang, naga, honey, soy, vinegar and garlic and let it bubble gently for 2 minutes until glossy. Taste and add more naga a pinch at a time if you dare.
  2. For the Angel sauce, melt the butter with the honey and the lemon and lime zest over a low heat. Take the pan off the heat, then whisk in the lemon juice, lime juice, Dijon and salt. Adding the juice off the heat keeps it bright and stops it splitting.

Toss and serve

  1. Let the wings rest for 2 minutes out of the oven. Warm two large bowls.
  2. Toss half the wings with the Demon sauce and half with the Angel sauce, a handful at a time, until every wing is coated.
  3. Scatter over the sesame seeds and spring onions and serve straight away.

Notes

Baking powder, never baking soda. Baking powder raises the pH of the skin so it browns faster and crisps properly. Baking soda in this quantity tastes soapy and metallic.

The mistake to avoid. Crowding the tray. Wings that touch steam each other and the skin will never crisp. Use two trays if you need to.

Air fryer version. Cook the dry-brined wings at 190°C for 12 minutes, then 205°C for 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the basket twice. Arguably better than the oven and considerably faster.

Heat control. Naga chilli is one of the hottest chillies commonly sold in the UK. Add it a quarter teaspoon at a time and taste. To keep the flavour and lose the punishment, use a milder chilli sauce with a pinch of cayenne instead.

Both sauces are also very good on crispy sliced potatoes and on onion rings — that is exactly what our Demon Rings are.

Make ahead. Both sauces keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They set solid because of the butter, so warm them gently and whisk before using. Add the Angel citrus juice fresh if you can.

Equipment. A large mixing bowl, a wire rack set inside a roasting tin, a heavy knife for separating the wings, a small saucepan for each sauce, and a large warmed bowl for tossing.

Allergens. This recipe contains milk, soya, sesame and mustard. Gochujang normally contains wheat (gluten), and some brands of chilli paste contain shellfish. Always check the label of every ingredient you use, as recipes and allergen information can change. People with food allergies or intolerances must also consider cross-contamination.

This is a home recipe inspired by the Demon and Angel range at The Cozy Bowl. It is not the restaurant’s exact commercial recipe.

Find it online: https://thecozybowl.co.uk/demon-angel-chicken-wings/