Harissa Chicken Wings

Yes, it’s football season again. Trust me when I say you’ll want to slather this easy harissa sauce on everything you cook.

Full disclosure—I know absolutely nothing about football. What I do know is how to make crispy chicken wings smothered in super-fast hot wings sauce (Hint: It’s based based on the classic Frank’s Red Hot recipe). I like to serve the wings with a cooling tzatziki-like cucumber ranch dip brightened with plenty of lemon and fresh herbs.

How do I get my wings so crispy? I use a technique I learned years ago from iconic chef Thomas Keller—I dry roast them. Translation: I only salt the chicken before roasting in a high heat oven (400ºF for this recipe). This technique draws out excess moisture in the skin, which results in crispy skin, moist chicken, intensified flavor and a beautifully dark golden brown color. It’s also less messy.

WATCH How to make Harissa Chicken Wings with Cucumber Ranch Dip

Print

Harissa Chicken Wings

MAKES 16
PREP TIME 5 minutes
COOK TIME 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS
16 chicken wingettes and drumettes, patted dry
Salt
½ cup melted butter
1/3 cup harissa
1 clove garlic, finely chopped

DIRECTIONS
1. Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Place a greased wire rack over a baking sheet. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and salt generously; roast, turning once, until golden brown and crispy, about 40 minutes.
2. In a large heatproof bowl, stir together the harissa, butter and garlic. Using tongs, transfer the cooked wings to the sauce; toss to coat. Serve with the Cucumber Ranch Dip (recipe below).

SHOP THE RECIPE

Take 5 ingredients
chicken wings
harissa
butter
garlic

You may already have on hand
sea salt

Harissa Chicken Wings

Cool down the heat with this refreshing Cucumber Ranch Dip.

Print

Cucumber Ranch Dip

SERVES 4
PREP TIME 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 seedless English cucumber
2 cups plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole milk
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, plus more for topping
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
Zest of half a lemon plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt

DIRECTIONS
Using the large holes on a grater, grate the cucumber. Using your hands, squeeze to remove excess water. Place in a medium bowl and stir in the yogurt, garlic, dill, cilantro, lemon zest and juice; season with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use. Top with chopped fresh dill to serve.

11

SHOP THE RECIPE

Take 5 ingredients
cucumber
plain Greek yogurt
garlic
fresh herbs, such as dill and cilantro
lemon

You may already have on hand
sea salt

Recipe by Silvana Nardone, food magazine editor and author of six cookbooks.