Honey Bourbon Sriracha Sauced Fried Grilled Chicken Wings

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Ah... The illusive "Perfect" Chicken Wing...  So many options for toppings, so many options for styles of cooking (fried, baked, grilled... I even read a blogger's "perfect wing" recipe that was microwaved... but I digress).

I have to admit I am a chicken wing addict.  When the perfect balance of heat spices and sweet sauces combine with sticky and crispy texture, I am in heaven.  I could eat em by the dozens.

The quest for perfection will be a never ending journey I suspect.  But what a ride.  For me, right now, at this point in my life, these are my current version of the perfect chicken wing...

Heat from the gift of the food gods, Sriracha Sauce
Sweet from Honey
An Earthy bite from the Bourbon.

Fried with a simple thin layer of breading to insure juicy chicken
Grilled to achieve a crispy texture while still maintaining that glorious gooey wet sauce!

To quote Ira Gershwin... Who could ask for anything more???

 First thing I did was to flour the wings.  Flour only, no egg.

Simple enough...
Big plastic bag
Big scoop of flour
Big scoop (about 1/3rd cup) of my ubiquitous salt substitute, SODOM and GOMORRAH (equal parts Course grain Salt, Garlic Flakes and Black and white Sesame Seeds)

Add chicken, shake.

 Next I fried em.

Canola Oil works best, higher burn temperature.  Peanut oil is also a great option.  I was most of the way through the process when I realized I was low on oil.  SO I made these in a small sauce pan with just enough oil to cover the wings (about half way up the side).  So I worked in batches.

Heat the oil to 360 degrees.
Cook ONLY for 6 minutes.  Just long enough to insure they are cooked through.  If you have unusually large drumettes, add a minute.  If you are cooking the smaller wing portion, knock it down to only 5 minutes.  but 6 minutes is the general rule of thumb.

 While these are cooking, make up your sauce...

1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Whiskey (Bourbon if it comes from Kentucky)
Sriracha hot sauce to taste (I used 1 TBS).  Add more if you like them HOT... less if you want a hint of heat.
1 TBS Ground Ginger

Whisk until well combined.  Go ahead and taste test.  add more sriracha if you like, more honey if you added too much.

 Time to sauce the wings.

Dip and coat well.  At this stage, you could simply serve as is.  Most of the time when you order wings at a bar this is how they are served, fried and then sauced.

Me... I add an extra step... Grilling the already cooked wings to add an extra texture... crispy patches of skin and heating up the sauce.

Serve em while they are hot and wish you made more, they will go quick!