Chicken Wing

This is the best fried chicken, ever. There I said it. If it's not, then I want to try yours. I started paying attention to fried chicken in a serious way when I began work on the book Ad Hoc At Home. Ad Hoc is Thomas Keller's Napa Valley restaurant devoted to family meals. It offers one family meal each night, and everyone eats it. The fried chicken is so popular that it is served twice a week. Chefs Jeff Cerciello and Dave Cruz have tried all kinds of methods, mainly centering on the best crust. They decided that the trio of flour, buttermilk, and flour is best, and I agree. But the key here is the brine. Salt keeps the chicken juicy and seasoned, and also helps pull the rosemary deep into the flesh. So even after the rapture from eating the crust has passed, the flavor of the chicken holds you. This brine, like all brines flavored with aromatics, is best when you bring the ingredients to a simmer in all the water. But if you're like me, sometimes you'll be caught short and need to hurry things along. If you have a scale, you can bring half the water to a simmer with the other brine ingredients, let the aromatics steep for 20 minutes. Measure the remaining water as ice and pour the brine over the ice. Or simply combine the brine with cold water. Because so few people make fried chicken at home, I like to serve it to friends. Happily, it's a great do-head dish; the chicken will keep well for a couple of hours. You can fry it and then keep it on a rack in a 250°F/120°C/gas 1/2 oven until you need it. If you have a convection oven, use that feature to keep the crust crisp. The thighs will become delectably tender given the extra time in the low heat. Serve on a platter garnished with branches of deep-fried rosemary and grated lemon zest.

Even though this version of hot wings is healthier than the classic—which is deep-fried and tossed in lots of butter and hot sauce—it's every bit as tasty.

Although the base of this fairly standard Vietnamese dish is a caramel sauce, the garlic, shallots, and black pepper cut through the sweetness like a knife, providing terrific contrast. Since the last 45 minutes of the cooking time are unattended, this is a good dish for a night on which you want to entertain.

Caution: May require finger licking. Gooey chicken wings are sure to please a crowd, not to mention your wallet. The sweet and spicy glaze requires only five ingredients, including peach preserves (though apricot preserves work well, too).

Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau, who developed these recipes, says, "For a big dinner, you must include soup. Just don’t make it heavy." Here, she's created a chicken broth infused with the aroma of ginger and cardamom. Petite savory flans, studded with tender chives, lend a light creaminess to each mouthful.

These wings are great to gnaw on while you're diligently grilling the main course and sipping a cold one, as my Basque friend Juan Riesco often demonstrated to me. The level of heat is up to you—the Tabasco is your fuel. Serving Suggestions:
These are excellent "tapas"-style appetizers. Serve them at a large cocktail party along with some other Mediterranean-inspired appetizers.

Frequent basting makes these chicken wings shine!

Carrot and celery sticks are traditionally served with Buffalo wings. You also can use ranch dressing as a dip.

This barbecue sauce is delicious and can be made ahead and frozen. To save time, you also can use your favorite prepared barbecue sauce; if it's too thick, add a little cider vinegar.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Rogers' Kingsford Complete Grilling Cookbook. Serve these mouthwatering wings to close friends who don't mind licking their fingers in public. The wings sport at least four layers of flavor—the chicken itself, a zesty spice rub, a fruity-savory glaze, and smokiness from the grill.

Chinese fermented black beans are a bargain—the small amount here packs a pungent, salty flavor that complements the sweet, garlicky sauce for the wings.

Roasting the wings before tossing them with this tangy glaze is our secret to getting crisp skin.

This spicy, smoky chicken is tailor-made for a large group of family and friends. And, since it's delicious served warm or at room temperature, your guests can eat it at their leisure.

Ideal for a picnic, these sesame-speckled chicken wings are so good, you'll be happy to lick your fingers clean.

Western stocks are loaded with aromatics and many Asian stocks include ginger. This simple stock has a pure chicken flavor.

Barbecue without beer is, well, too depressing to contemplate, and I'm not just talking about to drink. Beer's malty sweetness and pleasantly bitter edge of hops make for an interesting marinade. These Calgary Hot Wings were inspired by the Big Rock Brewery, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I taught a memorable cooking class at Big Rock—memorable not only for the impressive assortment of interesting beers on tap but also for the fact that it snowed 3 inches during my outdoor class, a first for this Miami-based grill guy.

The trick to stuffed soup buns is to fill them with a solid form of soup. The tender wrappers are filled with an aspic made from pork and chicken bones, which melts into a savory broth during steaming.

Traditional recipes for mole poblano call for several varieties of dried chilies, which, outside the Southwest, are available only at specialty foods stores or by mail order; as well as sesame seeds and/or pumpkin seeds and/or peanuts; roasted tomatoes; and chocolate; among other things. A mole can sound like a peculiar combination of ingredients, but at its best it is every bit as subtle and well balanced as the most evolved French sauce. Our quick version uses only ingredients available at the supermarket, and broiled, not fried, chicken, which makes the dish easier to prepare, lighter, and most important, still delicious---if not exactly authentic.