Agrodolce chicken wings
We had these at a wonderful restaurant in Plainwell Michigan we stopped at after visiting Holland MI, it is named, Dog & The Bank, the wings were unique and very good, so I decided to replicate them at home. Agrodolce means sour and sweet in Italian and is a condiment made in Sicily, there are many variations, in this recipe it is used more liberally than it would normally be used.
Have ready
8- whole wings, tips removed and cut into two at the joint, season with salt and black pepper and refrigerate.
2- green onions white and some green parts chopped at an angle.
½ tsp sesame seeds
1-tbsp Cotija Mexican aged and grated cheese (I found it a Walmart, but can be found at Mexican markets)
Lime wedges on the side (optional)
The Agrodolce sauce
In a medium saucepan sauté the onion until soft about 5 minutes add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil covered, lower the heat and simmer for 15 min, then uncover and simmer until it reduces and becomes a slightly thick syrup, 30 to 60 min or more, low and slow is better. Strain, squeezing as much liquid as possible with the back of a spoon, you can pour some water over the solids to extract more from them, but you will need to again reduce the sauce to get a thicker syrup.
1 tbsp olive oil
1-small red onion finely chopped about 1 cup
1 cup water
¾ cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2-tbsp sugar
1-tbsp honey
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
10 dried tart cherries or ¼ cup juice (optional but adds great flavor!)
The wings
Heat a fryer to 350f, pre fry the wings until cooked through but not brown, about 5 minutes and drain on paper towels, store in the refrigerator until just before serving. (The wings can also be baked or grilled and then tossed hot in the sauce)
When ready to serve, put the sauce in a large bowl, fry the wings at 350f until brown and crisp, toss hot from the fryer in the sauce, it will take a minute or two of tossing to get the sauce to coat the wings. Pour onto a serving platter, top with the sesame seeds, sprinkle with cheese, toss on the chopped green onions and serve. Enjoy!
