THERE'S something immensely tactile about eating chicken wings. The deep orange of buffalo sauce streaking your forearms, nubbly, crispy bits of fried coating to nibble off, a stack of stripped wings piling ever higher in a basket in front of you.
"People who love chicken wings are crazy for chicken wings," says Ben Ford, one half of street food chicken wing outfit and restaurant, Wingmans (wingmans.co.uk). "It's a cult," adds his co-founder David Turofsky.
In lockdown, the duo and their team are currently still working, running a delivery service from their London joint, taking things "one day at a time".
They've known each other since they were kids growing up in north London, but started working together after Turofsky returned from a year ostensibly studying in America. In fact, says Ford with a laugh, "he came back with this fiendish appetite for chicken wings." "And buffalo sauce, generally," adds Turofsky, proudly.
The timing was ideal. "I was looking for a break," says Ford, who has a background in food, "and David was looking for someone who could cook."
In 2015, they embarked upon their first festival, British Summertime, leaping from a "no trading history to one of the biggest summer festivals in London," remembers Ford. "We had a very sleepless 11 days – five guys cramped into the back of an Airstream trailer – learning what it was to run a street food business."
"It was probably the toughest 11 days of our lives," notes Turofsky.
While admittedly "a chicken concept" the mates are determined to cater to all tastes and lifestyles, whether you're vegan or gluten-free, halal or veggie (take their Shanghai cauliflower, or tempura oyster mushrooms: "It's not just chips – that's not a thing").
"We wanted to make sure we weren't leaving anyone out," says Ford with feeling. Their whole ethos is around sharing plates and socialising – which, right now, is understandably impossible outside of your household. This is where their debut cookbook, Wings And Things, comes in – hopefully everyone you're locked-down with can appreciate chicken wings (and their meat-free alternatives).
"Everyone loves chicken, particularly wings!" buzzes Turofsky.
"When you get a good wing, and it's got the right crunch-to-meat ratio..." ruminates Ford. "It's got a nice crispy outside skin and juicy flesh..."
The key to great wings, they argue, is to follow in the great American tradition and toss them in sauce. "It's huge in America," says Ford. "You order wings, they toss the wings in the sauce, they serve them in a bucket or a basket – and no-one here was doing that." Sauce is crucial.
If you're more used to ordering a bucket of wings than snipping wing-tips, marinating and deep-frying your own at home, though, Turofsky's top tip, jovially yelled down the phone, is to "cook with love!"
On the more practical side, Ford recommends, as you're cooking meat on the bone, you invest in a meat thermometer. It'll help you get the oil you're frying in, and the chicken you're eating, up to the correct temperature. "Make sure there's clear running juices, and no blood on the bone," he adds.
Remember to cook safely, too. "For people who don't have a mini deep-fat fryer at home, frying in oil in a saucepan can be dangerous at times," says Ford, "so we suggest making sure you have a big enough pan and you're not over-filling it."
Sauce and combo wise, Turofsky says "don't be afraid to experiment" either.
"Even if it doesn't quite work," chips in Ford, "you still have a portion of chicken wings in front of you." And there's not much wrong to be found with that.
:: This is what happened when we tried Ford and Turofsky's Honey Monster wings in lockdown:
The first hurdle was deciphering ingredient one: "Chicken wings, tip removed, drums and flat separated." My wings from Sainsbury's were very much still connected and fully wing-like. Twenty minutes, several YouTube videos on 'finding the soft bit', and slicing through ligaments later, I got there.
Luckily, I did have white pepper in the cupboard somehow, but no celery salt, so swapped in thyme salt instead for the dry marinade. I was short on golden caster sugar too so had to do a mixture of sugars for the honey glaze, but it glossed up good and was sticky and sweet, without making your teeth ache.
Next time I'd whack the temperature on the oven up – the wings weren't quite crispy after three rounds of basting, and 30 minutes roasting – but paired with a side of potato wedges and mayo, they were suitably messy and moreish.
:: Wings And Things: Lip-smacking Chicken Recipes by David Turofsky and Ben Ford, photography by Dan Jones, is published by Quadrille, priced £16.99. Below are two recipes from the book for you to try.
SZECHUAN SALT AND PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS
(Serves 4)
1.25kg chicken wings, tip removed, drums and flat separated
2tsp celery salt
2tsp white pepper
1tsp black pepper
150ml buttermilk
250g cornflour
50g rice flour
2 or 3L vegetable or rapeseed oil, for cooking
2tbsp Szechuan seasoning
For the garnish:
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 fresh red chillies, finely sliced
Bunch of spring onions, green tops only, finely shredded
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
A few curry leaves
A few sprigs of fresh coriander or cress
Method:
In a large bowl combine the wings with the dry spices and the buttermilk. Let marinate in the fridge for at least one hour or up to four hours. Combine the two flours and set aside. Drain the wings from the excess marinade and toss through the flour – keep chilled until ready to cook.
Preheat a deep fryer to 180C. Place the wings in the basket and lower slowly into the fryer.
Cook for seven or eight minutes ensuring they hit 75C at the core of the thickest part of the wing and the juices run clear. If they don't hit 75C after the first eight minutes just carry on cooking for a further minute.
Heat some oil for the garnish in a wok and fry the chillies, spring onions, green pepper and curry leaves for a couple of minutes until crispy.
Pile the wings high on a plate, dust with the Szechuan seasoning and garnish with the fried chillies, spring onions, green pepper and curry leaves. Top with the coriander.
BEIJING BLOCK PARTY CHICKEN BURGER
(Serves 4)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Oil, for brushing
125ml Roasted Sesame Dressing (see below)
Salt and black pepper
For the Asian slaw:
1 cucumber
200g daikon
1 large carrot
2 spring onions
30g fresh coriander leaves
100ml rice wine vinegar
50g caster sugar
2tsp sesame oil
For the Shanghai mayo:
50ml Shanghai Sauce (see below)
150ml Japanese mayonnaise (or just mayo)
For the garnish:
4 seeded brioche buns, halved
1 baby gem lettuce, leaves separated
100g crushed roasted peanuts
A few sprigs of fresh coriander, chopped
4tsp togarashi spice blend
For the Roasted Sesame Dressing:
Makes 500ml. Blend all of the ingredients together, loosen with water if needed, sieve to remove sesame seed husks. Season. Store in the fridge in a closed container and use within five days.
400ml mayonnaise
250g black or white sesame seeds, toasted
50ml mirin
25ml apple juice
1tbsp sesame oil
25ml rice wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper
For the Shanghai Sauce:
Makes 500ml. Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and boil. Once bubbling remove from the heat and leave to infuse. Strain into a suitable container and close. Store in the fridge and use within seven days.
200ml dark soy sauce
200ml light soy sauce
100g honey
100g soft dark brown sugar
50ml sesame oil
100ml rice vinegar or distilled vinegar
1/2 head of garlic, roughly chopped
50g fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
Bunch of coriander stalks, chopped
Bunch of spring onions, white ends only, roughly chopped
Method:
Shred all the slaw vegetables and coriander into long, thin strips. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and sesame oil until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the slaw, add a pinch of salt and allow to sit and soften slightly.
Stir the Shanghai sauce into the mayo and keep chilled. Preheat a griddle pan over a high heat. Butterfly the chicken breasts and brush with oil. Heavily season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the griddle pan. Once the chicken has changed colour around the edges, flip over and brush with some of the sesame dressing. Continue to brush with the dressing and turn until fully cooked and golden, and the core temperature is 75C.
Toast the buns and spoon a little of the Shanghai mayo on the bottom half. Add a lettuce leaf and the grilled chicken. Top with the slaw and add more sesame dressing. Sprinkle over the crushed peanuts, coriander and togarashi.
