Wondermous wings

I confessed my addiction to chicken wings a while back. Yes, I love all types, tender, crispy, barbecue, vinegar-based, etc. I like dips, salads, quesadillas and more. You say blue cheese and wing sauce, and I'm there.

Yes, there.

I'm there because you won't be here for wings, unless it's wing dip.

Even though I love chicken wings, believe it or not, I've never made them, and wouldn't even consider serving them to friends.

A few days ago, when discussing with my editor what I would make for today's column, John Philleo said he'd take over the reins for the week and prepare his chicken wings for Simply Delish. He said they were the best. I needed a recipe.

Actually, in all seriousness, John does pretty well in the kitchen, and so I believed him when he said they were good. I made an appointment with him to learn the low down on chicken wings -- no fry daddy required!

John started by washing 36 chicken wings.

Next, he poured vegetable oil into a large saucepan and turned the heat up to medium high.

John says you need at least a 48-ounce container of vegetable oil.

You have to be careful here, though. You don't want to have too much oil so that it could spill over upon adding the wings.

Can you say fire hazard?

Once the oil is hot (if you add a splash of water and the oil sizzles it means it's hot enough) you can add the wings.

John used 48 ounces of oil and was able to add 36 wings to that.

We both agreed crispy wings rock, so he left them in the hot tub for 20 minutes, but they probably were actually thoroughly cooked after about 13 minutes.

"I go less on time and more on their color and how they float," John told me. "Once they're ready they'll be floating in this oil."

While waiting for the wings to float, I asked John where he learned to make wings. John has a background in the restaurant business. He developed a love for wings at a little Mississippi Delta seafood shack in Memphis, where he once worked, where popular items included frog legs, raw oysters, oyster Po' Boys, crab legs -- and some of the best wings around.

Hurry up and float, wings! Now I'm getting hungry!

In the meantime, John made the sauce in a separate sauce pan. About a stick and a half of butter (6 ounces) and another 6 ounces of Texas Pete hot sauce is paired up with a little garlic powder or garlic salt to make this sauce simple, but definitely delish.

John says he prefers Texas Pete or Louisiana Hot sauce, but I'm a big fan of Frank's Red Hot, so when I try making my own, I may try that variable.

To each his own.

Anyway, John heated the sauce until the ingredients were well blended and then let it rest on low until the wings were finished.

Throughout the process, John told me it's important to stir the wings occasionally to ensure they don't stick together, but advised me not to overdo it.

At last, the wings were floating and had a perfect golden brown tan.

"Don't forget to use metal tongs," John said.

Okay, okay, let's get on with it. Now I'm starving.

The final step is to place the wings into a metal baking pan and pour the sauce over the wings. Toss the wings a bit and serve.

Drum roll ... I'm a pretty good wing critic and, since this column has been published, I bet you can guess that the wings were fabulous.

The wings were crisp, flavorful, simple and delicious.

And it doesn't get any better than that!

Thanks for sharing, John! Now get back on that diet.

-- Sadie Fowler is lifestyles editor at the Times-Gazette. Her columns, Sadie Says and Simply Delish, run every Sunday. She may be reached at sfowler@t-g.com or 684-1200 ext. 214.