Sous Vide: Spicy Crispy Wings!
About
Avoiding the disappointing extremes between dried out meat and not quite done at the bone is made easy by sous vide processing.
Ingredients
Chicken wings, tips removed and separated at the joint, 8 pieces.
Kosher salt, 1 Teaspoon.
Preferred seasonings, we have a large list of blends HERE.
Flour, 0.5 cups/75 g (optional).
Shortening for frying, minimum 1 cup/200 ml.
Celery sticks, 3 each.
Carrot sticks, 3 each.
Iceberg lettuce, shredded, 1 oz/30 g.
Parsley, chopped, a few tablespoons.
Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing, as needed, 2 oz/60 g.
Butter, cold, 1 oz/30 g.
Sauce recipe:
Note: Proprietary sauces for spicy wings, Buffalo wings and all the other incarnations are readily available. I offer a recipe that I developed myself:
Cayenne pepper, 1 Tablespoon.
Anchovies, one can, 2 oz/56 g.
White wine, 1 cup/200 ml.
White vinegar, 1 cup/200 ml.
Water, 1 cup/200 ml.
Salt, 2 Tablespoons.
Sugar, 2 Tablespoons.
Garlic, 2 heads, peeled.
Worcestershire sauce, 2 oz/50 ml.
Ketchup, 1 oz/32 g.
Equipment requirements
Immersion circulator, portable or stationary.
Heat rated container, minimum of 2 gallons/8 liters.
Heat rated sous vide bags.
Channel or chamber vacuum device--unnecessary if you use Ziploc freezer bags.
Generic counter top blender.
High sided sauce pot or home deep fryer.
Cookie sheet lined with paper towels.
Instructions
Actual prep time:1 hour Serves 1 Level of difficulty 2.25
Procedure:
Preheat the sous vide bath to 135 F/57 C Stage the chicken wings in single layers into dedicated vacuum bags. If you want to use manually sealing plastic bags (like Ziploc freezer bags), remove the air using the water displacement method. Process the wings for a minimum of 5 hours to pasteurize. Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and process until completely smooth. Refrigerate. After the time has elapsed remove the bags of chicken from the bath and submerge in iced/tap water until they achieve 70 F/21 C"“about half an hour. Refrigerate to 40 F/4 C"“this is necessary to assure food safety. As long as the bags are not opened, the chicken can be kept in this state for at least two weeks.Day of service
Dip the packages of wings in hot tap water (110F) or a functioning sous vide bath to dissolve the gel inside the bag. Note: the higher the temperature applied (and the longer the interval), the more moisture will be released from the wings. At this temperature (and for 5 hours), the amount of release is negligible. If there is more than 2 oz/30 ml of juice in the bag, visit HERE to learn what to do with it. 
Remove the wings, drain, and pat dry. 
Lay the wings out on a rack and sprinkle with powdered egg white. One fresh egg white mixed well with 1 oz/30 ml with water can also be used. 
Mist with water to create a sticky surface (not necessary if you use fresh egg whites). 
Turn the wings over and repeat the process. 
Sprinkle with desired seasonings. 
Mist or drizzle with vegetable oil--this prevents scorching and helps to provide a durable crust. Preheat oven to 170 F/77 C Heat the oil in the sauce pan to 315 F/158 C. There should be enough oil to fully submerge the wings, but the oil should be no deeper than half the height of the pan. Carefully lower wings one at a time into the oil and fry until they achieve the desired color. Remove the wings with tongs and lay on the sheet pan lined with paper towels. Keep warm in the oven until all the wings are done. Heat 2 oz/50 ml of the sauce in a skillet (or the microwave). When it comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the cold butter. Stir until it is dissolved and you will notice that the sauce is slightly thickened. At this point, many practitioners toss the wings in the sauce--that is the original service model. Some prefer to serve the sauce on the side so that the diner can control the spiciness. We show both ways! 
Above: WITH flour, sauce on the side. Very crisp, yet very juicy/ 
Above: WITHOUT flour, tossed with the sauce. Even crispier, moderately juicy. More beer! 
Flour, sauce on the side above. 
Above: WITHOUT flour, WITH sauce. 
Above--Ranch dressing, spicy sauce "Sunrise." Fill the cup half way with the Ranch dressing, and carefully pour the sauce on top--the Ranch will slowly drift to the top! Enjoy!