I love fried chicken with a singular passion; an innate affinity from my small town Missouri upbringing where it was as important as any other cultural marker to my family and community. Cold fried chicken for picnics and reunions, at restaurants for special occasions, and Sunday supper at home…my mother traversing our modest kitchen with hot grease, buttery potatoes, and canned green beans bathed in bacon and onions.
I still hold fried chicken in high esteem today; whether from one of my childhood haunts like Chicken Mary’s or Barto’s in southeast Kansas or just simply doubled battered at home for the family or a dinner party. Currently I’m obsessed with the myriad ways to prepare wings - from the grill, traditional Buffalo style, or as sticky Korean bbq, just to name a few. And wings are the perfect vessel for frying chicken, especially when embellished with a sauce or glaze like the one I’ve devised with Blue Elephant Massamam Curry Paste; slightly sweet, spicy with a whisper of brown spice that ignites an edible paradigm shift from more traditional wings…and a saucy crunch that is nothing short of culinary nirvana. Try my Massamam BBQ Chicken Wings tonight - you’ll be glad you did.