KOREAN SPICED WINGS

These wings from Michael Reich are the perfect game-day food, spicy and supremely satisfying. The mint chimichurri sauce adds an herbal counterpoint to the spicy wings. This recipe makes more sauce than you need here, but you can refrigerate and use it later on steaks, ribs, pork chops, lamb chops, and other full-flavored meats.


Ingredients
For the mint chimichurri sauce
1 packed cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1 packed cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil; more as needed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 medium cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the wings and sauce
4 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
1 large head garlic, peeled and minced (about 1/3 cup)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 lb. chicken wings, drumettes and wingettes separated and wing tips discarded
1 cup gochujang or other red chili sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 4 large limes)
For frying and serving
9 cups neutral oil, such as canola oil
2 cups cornstarch
Baby carrots, for serving (optional)

Preparation

Make the chimichurri

• Put the mint, parsley, the 1/2 cup of oil, the lemon juice, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse 10 to 15 times to combine, scraping down the bowl as needed, until the herbs reach a semicoarse consistency. Add oil 1 Tbs. at a time to reach your desired consistency. Scrape into a medium bowl, and stir in the pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make the wings and sauce

• In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, 11/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the wings, and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 11/2 hours. Bring to room temperature before frying.
• In a blender, combine the gochujang, ketchup, sugar, lime juice, and 2 tsp. salt. Blend until smooth.

Fry the wings and serve

• In a large Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat to 350°F.
• Put the cornstarch in a large bowl. Working in 4 batches, remove the wings from the marinade, and toss them in the cornstarch to coat, shaking lightly to remove excess cornstarch. Carefully add the wings to the oil, and fry, turning occasionally, until fully cooked and crisp, about 6 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spider skimmer, transfer the wings to a plate lined with paper towels, and salt lightly. Transfer to a rack to stay crisp while frying the remainder.
• Repeat with remaining wings, removing any brown bits from the oil before frying each batch. Toss the wings with about 1 cup of the sauce to generously coat. Serve with the mint chimichurri and carrots, if you like.