Stuffed Armenian chicken wings

Dude-food done Beirut street-style: deboned chicken wings stuffed with spiced beef sausage in a cornflake crumb, deep-fried until golden. Try to eat just one!

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 275 g Armenian sausages (see note) 
• 20 chicken wings, deboned, wing tips removed (see note)
• 150 g caul fat (see note) 
• cottonseed oil or vegetable oil, to deep-fry

Sour cherry barbecue sauce

• 125 ml (½ cup) tomato ketchup
• 125 ml (½ cup) water
• 125 ml (½ cup) apple cider vinegar
• 45 g brown sugar 
• 45 g caster sugar 
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 200 ml sour cherry juice 
• 150 g pitted sour cherries, drained, blended to a purée 

Cornflake crumb

• 60 g cornflakes, crushed coarsely
• 40 g plain flour
• 40 g tomato soup powder 
• 20 g rice flour
• 1 tbsp garlic powder 
• 1 tbsp onion powder 
• 2 tsp smoked paprika 
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 200 ml buttermilk

Chilling time 15 minutes

Instructions

To make the stuffed chicken wings, remove the casings from the Armenian sausages and roughly chop meat. Place in a food processor and processes until smooth. Fill the cavity of the chicken wings with about 3 tsp of sausage mince.

Wrap each wing in caul fat, using as little as possible, to hold and secure the sausage inside the wing. Place the wings inside a large a bamboo steamer. Bring a wok or large pan of water to the boil. Place the steamer over the wok and steam the wings for 11–13 minutes. To check for doneness, a metal skewer inserted into the centre of a wing for 10 seconds should come out warm to touch. Remove the wings from the steamer, transfer to a plate and refrigerate in a single layer for 15 minutes or until chilled.

To make the sour cherry barbecue sauce, combine all the ingredients, except the puréed cherries, in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat to a strong simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 30–35 minutes or until thickened to a sauce consistency. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir through the puréed sour cherries. Allow to cool, then refrigerate until required.

To make the cornflakes crumb, combine all ingredients, except for the buttermilk, in a bowl and mix until well combined. Pour the buttermilk into a separate bowl.

Working with one wing at a time, dip a cold wing into the buttermilk to lightly coat, allowing any excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Coat evenly in the crumb mixture, pressing lightly to coat, then transfer to a baking paper-lined oven tray. Repeat with the remaining wings.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or wok to 160°C. Fry chicken wings, in batches, for 3–4 minutes or until dark golden. Drain on paper towel.

Serve immediately with sour cherry barbecue sauce to the side.

Note

• Armenian sausage, also known as soujuk or sucuk, is a cured, heavily spiced beef sausage. Armenian sausages can be bought at specialty Middle Eastern and halal butchers.

• Ask your butcher to debone the centre part only. Trim the remaining wings and use the offcuts to make stock.

• Caul fat is the thin membrane that surrounds vital organs in pigs. You’ll need to order it from your butcher in advance.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.