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Grilled Chicken Wings With Summer Berry Agrodolce

Turn your bag of frozen berries into a sour-sweet sauce for crispy wings. 
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Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Micah Morton

A grilled chicken wing is essentially a vehicle for sauce, whether that’s Buffalo, sweet chile, or, in this case, agrodolce, a sour-sweet Italian glaze (literally, “sour-sweet” is the direct translation) that’s made by simmering vinegar with honey (or sugar) and often chiles or crushed red pepper flakes. Here, developer Bill Clark also adds frozen berries for jamminess, color, and even more tart-sweetness. While these wings are great cooked on the grill for the most char, you can also bake them under a broiler, where they will take about 30 minutes.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

3 small handfuls any combination mint, cilantro, and/or parsley
1 lemon
1 shallot
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for baking sheet (optional)
3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided, plus more
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 10-oz. bag frozen mixed berries
¼ cup honey
3 Tbsp. (or more) apple cider vinegar
2 lb. chicken wings, drumettes and flats separated

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Coarsely chop 3 small handfuls any combination mint, cilantro, and/or parsley to make about ⅓ cup chopped herbs. Transfer to small bowl, cover with a damp paper towel, and chill until ready to use. Cut 1 lemon into wedges; set aside. Thinly slice 1 shallot into rings. 

    Step 2

    Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium. Cook shallot, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

    Step 3

    Add one 10-oz. bag frozen mixed berries, ¼ cup honey, 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, and ½ cup water to shallot mixture in pan and cook, stirring often to prevent sticking and burning, until berries are completely softened and falling apart and agrodolce is thickened, 15–20 minutes. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, and/or vinegar if needed. Remove from heat and set aside.

    Step 4

    Prepare a grill for medium heat. (Or, if you don’t have a grill, heat broiler with rack in upper third of the oven.) Pat 2 lb. chicken wings, drumettes and flats separated, dry with paper towels and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle wings all over with remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, pressing to adhere. (Lightly coat baking sheet with oil if broiling wings.)

    Step 5

    Grill chicken, turning occasionally with tongs to prevent excessive charring (some is delicious, a lot is not), until crisp and deeply browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a wing registers 165°, about 15 minutes. (If using broiler, broil about 25 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes.) Transfer wings to a large bowl. 

    Step 6

    Reheat agrodolce over medium until warmed through and loose, about 1 minute. Pour over wings and toss to coat. 

    Step 7

    Transfer wings and agrodolce to a platter and top with chopped herbs. Squeeze juice from 1 reserved lemon wedge over wings. Serve wings with remaining lemon wedges for squeezing over as desired.

    Do ahead: Agrodolce can be made 4 days ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill. Reheat over medium before using.

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