Pickle-Back Buffalo Wings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds chicken wing pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup Dill Pickle Hot Sauce
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon

directions

1. PREHEAT oven to 450°F. Place wire rack on top of foil-lined large shallow baking pan. Set aside. Place wings in large bowl; add oil, tossing to coat wings. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and baking powder; toss to coat evenly. Arrange wings in single layer on wire rack.
2. BAKE on lowest oven rack 30 minutes or until crispy, turning once halfway through cooking.
3. MEANWHILE, mix Hot Sauce, butter, brown sugar and bourbon in small saucepan. Bring to simmer on medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
4. TOSS hot cooked wings with Pickle-back sauce to coat. Serve with ranch or blue cheese and celery, if desired.
   
   AIR-FRYER Prep: SPRAY basket of air fryer with no stick cooking spray. Preheat air fryer on 400°F. Pat wings dry with paper towels and season wings with salt and pepper (omit oil and baking powder). PLACE wings in fryer basket, being careful not to over-fill. (Cook in batches, if needed, depending on the size of your air fryer.) Air fry 25 to 30 minutes or until skin is crispy and wings are cooked through, shaking basket or tossing wings with tongs every 5 minutes during cooking. Prepare Pickle-back Sauce and toss wings as directed.
   
   DEEP-FRY Prep: HEAT oil (vegetable or canola oil) to 370°F in deep fryer or heavy-bottom saucepot on medium-high heat. Pat wings dry. Fry in batches until cooked through and crispy (165°F internal temp). Prepare Pickle-back Sauce and toss wings as directed. (Omit salt, pepper and baking powder when deep frying.)