Chicken Wings with Cranberry Chile Glaze

These wings are broiled with a sweet and sour glaze made with cranberry and sweet chili sauce. If you prefer a bit of spice, add a dash of your favourite hot sauce. This surprising twist on sweet and sour wings is so good you'll be tempted to eat them right after glazing-but the final broil in the oven is worth it. If you want to turn up the spice meter, add some of your favourite hot sauce to the glaze.

2 lbs chicken wings (about 16)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Cranberry Chile Glaze:
8 oz frozen cranberries, thawed
½ cup Asian sweet chile sauce, such as Mae Ploy
¾ cup water
3 scallions, chopped (save the greens from 1 scallion for garnish)

Preheat the broiler to high with an oven rack set about 4" from the heat source. Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint.

Toss the chicken wings and vegetable oil on a baking sheet until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Broil the wings until the skin starts to crisp and brown, about 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the wings over. Broil the other side until crisp and golden brown, about 8 minutes more.

Meanwhile, put the cranberries in a food processor and pulse until you have small pieces. Add them to a medium skillet with the sweet chili sauce and water. Add all of the scallion whites and 2 of the scallion greens. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Strain into a medium bowl, pressing to get as much liquid through as possible. Return the liquid to the skillet and simmer until thick and shiny, like a glaze.

Remove the wings and check for doneness; if a knife inserted into the meat closest to the bone is no longer pink, it's done. Toss the wings in the sauce bowl until well coated, return to the baking sheet and broil until the glaze turns shiny and the skin has blistered spots of char, 1-3 minutes. Check the wings every minute at this stage to ensure the glaze does not burn. If your glaze is not sticking as well as you would like, apply the glaze with a pastry brush.

Sprinkle the remaining scallion greens over the top of the wings. Serve while hot.

Makes 4 servings.