Stuffed Chicken Wings with Ham Gremolata

Executive Chef Joey Edwards is taking chicken wings to a whole new level with his stuffed chicken wings! It might be a few more steps in the cooking process than your traditional chicken wing recipe, but it’s guaranteed to impress guests. If you’re bringing friends together for a sports watch party, prepping for a barbecue or simply looking to experiment with a favorite food, look no further!

Mise en place:
Stuffed Chicken Wings
Ham Gremolata
Meyer Lemon Aioli
Pickled Cauliflower
Picked Parsley
Shaved Parmesan

Chicken Wing Stuffing:
12 oz. ground chicken
2 egg whites
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup finely diced Benton’s ham

In a food processor, puree ground chicken and egg whites. Once combined, slowly stream in your heavy cream. Add salt. Blend until smooth and well combined. (You may need to scrape the sides a few times and continue blending. This could take up to 5 minutes or so – just ensure the mousse isn’t getting too hot). Once the mousse is done, fold in the minced garlic and Benton’s ham.

Wings:
40 whole wings, drums cut off but tips still attached
Chicken wing stuffing

Using a pair of small kitchen shears, separate meat from bones in the chicken wing flat and remove bones from the chicken wing.
Put the chicken stuffing into a piping bag, and pipe into deboned chicken wing flats. (If you don’t have a piping bag, you can put the stuffing into a plastic bag, seal tightly, and cut a hole in one corner to create a piping bag.)
Grill until cooked through.

Country Ham Gremolata:
10 oz. country ham trim
8 oz. peeled garlic
8 oz. parmesan, cut into small chunks
½ cup olive oil
12 ea Calabrian chilis
3 lemons, zested
2 cups Sicilian extra virgin olive oil

Small dice the country ham to cut through any sinew, then place into a food processor and process until finely chopped. Remove from food processor.
Mince the garlic in the food processor. Remove garlic.
Finally, add the parmesan to the food processor and chop until it’s crumbled fine.

In a sauté pan, add ham and olive oil. Lightly fry the ham until it’s crispy. Add minced garlic and cook the garlic through, stirring often.
Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
In the meantime, add Calabrian chilis, lemon zest and Sicilian extra virgin olive oil to the blender, and blend until the chilis are finely chopped. Add that oil to the ham and garlic mixture, along with the parmesan. Fold together. Toss the wings in this sauce, and spoon more on top.

Meyer Lemon Aioli:
3 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Meyer lemons, juiced and zested
2 cloves of garlic
1 pint Sicilian extra virgin olive oil

Add the first 4 ingredients to a food processor, and spin until the garlic is well chopped. Slowly stream in the olive oil. Season with salt.

Pickled Cauliflower:
1 qt. white wine vinegar
1 qt. water
1 cup sugar
¼ cup mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt to taste
1 head cauliflower, cut into very small florets
6 ea shallots, thinly sliced

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. While the brine is hot, pour it over the cauliflower and shallots, and allow to cool at room temp. Pack in jars and refrigerate for up to a week.

Plating:
On a large platter, spread a thin layer of Meyer lemon aioli on the base of the platter. Place wings tossed in country ham gremolata on top of the aioli. Spoon more of the country ham gremolata on top. Sprinkle pickled cauliflower overtop. Garnish with lots of picked parsley and shaved parmigiana. Enjoy!