I don’t watch sports. I used to. I was a big fan growing up. I don’t know when I stopped caring, but over the years I’ve lost a lot of interest. But even I get caught up in the excitement of the Super Bowl. Our family gets together and has a huge party, just enjoying time with one another and not even really paying that much attention to the game.
As you’d suspect, I bring a lot of food to the family party. I always bring chicken wings, a caramelized onion, bacon and gruyere dip with homemade pita chips, and pulled pork and coleslaw sliders. My mother-in-law brings a vegetable platter and a fruit plate, and the other cousins bring their favorite snacks. We mostly sit around talking with one another, catching up, and enjoying our time together. I don’t even remember who played last year, but I remember the laughter with my favorite people.
Ain’t Nothing But a Chicken Wing
Growing up, chicken wings were my mother’s territory. If they were in short supply, like on a roasted chicken, she got them. No debate. That’s just how it was. Truth is, I didn’t care. There wasn’t much meat and they weren’t that good. I’d rather have a meat-y leg or a juicy thigh.
When I got older, I loved going out for pizza and wings because we’d all just eat and laugh and talk. My favorite place to go in my hometown of Phoenix, AZ was Nino’s Pizza and Wings on 59th and Thunderbird. They probably weren’t even the BEST wings, but I loved the social atmosphere, the sports on the big screen and the food was pretty great.
But now if I am going to eat chicken wings I want them to be worth the “work”. I’ve spent years looking for the best ways to prepare chicken wings. It is a toss up right now between sous vide and pressure cooked chicken wings – both are insanely good. As we are getting ready for the Superbowl, I figure its time to share both options and we’ll let you decide.
Sous Vide vs Instant Pot
Both options have their pros and their cons. They both take a long period of time to get to perfection. Coating the chicken wings in tapioca with a hint of baking powder before you coat them allows the starch molecules to absorb the moisture, swelling and making a light but crispy crust.
The sous vide chicken wings are a little juicier and more “confit’d” in texture. My mom and my kids both say that this is their favorite wing.
However, the Instant Pot wings are a little juicier, which for me was preferable. They were still tender and amazing and just as flavorful, but a little more of a traditional texture.
I wouldn’t say no to either. And what’s awesome is I can make both easily for my family and everyone can be happy. If it were 100% up to me, I’d make traditional chicken wings in the Instant Pot and then I’d sous vide some chicken breast strips with the tapioca coating and make boneless for my husband and I.
Which do you prefer?
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 3.5 hours |
| Passive Time | 3 hours |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 cup tapioca starch
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup BBQ Spice Rub
- 1 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 5 pounds chicken wings trimmed of points
Ingredients
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- Preheat water bath to 152F
- Combine tapioca starch and bbq spice rub. Mix until combined and put in a dredger or in a large gallon ziploc bag.
- Heavily salt the chicken wings, use more than you think you are going to need. Dredge until completely coated. Place on cooling rack over cookie sheet.
- Because I'm cooking above 150F, I only use a foodsaver bags. Cut a foodsaver bag to length and place chicken wings in a single layer. Remove the air and seal.
- Submerge in water and cook for 3 hours.
- When 3 hours is up, submerge in an ice bath to quickly cool. This is mandatory as it allows the tapioca starch to congeal, which will cause the super crispy crust. Allow to cool for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Heat oil to 395F. A few wings at a time, drop wings into the oil and fry until the golden brown color you desire is achieved, about 3-5 minutes. The meat is perfectly cooked, you are just getting a yummy crust.
- Serve with BBQ sauce, hot sauce, or alone as desired.
- Combine tapioca starch, 2 teaspoons baking powder and bbq spice rub. Mix until combined and put in a dredger or in a large gallon ziploc bag.
- Heavily salt the chicken wings, use more than you think you are going to need. Dredge until completely coated. Place on cooling rack over cookie sheet.
- Add 1 cup water to the electric pressure cooker liner. Place the trivet in the bottom and add a steamer basket on top of it. Press "Manual" and adjust your time to 15 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, quick release the pressure. Remove the wings to a cooling rack and chill in the fridge for 2 hours. This is mandatory as it allows the tapioca starch to congeal into your "crust".
- Heat oil to 395F. A few wings at a time, drop wings into the oil and fry until the golden brown color you desire is achieved, about 3-5 minutes. The meat is perfectly cooked, you are just getting a yummy crust.
Rachel – LOVE the experiment between Instant Pot and Sous Vide – question though. How would you think the wings would do Air Fried as opposed to deep fried?
I have two air fryers. The dedicated air fryer I am not as big a fan of, but the Breville Smart Air Oven I think it would work super well. I’ll try the recipe next week and use the air fryer.