Bourbon Cider Boneless Wings

The guide launched in September at the Cherokee press in Tahlequah. I drove up the evening before and stayed with Lena and her husband, and we ate a meal she'd cooked from her own garden — late summer tomatoes roasted and made into a sauce over pasta, beans from her garden, a salad that tasted like the specific place she lives in, which is what good garden cooking always does. We talked until late about the guide and what comes after it and what both of us hoped for it. She said: "I think this book is going to find the people it needs to find." I said I hoped she was right. She said she usually was about books.

The launch was sixty people in the press's gathering room, more than Lena had expected. I read two sections — the introduction, which is about Danny and the creek and the first winter — and the last section, the one about time and relationship. Grace was there. Three other graduates. Marcus drove up from Tulsa. Caleb drove up and sat in the back and didn't say anything until the end when he found me and said "he would have been proud" and then walked away before I could answer.

The meal after was what I'd planned: venison from last fall, bean soup, cornbread, persimmons from the food forest that I'd brought in a box. People ate and talked and a woman I'd never met told me she'd been waiting for a book like this without knowing what she was waiting for. I told her that's what Lena had said. She said Lena knew her readers well. The room was warm and loud and full of people who cared about the things the book was about, and that was all a book launch needed to be.

The venison and bean soup were planned months before the launch date, but it was the energy of that room — sixty people, warm and loud, eating together like they’d known each other — that made me want to bring this recipe forward here. Bourbon Cider Boneless Wings carry the same quality that meal had: something sweet and sharp and a little smoky, built for passing around, built for staying a while. The cider grounds it in the season, the bourbon gives it weight, and the whole thing comes together fast enough that you’re not in the kitchen when you should be in the room.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 cups)
Bourbon Cider Sauce:
3/4 cup apple cider
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

Set up your dredge. In three separate shallow bowls, place the seasoned flour (flour mixed with garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper), beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs. Working in batches, coat each chicken piece in flour, dip in egg, then press into panko to coat evenly.
Fry the chicken. Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F. Fry chicken pieces in batches, turning once, for 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden brown and cooked through (internal temp 165°F). Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel–lined plate. Do not crowd the pan.
Build the bourbon cider sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine apple cider, bourbon, brown sugar, hot sauce, and garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until reduced by about one-third and slightly thickened. Remove from heat, stir in butter and apple cider vinegar until butter is melted and sauce is glossy. Add red pepper flakes if using.
Toss and serve. Transfer the fried chicken pieces to a large bowl. Pour the warm bourbon cider sauce over the top and toss gently to coat every piece. Serve immediately, with extra sauce on the side if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bourbon Cider Boneless Wings — The Taste of a Room Full of People Who Showed Up