Two Super Tasty Recipes from Sunny Anderson’s New Cookbook
Spicy PB&J Wings and Chimichanga Alamo
From the host of the Food Network’s Cooking for Real and Home Made in America, and frequent guest on Rachael Ray and Today, here is Sunny Anderson’s debut cookbook, featuring American classics, made her way.
Her recipes are bold and spicy and she welcomes you into her kitchen with an array of comfort foods. Believe us when we say, her Spicy PB&J wings will change your life.
Spicy PB&J Wings
Trust me on this. A sweet peanut butter and jelly glaze on the lighter side of spicy is just enough to make you want more and forget about two slices of bread.
Serves 4 to 6
For the wings
3 pounds chicken wings, whole or separated as you like
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups all-purpose flour
Peanut or vegetable oil
½ cup peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped, for garnish
For the sauce
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon plus
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot chili sauce
¼ cup soy sauce
1 cup grape jelly
¾ cup coconut cream
¼ cup hot water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Prep the wings. Place the wings on a baking sheet and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Pour the flour in a paper bag or large bowl and toss the wings in batches, then place on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet or on the counter. Rest for at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, and up to 2 hours.
2 Make the sauce. In a small pot over medium heat combine the peanut butter, sriracha, soy sauce, jelly, and coconut cream. Slowly whisk in the hot water to loosen the mixture. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then whisk as it thickens, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with a pinch of salt, if needed, and a few grinds of black pepper.
3 Fry the wings. In a Dutch oven, large pot, or fryer, pour enough oil to deep-fry, about 6 inches, and heat to 360°F. When you add your wings, the temperature will settle at 350°F. Try to keep it there by adjusting the heat. Fry the wings in batches until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
4 Sauce and garnish the wings. Place some of the sauce in a large bowl and toss the wings in batches, adding more sauce to thoroughly coat. Then place the wings on a serving tray and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Serve warm.
Chimichanga Alamo
Tex-Mex cooking is one of my favorite types of comfort food with the chimichanga being one of the great creations of the blended cultures. Basically, it’s a burrito on steroids, can I say that? The chimichanga is a beefed-up, pumped-up version of a burrito. It was 1989 in San Antonio, Texas, when I had my first burrito deep-fried and topped with a salad of sorts. The burrito gets more texture from the golden-fried flour tortilla wrap and even more from the crisp iceberg lettuce mounded on top. I covet the crunch in the layers of tucks and folds at each end, sometimes cutting them off and saving them both for last as I plow through the meaty center.
Serves 4
For the cilantro-avocado cream sauce
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 avocados, pitted and mashed
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
For the beef filling
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
1 cup finely chopped
Vidalia or sweet onions
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped and chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated on a rasp or finely minced
1 pound ground beef chuck (80% meat, 20% fat)
For the chimichangas
Vegetable oil
4 10-inch flour tortillas
1 15.5-ounce can refried black beans
For the topping
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded pepper
Jack cheese
1 head iceberg lettuce, Shredded
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
8 to 12 pickled jalapeño slices
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1. Make the cilantro-avocado cream sauce. In a blender combine the cilantro, avocado, sour cream, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. Make the beef filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it begins to swirl, add the onions, salt, a few grinds of pepper, the cumin, and thyme. Cook, stirring, until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and break up with a spoon or spatula as it browns. When the meat is cooked through, taste and, if needed, season with a pinch of salt.
3. Fill the chimichangas. Warm the tortillas in a microwave for just a few seconds or in a 100°F oven for a few minutes. Divide the refried beans into 4 equal portions. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the beans in the center of each tortilla, making a rectangle with the rough dimensions of 6 inches × 3 inches.. Using this as a guide add the beef directly over the beans. On a 10-inch tortilla, this leaves 2 inches of tortilla on the rectangle’s short side of the filling, and 3½ inches of tortilla on the long sides.
4. Roll the chimichangas. With the length of the rectangle of fillings horizontal to you, use both hands to fold each end with the 2-inch border in and over the mound of beef. Then fold the 3½-inch flap closest to you over the beef, tuck it in gently, but tightly, and roll the burrito away from you. Set aside. Rest with the seam side down and continue with the rest.
5. Fry the chimichangas. Fill a large straight-sided pan with an inch of oil and bring it to 360°F. (The temperature will fall when the burritos are added.) When the oil is hot, add 2 burritos at a time, seam side down, keeping the temperature at 350°F. Cook until golden on the bottom, then roll and cook all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer each to a paper towel–lined plate. Repeat with the second batch.
6. Top the chimichangas. Turn on the broiler or preheat your oven to 500°F. Place each chimichanga on a baking sheet, seam side down. Mix the Cheddar and Jack cheeses in a bowl. Top each chimichanga evenly with an equal amount of cheese. Cook until the cheese melts, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer each to a serving plate and top evenly with lettuce, avocado cream sauce, tomatoes, jalapeño slices, and radish slices.
Tips!
Use this technique to make a breakfast or brunch chimichanga filled with black beans, scrambled eggs, cheese, and cooked sausage.
Make smaller versions of this for kids using 6-inch soft taco shells.
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