Crispy fried chicken and beer: a match made in foodie heaven

This is one of the most requested recipes from my cookbook (now out of print), A Celebration of Food. It's something I make whenever my friends come over for dinner, or whenever we have a pot luck. While the wings can be fried immediately, they taste better if they have a chance to marinate for several hours.

I've never actually eaten Vietnamese butter chicken wings in Vietnam, so I'm not sure if they're traditionally consumed in that country, or if it's a dish that Vietnamese cooks invented once they immigrated. I do know that whenever I order them, no two versions are the same.

In Korea, going out for a meal of chicken and beer is such a common activity that it has its own name: chimek. There are many different types of Korean fried chicken, aka KFC, but the best known version is chicken coated in a spicy-sweet sticky coating. It's easy enough to make at home. The traditional accompaniment (other than beer, of course) is a white radish banchan, which refreshes the palate.