BAKED GARLIC BALSAMIC WINGS WITH BLUE RANCH DIPPING SAUCE

Baked Garlic Balsamic Wings with Blue Ranch Dipping Sauce image

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Time 1h45m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 15

1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 cloves garlic, finely grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 heads garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling the pans
4 pounds split chicken wings, wing tips removed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Steps:

Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, buttermilk, chives and garlic. Season to taste with and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle the garlic heads with 1 tablespoon of oil and wrap in foil. Bake until golden and soft, about 1 1/2 hours.
After about a 30 minutes, generously oil 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toss the wings with 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper and divide them between the two baking sheets, spreading them in a single layer. Bake until very crispy, about 55 minutes.
Squeeze the baked garlic from the heads into a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, honey, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1/3 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer briskly until the liquid becomes syrupy and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Whisk into the bowl with the garlic.
Transfer the baked wings to the bowl with the glaze and toss to combine. Serve with the dipping sauce.