Emma Young's Hot Wings with Stichelton

This recipe comes courtesy of Emma Young, cheesemonger and author of The Cheese Wheel: How to Choose and Pair Cheese Like an Expert.

There’s nothing more satisfying than a recipe that involves minimal preparation and full, impactful flavour. These hot wings with Stichelton are essentially a combination of things which already taste excellent, a combination which can be recreated at any time of the year… or day for that matter.

In The Cheese Wheel, you’ll find me mentioning the yeasty, savoury, and fruity goodness of Stichelton working well with strong alcohol like Islay whisky, and part of the reason this works so well is the spicy nature of the alcohol cutting through the cheese.

The creamy, fudgy paste of Stichelton is also cut extremely well by hot sauces. I purposefully haven’t specified which, as there are so many out there. I am partial to a buffalo sauce or fermented hot sauce for a fruity, umami, and fermented explosion to coat your chicken wings, enhanced by the salty, savoury Stichelton.

Hot Wings with Stichelton

(Serves one hungry person or two people with sides)

Ingredients:

750g chicken wings (highest welfare possible please, I’m a hen mum!)
2-4 tablespoons of hot sauce (I recommend the Buffalo Hot Sauce from The Sauce Shop or making your own fermented sauce at home.)
150g Stichelton

Method:

I’m not cool enough to own an air fryer but this would make for an even easier cooking method than it is already.

Alternatively, bake or fry.

To bake: preheat your oven to 200°C (392°F, gas mark 6). Place your wings on a baking tray or dish. Spread them for even cooking & place the tray onto the middle shelf of your oven for approximately 35-40 minutes.

To fry: deep fry the chicken wings at 180°C (350°F) for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through and crispy. If you have a deep fat frier, fabulous, if not, make sure your pan is deep enough to accommodate chicken plus oil without spillage. Once cooked, place the wings straight onto paper towel to remove excess oil.

Now, to sauce.

Slather your wings in hot sauce. Make it messy.

Crumble or roughly chop your Stichelton before sprinkling all over the wings. I like a mixture of crumble sizes: large pieces for a cheeky bite and small pieces to fully integrate into the sauce like a veritable cheesy seasoning.

Serve the wings as they are, or perhaps add a homemade coleslaw for some added crunch.