CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS WITH SWEET CHILI BUFFALO SAUCE & BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE DIP + WINTER CRANBERRY SPRITZER RECIPES

BY CHEF ZACH SQUIER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHEF ZACH SQUIER @

THESAVORYBASTARD ON INSTAGRAM

Hi, I’m Zach. I’m 27 years old, and I was born in York, Maine, but I grew up in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as my parents disliked sales tax. I’m a true Mainer at heart, so as an adult I relocated back to a place where the possession laws are reasonable: Kittery, Maine. Like most of the kids with glassy red eyes in the industry, I started washing dishes in a restaurant at 14 and fell in love with the kitchen and the fast-paced lifestyle that went with it. I continued to grind and learn from great chefs in the area until finally opening my first restaurant at the age of 22 with my brother— a farm fresh cafe in Northwood, NH called Umami. It was fun for a while, but I’ve since moved on.

I’ve found that cannabis is very common in the restaurant industry and has been for a long time. That’s where I was introduced to it, so I guess I would have to say being in the kitchen sort of got me into cannabis. Now, being the chef I am today, I see how much the restaurant and cannabis industries have in common, and my goal is to bring them together like long lost brothers on a daytime talk show. To me, nothing brings people together the way a good meal can (besides cannabis, of course). Both bring joy and create unforgettable memories that can be brought back by something as simple as a scent—like the smell of your grandmother’s chicken pot pie or a whiff of that Sour Diesel you smoked as a teen. My goal is to bring these two incredible things together—cannabis and the culinary arts—to push the experience of how we consume food, cannabis, and plant-based medicine. Who wouldn’t want some chicken pot pot pie?

Music is also a huge part of my life, pretty much on par with food and cannabis. Funny how they’re members of the same band. Sure, the solo albums from KISS members are great, but you don’t get songs like “Love Gun” without the group as a whole. While I’m in the kitchen, an eclectic collection of music is playing the ENTIRE time, from Mozart to the Insane Clown Posse (joking). Working with so many different types of people in numerous kitchens has grown my appreciation of it all. If I had to choose my favorite band while cooking or in the kitchen, I would have to say Khruangbin. While relaxing or smoking, I’m probably spinning the hazy classics of the Grateful Dead. Highend food, much like high-end cannabis, is only as good as the people you share it with, so pass the plate and pass the joint—we have a life to enjoy! Best meal and smoke? If you asked me 10 years ago, I would have said a gravity bong and a BLT. Nowadays, I’d probably say a nice joint filled with some Grapes & Cream with some Dim Sum munchies (traditional Chinese small plates, for example BBQ pork steamed buns, gyoza, soup, and dumplings...oh man!).

In five years, I see myself continuing to grow Squier’s Edibles and pushing the limits with cannabis and food, encouraging people to get cooking and making infused food of their own. Also, I hope to have the opportunity to open another restaurant in the near future; that’s one thing I miss, a place of my own.

Winter Cranberry Spritzer

15mg THC per cocktail

ROSEMARY SIMPLE SYRUP

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

5-6 sprigs fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS 1. Combine sugar, water, and rosemary in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. 2. Strain and let cool. 3. Place cranberry sauce, lime juice, grapefruit juice, and rosemary simple syrup in a shaker with ice and shake for 15 seconds. 4. Strain over ice, top with soda water, and garnish with rosemary and an orange wheel.

BARTENDER’S NOTES: If you don’t have a shaker, this cocktail can be made simply by combining ingredients and stirring till mixed thoroughly. For best results, be sure to use fresh fruit!

CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS WITH SWEET CHILI BUFFALO SAUCE & BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE DIP

100mg THC total

INGREDIENTS 3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, drumettes and flats separated Toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional) Celery sticks (optional) Carrot sticks (optional)

BRINE

8 cups water

½ cup soy sauce or tamari

½ cup kosher salt

1 small nub fresh ginger

3 fresh garlic cloves

6 tablespoons white sugar

RUB

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

BUTTERMILK BLUE CHEESE DIP

1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives (extra for garnish)

1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

SWEET CHILI BUFFALO SAUCE

½ cup Squier’s THC Infused Sweet Chili Sriracha (half bottle)

4 tablespoons cold, UNSALTED butter, cubed (half stick)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients for brine in a mediumsized pot and bring to a simmer. Once a simmer is reached, immediately shut off and allow to cool.

2. Once brine is cooled, add chicken wings to brine and refrigerate for at least eight hours or preferably overnight.

3. Once wings are brined, preheat the oven to 425°.

4. Strain wings, discard garlic and ginger, and pat dry with paper towels

5. In a separate bowl, mix together rub and toss with wings to evenly coat.

6. Line a baking sheet with foil, top that with an oven safe baking/cooling rack, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

7. Place chicken wings on the sheet pan with the baking rack, making sure not to crowd wings.

8. Bake for 50 minutes (size of wings may vary cooking time), flipping wings after 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

9. While wings bake, whisk together ingredients for blue cheese dip in a large mixing bowl, transfer to a small serving bowl, and set aside. To make the buffalo sauce, bring Squier’s Sweet Chili Sriracha to a simmer in a small saucepan.. While the sauce is heating, cut butter into cubes.

10. Once sauce is hot, whisk in cold butter adding gradually until incorporated. Set aside and let cool.

11. When wings are finished, remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with sauce.

12. Transfer wings to desired serving dish (don’t leave any sauce in the bowl!), garnish with chopped chives and toasted sesame seeds, and serve with buttermilk blue cheese dip and carrot and celery sticks. Enjoy!

CHEF’S NOTES: Due to chicken wings varying in size, cooking time and dosage may fluctuate. For dosing, use this simple equation: 100mg ÷ number of wings = mgs per wing. This recipe can easily be doubled, using a whole bottle of Sweet Chili Sriracha. Cook responsibly.