Zesty Italian Wings

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I use a mix of oregano, rosemary, parsley)
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, for the marinade
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 1/2 cups cold water
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, for the brine
• 2 pounds chicken wings, cut in half at the joint
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce, or more to taste (we like Cholula)

1. For the marinade, heat the oil and garlic until warm. Add herbs, crushed red pepper, lemon juice and salt. Mix. Set aside. You'll want to reserve 2 tablespoons of this mixture later. Don't forget!
2. In a pot big enough to hold the chicken wings, mix the hot water and honey until dissolved. Add the cold water and salt and stir until most of the salt has dissolved. Add the chicken wings and brine for 30 minutes, in or out of the fridge.
3. Remove wings from brine and place on a cooling rack set over a sheet pan. Let wings dry thoroughly, patting with paper towels if necessary.
4. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade for later and pour the rest in a gallon-sized zipper freezer bag. Add the wings. Seal the bag tightly. Gently massage and mush the marinade around all the wings. Place bag in fridge for several hours, or overnight. If you're at the fridge now and then, turn the bag, and give it another massage.
5. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove bag of wings from fridge while oven is preheating.
6. Lightly spray a cooling rack with cooking spray and place onto a heavy-duty-foil lined sheet pan. Place wings in a single layer onto the rack. Roast wings for 30 to 40 minutes, or until nicely browned and crisp, turning wings and rotating pan every 10 minutes or so. If necessary, broil wings with the oven door ajar for a minute or two to crisp the skin. Watch them carefully, or you'll have zesty burnt wings for dinner.
7. Mix together the reserved marinade, melted butter and hot sauce. Place hot wings in a large serving bowl and toss with butter mixture.
8. Dig in!

olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, red pepper, lemon, kosher salt, water, honey, cold water, kosher salt, chicken, unsalted butter, cholula

Taken from food52.com/recipes/6850-zesty-italian-wings (may not work)