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5 pounds chicken wings, separated at joints, wing tips reserved for another purpose
1 3/4 cups lime juice
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons Emeril’s Original Essence
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons lime zest

1. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon re-sealable plastic food storage bag. In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups of the lime juice, the buttermilk, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the crushed red pepper and the kosher salt.
2. Mix well to combine and pour over the chicken in the bag.
3. Seal the bag and refrigerate over night, or at least 12 hours, turning the bag occasionally to ensure even marinating.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
5. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and transfer to a colander to drain. Discard plastic bag.
6. Set chicken pieces aside until ready to fry.
7. Preheat the fryer to 325°F.
8. Place the flour and Essence in a 1-gallon re-sealable plastic food storage bag and place the chicken, eight pieces at a time, in the flour and shake to coat.
9. Lay the coated chicken on a wire rack set over a sheet pan to rest for 20 minutes before frying.
10. Continue with the remaining chicken pieces until all of the chicken has been coated.
11. Fry the chicken in batches of 12 pieces.
12. The chicken should fry until they float on the surface of the oil and are golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes.
13. Place the fried chicken on a paper-lined sheet pan and place in the oven to keep warm as you fry the rest of the chicken.
14. Once all the chicken is fried, place the honey, lime zest, remaining 1/4 cup of lime juice and the remaining 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes in a small bowl and mix to combine.
15. Serve the wings hot or warm, with the dipping sauce on the side.