They're a Super Bowl party staple, but not all chicken wings are created equal according to Avery Ellis.
He says with an open mind and a little ingenuity, the popular snack can be the star of the show Feb. 9 when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.
"You can bake or fry your wings, but personally I like to fry mine so they have some crunch to them," said the veteran CFL defensive lineman. "People tend to eat with their eyes first so if you see a nice crunchy, saucy wing, it gives you texture, it gives you flavour, it gives you colour."
When Ellis isn't pursuing CFL quarterbacks, he's often in the kitchen. The 30-year-old American is also a private chef who prepares dinner parties for teammates, clients and supper clubs in addition to posting dishes on Instagram (averyellis52).
When it comes to wings, Ellis cooks the meat first in either vegetable or peanut oil "because of the high smoke point and they give the chicken a better crisp."
"I keep it simple. I season the wing, I season the flour and I fry it," said the six-foot-two, 250-pound Ellis, who had 17 tackles, five special-teams tackles and two sacks last season with the Montreal Alouettes. "I don't do an egg wash or buttermilk wash because I feel like once the flour sticks to the chicken and fries, you have nice texture.
"Any time you have a buttermilk or egg wash and toss the wing in sauce, the batter can fall off."
Ellis does his sauces afterwards, often preparing multiple ones for variety. Buffalo sauce is a popular choice for wings but Ellis has a quick, tasty alternative.
"One I love to do is take a traditional duck sauce that you might find at an Asian restaurant or store and mix it with sriracha (a hot sauce)," Ellis said. "It gives you a sweet and spicy sauce.
"You should be careful because one can be more overpowering than the other so I'd say start slow with mixing them and find the perfect ratio. Personally, I like mine 75 per cent duck sauce, 25 per cent sriracha . . . but it's really up to you."
Ellis began seriously cooking at Temple University but developed his passion for food much earlier.
"Growing up, I never had control of the (TV) remote whether it was because of my parents or cousins," he said. "Ironically enough, they'd all leave the channel on Food Network so I'd always watch Bobby Flay and different chefs.
"It got to where my mom would be at work and I'd get hungry. I don't like eating the same thing over and over so at some point you get tired of eating pizza rolls and want to start creating other things."
At Temple, Ellis cooked for roommates. In the CFL, he hosts teammates to build camaraderie.
"I started getting so many compliments that, 'You should do something with this. You should sell plates,'" Ellis said. "I never gave it much thought but the more encouragement you get the more motivated you become so I started to dive into it a bit more and make videos and see if a larger crowd would like it.
"It seems to be working so far."
Ellis has also volunteered in restaurant kitchens. He's not only seen how other chefs work but also learned valuable lessons, like using a meat thermometer correctly.
"I learned that the hard way," Ellis said. "My first time volunteering I was on meat duty and I know to measure (temperature) at the thickest part however I was moving so fast that I measured at the thigh or something and it seemed done, the outside was done.
"But once the head chef cut into it, he looked at me and I felt I was back on the football field messing up a play. I always travel with one if I'm going to make something to check the temp and make sure it's proper."
With seven CFL seasons — and a '23 Grey Cup title with Montreal — under his belt, the pending free agent believes he's just hitting his stride on the football field.
But when he's finished playing, Ellis would like to make cooking his full-time vocation much like Grammy Award-winning chef/restaurateur Alexander Smalls and former NFL players Eddie Jackson (Food Network) and Tobias Dorzon (ESPN's Time Out with Tobias).
"For the longest time I took this as something I enjoyed but never wanted to make a business of because I don't want it to take away the joy," he said. "It can definitely be overwhelming sometimes but I still love the process.
"I was always a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and Stanley Tucci and watching them go to different places, try different foods and collaborate with different chefs. That's always been inspiring to me and something I could see myself doing in the future."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
