Chicken News
Sweet 'n spicy Memphis-style chicken from Dallas flight attendant takes wing
A new Dallas chicken wing concept is ready for takeoff, which is an especially fun pun since it's being launched by a flight attendant. Called MeMee's Wings, it'll operate out of a ghost kitchen at 921 W. Commerce St., where it'll serve wings, fries, and cute little 4-inch pies.
MeMee's is from Maratrisa Kirby, a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines who is doing the venture with her sisters, Arshadi Brown and Christacie Hart.
Kirby moved to Dallas from Memphis, a city known as the hot wing capital of the world. It's been said that there are more wings sold in Memphis than anywhere else in the U.S.
"In Memphis, there's a chicken spot on every corner," she says.
Tossed in honey and blended with tangy spices, Memphis wings represent a unique formula that she and her sisters have mastered.
"I would cook wings for company potlucks and everyone would give them rave reviews," she says. "People started asking me to do them for functions. It seemed like there was a real market, and that encouraged me to pursue it and see what it would take for me to do this."
She calls MeMee's "Memphis mild" — spicy but not fiery.
"All our wing flavors and sauces are homemade, it's not just half tossing them in honey," she says. "The result is a sweet but tangy taste. You get your sweetness but then you get that hot kick."
There are two ingredients that make a good wing.
"A good wing is the sauce, but also how long you cook them," she says. "You don't want to cook it too long. With customers taking them to go, they're not eating immediately, so it's all about getting them to the right point so that, by that time they get them home, they're still moist."
They offer just a few sides, including fried okra, crinkle-cut French fries with their own seasoning, and a "twice stuffed" potato, which is their spin on the "twice baked" potato.
"We bake it, scoop out the inside and mix it with bacon, cheese, sour cream, and butter, then put it back in and bake it until it's heated," she says.
For dessert, they're parnering with Dallas pie company Sweet Loretta Jo's, who are contributing 4-inch miniature pies in sweet potato and pecan.
They have the ordering website ready, with wings and tenders which can be ordered solo or in combo plates with fries, and are currently waiting for the city of Dallas' beleaguered permitting department to give the thumbs up. "We're ready to roll," Kirby says.
Chef Shirley Chung.Photo by Samantha Marie Photography
Chef Shirley Chung is known as the "Dumpling Queen of Los Angeles."Photo by Samantha Marie Photography