Saturday Night Wings

I love chicken wings. But I do not like going out for wings, paying at least $12 for a plate of them, and finding only 12 wings (or fewer) on the plate with two dry sticks each of celery and carrot, likely chopped sometime yesterday. Sometimes the proportion of sauce to wing is not right, the wings are not crisp, or something else taints the experience.

My solution? Wings at home. Crisp, excellent wings are totally attainable, with only the basic kitchen tools you already have.

Recipe: Saturday Night Wings

Pre-heat the oven to 210ºC (410ºF)

Ingredients:
2.3 kg split chicken wings (about 5 lbs)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder

Method:
> put all ingredients into a bowl and toss until the chicken is fully coated
> now that the oven is pre-heated, turn the oven to broil on high with the rack just above the half way point in the oven
> dump all the chicken wings onto a cookie sheet (that has raised sides)
> broil for 20 minutes
> remove and flip; broil another 15 minutes

> once out of the oven, if you are coating in a sauce, add the sauce to a bowl (about 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup sauce per pound of meat or 1/2 cup per kilo of meat), and toss the wings before serving

Sauce Ideas:
- teriyaki = 1 tbsp soya sauce, 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground garlic
- Frank's BBQ mixed with a little hot sauce
- any hot sauce
- the Mexican = 1 tsp chilli powder, cumin, garlic, pepper, plus the juice of a lime
- steak sauce or BBQ sauce
- pesto
- toss the wings in mustard or salad dressing about 5-10 minutes before they are "done" (add an extra 5 minutes to your cook time)
- any salad dressing or marinade
- curry powder or curry paste (with a little oil)
- the Mediterranean = 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp capers, 1 tsp oregano

We usually eat our wings with an over-sized plater of veggies and a couple of dip options. This time, we had the thai inspired peanut dip, also found here and a goat cheese curry dip my husband made up on the fly.

Recipe: Goat Cheese Curry Dip

Ingredients:
454 g soft goat cheese (or cream cheese)
1/2 cup pineapple juice (plus some crushed pineapple)
1 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Method:
> mix it all together
> eat with veggies or wings (or chips!)

YUM!!