Okay, I'm the first one to admit that I've never been a fan of chicken wings. Most of the time, I just give them to the cats. I've tried them many ways, including soaked in some sort of sauce. I've never liked the texture of the skin, all the fat and grease, nor the overwhelming amount of sauce. There never seems to be a lot of flavor I like, either.
Recently, however, there's been a big change in the chicken wing attitude around here!!! Something I do like is very crispy skin on chicken and I much prefer baking or other means of preparing over frying. I fix a lot of baked and smoked chicken here....both are favorites.
I've found a little secret to preparing the most awesome chicken wings...ever!! So much so, I've been buying this bargain cut of chicken by the 4 pound bag!! It's simply become my favorite chicken meal and the flavor, texture and fat content is perfect, while the meat is juicy and delightful! Best of all, they are so easy to prepare!!! Perfect chicken wings is more a matter of simple preparation and cooking in a slightly different way than usual.
I'm going to share this great recipe with you, but remind you that following the instructions is absolutely essential to ending up with the best wings ever! Here we go!
INGREDIENTS
10 -12 Chicken Wings
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Dipping Sauce of your Choice (Optional)
PREPARATION
Make sure the wings are completely thawed if they've been frozen. Rinse them in plain water and let them rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 F degrees. Place a baking rack in a deep tray or dish so the wings are evenly heated and there is room for fat to drip without the wings being marinated in the removed fat.
The following is an IMPORTANT step! Place the chicken wings in a bowl and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of baking powder....NOT baking SODA!!! over the wings. Then, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the wings. This is about the right about for 10 -12 average chicken wings. Now, dive right in with your hands and mix the wings, baking powder and salt together so all are well mixed and the wings have all been in contact with the added ingredients. The baking powder and salt aren't meant to coat the chicken...just merely contact the skin. Take your time and make sure this step is done well.
Place the chicken wings onto the baking rack, allowing some space between them. Put the pan into the preheated oven.
COOKING
Allow the chicken wings to cook in the 250 F degree oven for 30 minutes. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT STEP! This step will not cook the wings, but will heat the fat in the wings, allowing it to melt and be removed from the wings. It will also allow the baking powder and salt to work on the chicken skin.
At the end of the 30 minutes, increase the temperature of the oven to 425 F degrees and cook the wings for another 40 minutes. At the end of the first 20 minutes, I suggest flipping the wings over in the baking pan, allowing for them to be more crispy in the end.
At the end of the 40 minute cook cycle, remove the wings from the oven and allow them to rest 5 minutes before serving. You will note that the skin on the wings is tight and crispy brown, while the wings are still juicy. There will be no rubbery chicken skin and fat on the finished wings.
Personally, I love them served just this way...right out of the oven! I've also found that they are great with a good barbecue sauce served as a dipping sauce. My Sweet and Sour Pineapple sauce is also a great dipping sauce. You'll find the recipe on my blog. You may also have your own favorite dipping sauce and I'm sure most any sauce would be delicious!
I really can't recommend this recipe enough! I hope you will give it a try! If you enjoy it, feel free to share with friends and family and let others know about your experience. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me at: stan.kain@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment