Wings come in three parts, one that looks like a little drumstick ("drumettes"), one that looks like a tiny surfboard ("flats") and that worthless tip - well, if you save enough in your freezer, some day you could use them to make chicken stock.
But then, you might prefer to buy frozen cut-up wings and thaw them in the fridge overnight. (Okay, you might even want to buy Buffalo wings already sauced or breaded but then you wouldn't need QuickEats Plus and I'd hate that.)
The cost of frozen, cut-up wings is usually about the same as “fresh” ones and unless you’re a wannabe-surgeon you’re not really missing anything by avoiding all that chicken surgery. If your market has a top-notch meat department you'll even find some already separated into "drumettes" and "paddles".
And if you're baking them be sure the oven is preheated to, at least, 425F so they're done on time - remember about half-an-hour or less.
Preheat your oven to 500F.
Place the wings in a large bowl, and sprinkle on the five-spice powder cayenne on the wings, add a fewpinches of salt and 15 grinds of black pepper. Rub this mixture completely into all the wings, and washyour hands really well.
Lay the wing pieces on a baking sheet with the meaty side of the wing facing up. Roast about 25 minutes until browned.crispy and cooked through, , about 25 minutes.
4 & 1/2 Sauce Wings
Makes 24In this recipe, the French dressing serves as part of the total sauce, but since it's not really "sauce", we'll give it partial credit. Does that answer your question about the "1/2"?
24 wing sections
1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
1/2 cup butter, divided
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup taco sauce
1/4 cup each barbecue sauce & French dressing
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce
Sprinkle wings with salt and pepper.
In a large skillet over medium heat, combine 2 Tbsp butter and the oil; fry chicken until brown, about 6-8 minutes per side. Place in a greased 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
Combine in a saucepan, all the sauces with the rest of the butter; cook and stir over medium heat until butter is melted and sauce is blended.
Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce over the wings, and bake, uncovered, at 375F for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear. Serve with the remaining sauce.
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Pan-Fried Hoisin-Glazed Wings
Makes 16
Finally! A recipe that uses the Hoisin sauce I bought months ago but still haven’t opened. I’ll bet you’ve got a jar gathering dust on your pantry shelf, too.
8 large wings, separated
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp each oil, soy sauce & dry sherry
3 scallions, sliced
1 llarge clove garlic, minced
1 tsp gtrated ginger root
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
Toss wings with cornstarch, oil, soy and sherry; set aside.
In a small bowl combine scallions, ginger root, garlic.
Heat oil to shimmering, and stir-fry wings about 5 minutes, or until brown all over. Add broth, cover and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
Remove cover, boil away liquid and add scallion/ginger mix; stir for 30 seconds, blend in the Hoisin sauce and serve immediately.
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Cinnamon & Ginger Wings
Serves 4-6
If you have the time – hah! – leave these guys in the fridge a lot longer before cooking; it won’t make a huge difference in the taste but then you can impress your eaters by saying you started making them “hours ago”.
2 & 1/2 lb chicken wing pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup each olive oil, rice vinegar & honey
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 & 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp each fresh ginger, grated & dry mustard
Combine all ingredients in a plastic zipper bag and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Remove wings from bag, place on a hot grill (or under a hot broiler) and cook for 10 minutes on each side, basting with the marinade when you turn them. Done.
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Ranch Wings
Makes 24 double pieces
You know how some wing eaters are only after the drumettes and some the other half. Well, if you don't separate those two parts they just might have to work out a trade with each other. Might be an easy way to bring the group together.
24 chicken wings, tips removed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup Asian hot pepper sauce
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 envelopes ranch dressing mix
1/2 tsp paprika
Heat oven to 425F.
Combine melted butter, pepper sauce and vinegar; dip chicken in it and place the wings in a baking pan.
Sprinkle with one package of the dry ranch mix and bake about 25 minutes or until browned.
Sprinkle with paprika.
Serve with prepared ranch dressing for dipping.
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Double Chile Chicken Wings
Makes 40 pieces
With 2 varieties of chiles in these wings, they’ll stay hot long after they’ve left the fryer.
40 chicken wing sections
canola or peanut oil for frying
1/4 lb unsalted butter
Sauce Ingredients:
1 Tbsp ancho chile powder
2 Tbsp honey
1 & 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp brown mustard
2 Tbsp each chipotle puree & honey
1 tsp kosher salt
Heat up your deep-fryer - What? You don’t have a deep-fryer? Why not, they’re cheap and much easier and safer to use than doing it this way: heat 3 inches of oil in a large skillet to 370 degrees, add the wings and fry. You'll probably have to do it in a couple batches, turning them occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels.
While the wings fry, whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
When you're ready to serve, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the wings, stir ‘em around to cover, and heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Done.
Asian-Mexican Chicken Wings
Makes 36 piecesHoisin, hot and sweet, from Asia and ground ancho peppers, pretty darn hot, from Mexico plus good ol’ Frank’s Red Hot from the U.S., combine to make these wings dramatically different. Have a lot of cold liquid handy when munching these guys.
18 wings, cut into 2 pieces, tips tossed
1 tsp canola oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup tomato paste
2 Tbsp ancho peppers, ground
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp Frank’s Red Hot sauce (or similar)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cracked black pepper
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 425F.
Place wings on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes, then slather them with the hot sauce, and bake for another 10 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink near the bone.
During that first baking, heat the oil in a saucepan until very hot. Add onion and garlic; saute until softened, say, 4 or 5 minutes. Add tomato puree and simmer over low heat for another couple of minutes, then add the rest and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Apply when the wings finish their first term in the oven, finish baking them, then plate and serve.
Buttermilk-Battered Cajun Wings
Makes 12-20 pieces, depending on sizePlease try to use big wings or they'll end up like the shrimp in a Chinese buffet: lots of breading and minimal meat.
1 cup oil for deep frying
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
2 cups flour
1 lb chicken wings
parsley sprigs; for garnish
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a deep fryer or high-sided skillet heat oil to 360 degrees.
In a mixing bowl combine buttermilk, 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning and 1/2 cup flour to make a thick batter.
Season remaining flour with the rest of the Cajun seasoning, and dip wings, one at a time, into batter, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge in seasoned flour. Fry immediately in hot oil, 6 to 8 minutes, moving and turning pieces frequently with long tongs.
Dump onto paper towels in batches unless wings are large in which case use tongs to remve from the oil.
When all are drained, transfer to a baking sheet and bake until really crispy, say, 10 minutes. Done.
Good Garlicky Wings
Serves 6If you really go for garlic these are for you; if you don’t you can cut it back or eliminate garlic altogether, and it’s still a terrific recipe with that Parmesan cheese and crumb coating. The coating over the sauce makes these guys a lot neater to eat, too.
2 lb chicken wings, separated and tips removed
3 tsp minced garlic
1 cup olive oil plus 1 Tbsp
2 tsp red pepper sauce
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 400F.
Rinse chicken and pat dry.
Combine the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
Combine the garlic, 1 cup of the oil, and red pepper sauce in another bowl and set aside. Next, put the wings into a large zipper plastic bag, and pour in the oil/garlic mix to coat them.
Remove the wings and roll them in the crumb mixture until they’re all evenly coated. Place wings in a single layer on an oiled non-stick baking pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until wings are crisp.
Sure, a lot of these are really hot, and not just temperature-wise. But you’ll also find gentle, tasty ones like “Honey Lime” or “Crispy” Chicken Wings; they're hot, too, but just in temperature. There’s even one here for wings done in a crockpot!
