Archive for the ‘wings’ Category

HONEY GLAZED CHICKEN WINGS

Posted: February 17, 2013 in chicken, Recipes, wings
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I can’t get enough of chicken, and I cook it at least a couple of times a week. So I have to keep coming up with new flavors to challenge my tastebuds as well as myself. Previous posts have included Cantonese Chicken (https://livethelive.com/2013/01/11/cantonese-chicken/), Asian-style chicken wings (https://livethelive.com/2012/11/01/asian-style-chicken-wings/), and oven fried chicken wings (https://livethelive.com/2012/12/05/oven-fried-chicken-wings/).

This time around, it’s a honey glaze with hints of ginger that couldn’t be simpler. Feel free to use any chicken parts you like. Even a whole roasted chicken would work with this recipe. And choosing the right bird, a pasture-raised chicken like the ones I get from my friends at FireFly Farms in Stonington, CT (http://www.facebook.com/pages/FireFly-Farms/242699329121278) makes all the difference.

honey glazed chicken

 

Ingredients

 

4 lbs chicken wings

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce, like Frank’s Red Hot

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1/4 cup onion, minced

1 Tablespoon garlic, minced

1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

 

Thaw chicken wings and place in a Ziploc bag.

In a separate bowl, whisk together all the other ingredients, except chicken stock, to make a marinade. Pour this marinade into the Ziploc with the chicken and seal, squeezing the air out of the bag. Squish the bag around so that the marinade thoroughly covers all of the chicken wings. Place the bag in the fridge to marinate for about 4 hours, squishing it around every hour.

Preheat the oven to 325.

Carefully pour out the marinade into a saucepan, adding the chicken stock, and reduce until it becomes a thick, gooey glaze. Be careful not to burn the sugars in the honey. Honey can also foam up and overflow if you’re not watching it.

Remove the chicken pieces from the bag and place them on a baking sheet covered with non-stick aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes.

The reduced marinade glaze should be ready right around the time the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes or so. Brush the glaze on to the chicken, and place back in the oven to cook 15 more minutes.

 

I love fried chicken. And despite what most people think, fried food is really not that bad for you if you fry it properly. Use clean oil every time, and get the oil to the right temperature: two key factors that will result in crispy chicken that isn’t bogged down with grease. But frying also means you have to stand over the chicken and watch it all the time…especially a pain in the butt if you’ve got guests and you’re making a lot of chicken! What makes this recipe great is that you get all the benefits of a crispy fried chicken without all the grease and without standing watch over it the whole time.

You can use chicken wings or any chicken parts for this recipe. Either way, I fry the chicken until it just turns golden brown and then bake it in the oven.

Ingredients:

10 lbs large chicken wings or chicken pieces

Vegetable oil, for frying

For soaking:

1 quart buttermilk

2 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot, or other hot sauce

For the seasoned flour:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

Open the bottle or carton of buttermilk and add 2 teaspoons of hot sauce. Close container and shake to combine. Place chicken pieces in a bowl and cover with buttermilk, letting the chicken soak in it for at least several hours or overnight.

Chicken soaking in buttermilk/hot sauce mixture overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all purpose and whole wheat flours in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder, basil and oregano. Mix well.

After chicken has soaked in the buttermilk, remove the pieces one at a time, leaving the buttermilk on them as you toss the pieces into the seasoned flour. Set pieces aside on a metal baking rack placed on a sheet pan.

Pour the vegetable oil into a large heavy-bottomed stock pot to a depth of 1-inch. Heat the oil to 360 degrees on a thermometer.

From the buttermilk, to the breadcrumb mixture, to the oil.

From the buttermilk, to the breadcrumb mixture, to the oil.

Working in batches, place the chicken pieces in the oil, being careful not to overcrowd them. Fry the chicken until it is golden brown on both sides, then place each piece back on the metal baking rack set on the sheet pan.

Once all the chicken has been fried, place the sheet pan in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until fully cooked and crispy.

fried chix

Feast!

When you’ve had enough of Buffalo wings, try this Asian version. They are easy to make, and taste awesome. A nice change of pace from your usual wings. This recipe works well with larger chicken pieces, too.
Asian style chicken wings
10 lbs chicken wings, the larger the better
2 cups soy sauce
1 small can (6 oz) pineapple juice
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon powdered onion
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice
a squirt of sesame oil
Salt and pepper
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag, shake to mix, and then add the chicken. Marinate in the fridge overnight, turning the bag once in a while to make sure everything gets an even coating of the marinade.
The next day, pour off the marinade and discard, remove chicken wings from the bag, place on a cookie sheet lined with foil, and bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes, until sizzling and done.