By Liane Arno
MANY of us at one time or another have been to “the local” for a meal. Other than the traditional parma, it seems we, for our culinary sins, have also embraced an American favourite – buffalo wings.
They seem to be offered in various states, but generally are spicy, battered and deep fried.
Well, like all good things from America (let us not go there!!!) it is time for a change, with an Asian slant to chicken wings.
Though very time consuming, I like to smoke the wings after marinating in a blend of soy, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, mustard and ginger – add a little chilli for zing, if that’s your thing.
MANY of us at one time or another have been to “the local” for a meal. Other than the traditional parma, it seems we, for our culinary sins, have also embraced an American favourite – buffalo wings.
They seem to be offered in various states, but generally are spicy, battered and deep fried.
Well, like all good things from America (let us not go there!!!) it is time for a change, with an Asian slant to chicken wings.
Though very time consuming, I like to smoke the wings after marinating in a blend of soy, sweet chilli sauce, garlic, mustard and ginger – add a little chilli for zing, if that’s your thing.
Firstly, not everyone has a smoker – fine, it can be achieved in your BBQ. If you don’t have a BBQ (really?) then the smoking concept is clearly not for you, but the good news is that with this dish you don’t need a smoker to achieve an unbelievably wonderful eating experience.
Whatever your choice, it is recommended that you cut up the whole chicken wings before cooking, because the three parts are not even for the best cooking results. Incidentally, these parts are called drumlettes, wingettes (or the flat) and the tips (or flappers) – something to drop in a conversation with friends at a summer barbie!
For this recipe, for simplicity, we will assume oven cooking. Buy a kilo of wings and cut them into the three parts with a sharp and sturdy knife. Cutting is easier if you bend each joint to identify the join, then cut there. Now, discard the tips – feed them to your dog or cat or the local raven population, or boil with various herbs to make a chicken stock. I like to marinade the remaining two parts overnight – marinade of your choice, or use the one I have suggested for that Asian taste.
Place the pieces on a rack above a baking tray with a little water. If possible, use two smaller racks, one for the drumlettes and one for the wingettes. If not, keep them separate on the one rack. Cook in a slow oven at 1500C – winglettes for 1 to 1.5 hours and drumlettes for 2 hours. The wings are cooked when they can be easily pulled off the bone. Given the variance of chicken wing sizes, start testing after about an hour.
While they are cooking, it’s time to make the fail-safe sauce, that everyone will love.
Combine 3 tbsp of sweet orange marmalade, 1-2 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, a diced clove of garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce and a tbsp of sambal/ one red chilli to taste.
Simmer on medium to high for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Turn off the heat and set aside. This should make enough for the kilo of wings, but personally I double the recipe – if there is any leftover sauce, it can be used on other chicken or pork dishes.
Once the wings are done, plate them, pour over an overly generous portion of sauce and garnish with any green herb.
Enjoy!
Whatever your choice, it is recommended that you cut up the whole chicken wings before cooking, because the three parts are not even for the best cooking results. Incidentally, these parts are called drumlettes, wingettes (or the flat) and the tips (or flappers) – something to drop in a conversation with friends at a summer barbie!
For this recipe, for simplicity, we will assume oven cooking. Buy a kilo of wings and cut them into the three parts with a sharp and sturdy knife. Cutting is easier if you bend each joint to identify the join, then cut there. Now, discard the tips – feed them to your dog or cat or the local raven population, or boil with various herbs to make a chicken stock. I like to marinade the remaining two parts overnight – marinade of your choice, or use the one I have suggested for that Asian taste.
Place the pieces on a rack above a baking tray with a little water. If possible, use two smaller racks, one for the drumlettes and one for the wingettes. If not, keep them separate on the one rack. Cook in a slow oven at 1500C – winglettes for 1 to 1.5 hours and drumlettes for 2 hours. The wings are cooked when they can be easily pulled off the bone. Given the variance of chicken wing sizes, start testing after about an hour.
While they are cooking, it’s time to make the fail-safe sauce, that everyone will love.
Combine 3 tbsp of sweet orange marmalade, 1-2 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar, a diced clove of garlic, 1 tbsp soy sauce and a tbsp of sambal/ one red chilli to taste.
Simmer on medium to high for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Turn off the heat and set aside. This should make enough for the kilo of wings, but personally I double the recipe – if there is any leftover sauce, it can be used on other chicken or pork dishes.
Once the wings are done, plate them, pour over an overly generous portion of sauce and garnish with any green herb.
Enjoy!