Crispy Wings from the Oven

I have absolutely nothing against deep frying. Big fan. But I am sympathetic to the reasons why you may not want to use that method all the time. Whether it be for health, clean-up, or general safety. At the same time I think we can all appreciate that deep frying adds a crispiness factor to food that is irresistible. The good news is that when it comes to chicken wings at least, there's a pretty good hack. To that end this isn't a full recipe insomuch as it is a post about a great technique which is using baking powder to crisp up your chicken wings in the oven. Once you've got them up to crispy perfection you can apply any sauce you fancy and take them in a million different directions depending on the occasion or your preference. Last bit here - do not mess up and use baking soda by mistake. That is going to end badly.

Gather the Good Stuff

1. Wings - however many you need. This recipe is for about 20 wings. If you are making a lot more, you'll need to increase the dry rub by a similar amount.

2. 2 Tbsp baking powder

3. 1 Tbsp black pepper

4. 1 Tbsp salt

5. 1 tsp granulated garlic

6. 1 tsp paprika

Putting it Together

1. Lay your wings out on a flat surface and pat well to dry. The more moisture you remove, the crispier they will ultimately be

2. Sprinkle generously with salt and allow to stand for 10 minutes to draw out the moisture from the skin. Pat dry again

3. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 130C

4. Line your baking tray with tin foil and insert rack (If you don't have a baking pan with a rack that's ok, but you may want to flip the wings half way through the process)

5. Put your wings and your dry rub into a mixing bowl and toss until well and evenly coated

6. Place wings on baking tray rack spaced out evenly

7. When hot place into the oven and cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes crank the heat up to 230C and cook for another 15-20 minutes

8. Once they are done they should be very brown and crispy and ready to be dressed with whatever sauce you're feeling at the moment. I went for a smokey chipotle / plain / buffalo hot

9. Dress em'up!

Comments

Chicken Paprikesh

One thing we all appreciate about chicken is how nicely it can be transformed into something awesome and in pretty short order. This dish certainly fits that bill. It won't take you much more than 25 minutes to prepare and I'm confident how pleasantly surprised you'll be with the work / reward ratio of this dish. Key things to focus on are using a good smokey paprika and making sure you take the time to brown the onions well.

Gather the good stuff:1 Tbsp butter or better Chicken legs and thighs. Enough to fill a big pan. 2 or 3 Yellow onions - sliced. 1 Tbs of paprika. I use smoked but you can use regular paprika as well 1 cup chicken broth at room temperature1/2 cup sour cream Putting this together Cut your chicken into thighs and drumsticks. Pat dry and salt well. Meanwhile slice your onions and set aside. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a heavy pan on medium high heat . Fry chicken skin side down for 5 minutes or until skin easily lifts off the pan. Flip chicken and fry for another 3…

Loco Moco

The first time I had this I was on the big island of Hawaii and I had never heard of it before my now wife and I walked into a small diner in some tiny town that I can’t even remember the name of. I do remember that we had both had too much wine the night before and this particular menu item jumped right out at me as something that might help with that. I’ve since learned that this is the quintessential Hawaiian comfort food and if you decide to make it, you’ll appreciate why.
Key things to look out for: How you season the patty is going to greatly colour the dish. I like Cajun spices but you do you Don’t wipe out the pan in between the patties and the gravy. The fondant is exactly what you’re after when making a good gravy

Gather the good StuffPatties
Ground beef - enough for a few small patties. Probably about 400g or so. I like them on the thinner side but you do you Cajun seasoning to taste Garlic salt to taste Black pepper to taste 1 egg Gravy 1.5 cups beef broth 2 tbsp soy sauce …

Butterbean Chicken Traybake

The beauty of a chicken traybake is in the versatility. You can substitute the veggies and spices to basically whatever you like and still end up with a really satisfying meal. One of my favourite combinations is to use carrots, spinach and butterbeans. It uses a chorizo / paprika mix as it's base but you'll do just as well here if you vary that up and try other combinations.
Gather the Good Stuff:Chicken - Basically however much you need to feed your guests / family but please, use thighs and legs. If you use breasts, they almost certainly will get dried out and tough. Pat them dry with the skin on and apply a generous dose of salt & pepper. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before you start cooking 4-5 carrots - peeled and cut into bite size rounds 2 x 400g cans of butterbeans - rinsed 300g spinach - washed and shredded 1 or 2 chorizo sausages - diced into small chunks1 large onion or 1 leek2 tsp smoked paprika 2-3 cloves garlic 300ml chicken broth 1/2 cup white wine or b…

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