This roasting technique (oven roasting), which has numerous variations, eliminates the oils and is nearly ideal.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of chicken wings, cleaned, dried, divided into three pieces, with the wing tips kept for stock.
- 1/4 cup of a mild spicy sauce, such as Louisiana, Frank’s RedHot, Crystal, or Cholula.
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic.
- Sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons.
- Vegetable oil of a high quality, two tablespoons.
- 4 tablespoons of melted butter.
- Pepper and salt.
- one cup of blue cheese dressing
Method
1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Combine the hot sauce, butter, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl.
2. Place the chicken wings in a large roasting pan, drizzle with oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then spread the wings out in a single layer. (Don’t worry if they’re a little crowded; they’ll shrink.) Roast the wings for 30 minutes, or until the bottom of the pan is coated with fat and the wings begin to brown. Use a spoon to baste the wings with the drippings, then carefully pour or spoon the fat out of the pan. If the wings are still sticking to the bottom of the pan, return them to the oven for another 5 minutes.
3. Turn the wings over, baste again, then carefully spoon out any remaining fat. Return the wings to the oven until nicely browned, another 20 minutes or so (again, they’ll release easily from the pan when they’re ready).
4. Raise the oven temperature to 450°F. Carefully pour off any accumulated fat, then drizzle the wings with the hot sauce mixture and toss to coat. Spread them back out into a single layer and return them to the oven. Roast, tossing once or twice, until crisp all over, about 10 minutes more. Serve hot or at room temperature, with the celery and blue cheese dressing for dipping if you like.
Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
Omit the hot sauce, vinegar, and garlic; combine the butter with ¼ cup Dijon mustard and 2 tablespoons honey. Proceed with the recipe, using this sauce to coat the wings in Step 4. Serve with lemon wedges.
Grilled Wings
Cook the wings on the cool side of the grill for about 20 minutes, or until crisp and just cooked through. Remove the wings from the grill and toss them in a large mixing bowl with the sauce until evenly coated. Return them to the grill over direct heat for a final browning and crisping.