Friday Night Chicken Wings

I don't mind admitting I was a little nervous announcing to my foodie friends that I had started a blog. Some of them are regular bloggers with witty and informative sites and, perhaps understandably, I was a little worried my fledgling attempt wouldn't quite pass muster. So it was with a happy heart that I read the first friendly and encouraging comments - my thanks to all of you! - and now feel somewhat reassured that I'm not making a complete hash of it. So I'll continue with my foodie tales in the hope you will find them interesting enough to keep on dropping by.

Sometimes nothing else will do than some deeply-satisfying finger-licking food! I must admit, however, that this is a relatively new departure for us as I'd always had the idea of it being somehow cheap and trashy ... images of Kentucky Fried Chicken or other similar fast-food chains springing to mind here. However, it came about, when some foodie forum friends started raving about wonderfully gooey chicken wings that really hit the spot, that I decided there and then I needed to investigate this seemingly serious omission in my culinary repertoire.

Like many a home cook in need of a recipe, I googled "chicken wings" and got loads of sites offering quite different versions of this apparently internationally-loved treat. Following no special criteria, except perhaps that no impossible-to-find ingredients should be called for, I decided for Ainsley Harriott's Finger-Licking Chicken Wings recipe that I found on the UKTV Food site. The very first time I made these I was a little nervous about how they would be received by Mr. P, never having served up such a thing before. I shouldn't have been apprehensive as it turns out because he loved them. So when I suggested we have them for dinner last night this was met with very definite approval. Yes, I know this is considered an appetiser stateside, perhaps to be enjoyed at a Superbowl party, but we have them for dinner and they would be great for a buffet style party too!

What I like about this recipe is that no marinading is necessary, also the wings are baked rather than fried as in some versions I've seen, so quite healthy. The wings are dusted with seasoned flour, I shake everything up a small plastic bag to do this, and then brushed all over with a sauce. This sauce is made in a pan by sauteing finely chopped onion and crushed garlic in a little oil until softened, then the honey, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and Tabasco are stirred in and it all gets simmered gently for a minute or two. I usually make the sauce way in advance because I find it easier to brush it over the wings when it's cold. To avoid ending up with a hard-to-clean baking sheet, I use a Bake-O-Glide to line it, maybe known as a Sil-Pat to some of you, place the sauced chicken wings spaced out a little on top and bake them for about 30 minutes until well-browned and cooked through. Easy peasy!

Well, what can I say except these were as wonderfully delicious as always. Deeply flavoursome and fantastically gooey ... quite literally finger-licking good! I use organic chicken wings that are quite large and so four a piece is a satisfying portion with something served on the side. I can't buy these by the kilo, that's only possible if I go for battery chicken, which is not an option for me. So every time I buy a whole organic chicken I get the butcher to portion it for me and "save" the wings in the freezer until I have enough. Well worth waiting for if you ask me!