CHICKEN WINGS GALORE

I love chicken wings!  And I love dipping them in a sauce and getting messy fingers eating them.  Here's three of my favorite wing sauces..... all can be prepared ahead and then re-heated before serving.  Serve them on the side if using more than one, or put wings in a bowl and toss with the sauce of your choice.

A large pack of winge (4-5 pounds) will serve 2-3 people as a meal or 6-8 as an appetizer.  Remove the short tip and discard.  You can cut the remaining parts in half or leave them jointed - your preference.

The wings need to be fully cooked, of course.  They can be fried, battered and fried, baked in the oven or grilled.  My preference is grilling - far less greasy.  I wash them thoroughly under running water and spread them out on paper towels and pat dry.  Then I place them in a large metal bowl and lightly sprinkle them with Stubb's Rub for Chicken, but any poultry seasoning will work.... or NO seasoning other than salt and pepper will also work.  If you season them, tumble them around in the bowl to spread the seasoning evenly.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Allow an hour to cook the wings, no matter the method you choose.  Keep the wings warm in a low (200°) oven until ready to serve. Note:  Try NOT to have to keep the wings in the oven for too long.  All of this is best right after it's cooked.

I always serve wings with celery sticks, and with Ranch and/or Blue Cheese dressing as a dip on the side.  For a meal, I always serve rice and cole slaw.

BUFFALO WINGS

INGREDIENTS: 

1-  12 oz.      bottle Frank’s Original Hot Sauce

2-3 TBSP     Old Bay Seasoning (more=hotter)

1 stk            Margarine (not butter)

2 TBSP         Rice wine vinegar

2 TBSP         Fresh lemon juice

Combine first four ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce to a simmer for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice; stir to blend and serve.  Toss with wings and serve.

SWEET AND SOUR WINGS

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 TBSP    Oil

1 TBSP      Butter

1 TBSP      Fresh ginger, minced

1 TBSP      Garlic, minced

3/4 C         Rice wine vinegar

1/4 C         Soy Sauce

3/4 C         Brown sugar

1/2 C         Pineapple juice

1/2 C         Catsup

Heat oil and butter in a wok.  Add ginger and garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.  Toss with wings and serve.

TERIYAKI WINGS

INGREDIENTS:

4 TBSP      Teriyaki sauce

6 oz.         Honey

2 TBSP      Rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp.      Ground ginger (or 1 tsp. grated FRESH ginger)

       

Mix ingredients and STIR until totally mixed and honey is dissolved.  Heat by microwaving in 10 SECOND bursts. Toss with wings and serve.

CHICKEN SOUP

SERVES: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

1                 Fryer, 3-4 pounds ***

                  Water to cover chicken

1-2 sprigs   Fresh thyme

4 stalks      Celery, leaves too – cut into 2” lengths

6 cloves      Fresh garlic, peeled and mashed
2 TBSP       Whole peppercorns

1                Bay leaf 

4-5            Carrots – peeled and sliced chunky

2 tsp.          Cayenne pepper flakes or 2-3 shakes of ground cayenne

1                 Onion – chopped

12                Mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

3 stalks      Celery, sliced on the diagonal

2 TBSP        Butter

1 C            Baby June peas - frozen (optional)

8 oz. bag    WIDE Egg noodles

                 Salt

                 Fresh ground pepper   

DIRECTIONS:

Cut chicken into quarters; combine chicken and cover with water.  Add next 5 ingredients in a large pot and add water to cover chicken by about an inch.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer about 60 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a plate to cool; remove and discard skin; remove meat from bones and pull/cut into chunks.

Strain stock to remove all the veggies; discard veggies.  Add water [or purchased chicken stock] to the chicken broth to make 10 cups of liquid.  Add back into the pot.  Add chicken and cayenne pepper flakes. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer and cover.  Meanwhile.....

In a separate pan or wok, melt butter and sauté mushrooms, onion and celery 4-5 minutes.  Add these to pot.  Bring contents of the pot back to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer 15-30 minutes.

Cut carrots into inch lengths and then split the large end one in half down the middle.  Add carrots to the pot and return to simmer.  After 7-8 minutes, add noodles to the pot.  Cook for about 7-8 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat and let soup rest about 15-20 minutes before serving. (This gives the noodles time to soak up the yummy broth.) Check to see if carrots and noodles are done.  If not, bring back to a boil and cook 2-4 minutes.  Check for salt, pepper and cayenne and add more of these to taste.

Note:  Chicken can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated.  Stock should be refrigerated until ready to use.  Skim solid fat from stock. 

Add the remaining chicken carcass to a pot with the drippings, celery leaves, salt and pepper.  Add water to cover and simmer for about an hour until the meat is falling off the bone. No need to add thyme or garlic, as that’s already in the stock from the baked chicken.

Remove from heat and fish out the chicken/bones and spread on a platter.  Strain the pot liquid and toss the celery leaves and other herb.  Return the liquid to the pot.  Pick the chicken from the bones and add to the pot.

***ALTERNATES:

First – bake a chicken with my recipe below and enjoy a meal for two.  Then follow the direction at this link for the best chicken stock you'll ever use!

http://firebird-cooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/baked-chicken.html

***MORE ALTERNATES:

Replace noodles with 1 C rice (18 minutes-to-cook kind) – after 5 minutes, add carrots and continue as directed above.

or

Replace noodles with 3-4 russet potatoes, cut into large cubes – add carrots and cook for 5 minutes, then add potatoes and cook about 10 minutes; continue as directed above.  Do NOT overcook the potatoes.

or

Replace noodles with Anne’s Frozen dumplings.  Work backwards for cooking times to determine when to add veggies.

Approximate cooking times for veggies:

       

        Noodles – 7-8 minutes

        Carrots – 8-14 minutes

        Peas – 5 minutes

Potatoes – 8-10 minutes

        Rice – 18 minutes