THURSDAY
Honey, Garlic & Lemon Baked Chicken Wings | Radicchio Salad with Manchego Vinaigrette
Yes, I know…another chicken wing recipe. But, are there, really, ever too many chicken wings recipes? Obviously, I don’t believe so. These little pieces of poultry perfection {tender meat, skin that crisps when cooked, a diminutive size that makes eating with your fingers not only acceptable but, quite practically, a necessity} that have such a simple flavor, which intensifies when roasted to golden brown all on their own, but also serves as the perfect canvas when painted with a flavorful marinade and/or sauce. They cook up fairly quickly, with very little fussing, and which, when paired with a salad {like tonight}, make for an ideal weeknight dinner. Leftover prepared chicken wings usually taste just as good {if not better} served at room temperature or even cold, making them ideal for school lunches, after-school snacks, picnics, as well as a great party hors d’oeuvre. Basically, you need to add chicken wings to your dinner repertoire and here’s how…
Tonight’s wings join this tasty collection here at The Dinner Concierge:
- Buffalo~Style Chicken Wings with Homemade Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
- Sticky Baked Chicken Wings with Pomegranate Molasses
- Sticky Miso~Glazed Chicken Wings
- Grilled Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wings
- Baked Chicken Wings with Katsu Sauce
And, like the other recipes, do not require frying to get a nice, crispy finish to their skin. A simple marinade, heavy on the garlic…
Gets a fresh, slightly sweet, twist when paired with olive oil, bright lemon and raw honey…
The marinade {which later becomes a basting sauce for the roasting chicken} comes together quickly and then the wings are added and tucked into the refrigerator overnight…
A turn in a hot oven, with a basting or two of the reduced marinade, produces these beauties…
- 2 heads of garlic
- 11/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons honey
- juice from 2 lemons
- 3-4 pounds chicken wings (approximately 35-40 wings)
- sea salt
- Separate the garlic cloves without removing their skins. Place them in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil the cloves for 10 minutes, then drain and allow to cool.
- Squeeze the cloves out of the skin into a food processor and pulse them several times. Then turn the machine on and pour in the olive oil, honey and lemon juice.
- Place the wings in a large roasting dish or a sealable plastic bag and pour in the mixture. Tightly cover the dish or seal the bag and refrigerate overnight.
- When you are ready to prepare dinner, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the wings (skin side up) on a large roasting pan or baking sheet with raised sides and set aside, reserving the marinade.
- While the wings come up to room temperature, place the marinade in a small saucepan and heat over a medium~high flame until boiling and then reduce heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.
- Place the wings into the hot oven and roast for 45-60 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the reduced sauce, until the meat is cooked and the skin is brown and crunchy.
- Remove the wings from the pan with tongs and place on a serving tray. Salt them generously before serving.
This salad begins with the dressing…a mixture of balsamic and sherry vinegars, honey and olive oil. The secret to this dressing comes with the subtle flavoring of red onion…
Subtle because the actual onion {which possesses a strong, pungent flavor} is never added to the salad but, rather its essence is infused into the vinegars {marinating for about an hour} prior to making the final dressing…
The onions, once removed from the vinegar mixture, can be refrigerated and reserved for another use {the somewhat pickled red onion slices make a great topping on grilled hamburgers}.
While the vinegars & onion marinate, the radicchio, which can have a somewhat bitter taste, is gently tamed with a quick soak in a bath of ice water after being chopped. Once dried in a salad spinner, the leaves are tossed with the finished dressing and some finely grated Manchego cheese…
The nutty flavor of the cheese partners well with the bold flavor of the radicchio and the tangy, slightly sweet, dressing. A beautiful, and incredibly tasty salad that paired well with the chicken wings. Our dinner plate this evening…
- 2 to 3 heads radicchio (4 quarts, once chopped)
- 1/4 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup good-quality sherry vinegar
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3/4 cups olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups Manchego cheese, finely grated and divided
- Salt and pepper
- In a large bowl, add the balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, and sliced red onion. Let the mixture sit for at least 1 hour and then strain out the onions and reserve for another use. Set the vinegar mixture aside.
- Remove the cores from the radicchio and discard. Chop into 1-inch pieces.
- Take 1 gallon of water in a large bowl and add enough ice to make the water icy cold. Once cold, strain out the ice and add the radicchio to the water. Let it sit for 15 minutes to remove some of its bitterness, strain and then spin in a salad spinner until dry. Fluff the dried radicchio.
- Add the honey and olive oil to the strained vinegars and whisk. Using your hands, toss the radicchio with the dressing until evenly coated. Add 1 cup of finely grated Manchego, salt, and toss again. To serve, top the salad in a serving bowl with the remaining 1/2 cup grated Manchego or distribute salad and Manchego among 4 to 8 bowls or plates.
- Note: If you don't strain the ice out before adding the radicchio you'll be pulling out ice pieces for half an hour so that you don't have wet radicchio.
