Here comes an obligatory blog post about chicken wings, because...Super Bowl. What has changed you may ask? Everything. Don't get the fry daddy out, and keep the turkey fryer pot in the garage where it belongs. Before you risk burning your house down for some tasty wings...fully read this post, and try preparing your wings in the following manner. Not only is it safer, free from oil splatters and grease fires, it's clearly healthier, and it's something that TB12 himself could get behind.
Get ready for science!
All you need for this project is some fresh chicken wings, a baking sheet, a wire rack, and an open mind...plus an oven, that helps too.
1. Gather all your ingredients. For this recipe, we did a batch of 16 wings, feel free to double it or triple it, depending on how many people you are attempting to feed. Along with the wings you need salt (or dry rub...perhaps some hog heaven?), and baking powder.
2. Once everything is together, get yourself a bowl large enough to put all the wings in, and still have ample room to stir stuff around. Add chicken wings. A general guideline to follow is a tablespoon of baking POWDER not SODA, per every 12-16 wings...along with a teaspoon of salt, or a tablespoon of rub, as long at it isn't overly salty. May have to play around with the seasoning to how you like it...but the baking powder always remains the same. So go ahead, season the wings up in the bowl with the powder and seasoning, mix well to incorporate.
***What is going to happen is this: The baking powder actually raises the pH of the chicken surface, allowing the natural peptide bonds to break down, allowing heat to penetrate and dry out the skin, thus creating a beautifully crispy skin, minus the plunge into molten oil. Two thumbs way up for science. Back to it...***
3. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Meanwhile, place elevated rack on a baking sheet, and arrange the wings on it, leaving space for air to get between each wing. When the oven is hot, place the wings in and cook them at 250 for 30 minutes. This will warm the wings and begin to slowly render the fat of the skin...also why we elevate, to keep them out of their own juices.
(We had to try the many flavors of wings, variety it's what life's about)
4. When 30 minutes has passed, turn the oven up to 425 degrees, without taking the wings out, allow the oven to come up to the new temp, and continue cooking the wings from this point another 45-50 minutes, or until the skin is nice and crispy.
5. Remove the wings from the oven and allow them to rest at least five minutes before diving in. At this point you can toss them in your favorite buffalo, bbq, teriyaki sauce, or whatever your flavor is, you get the point. Or just enjoy them naked.
To summarize, this may be a little different that what you are used to, but give it a shot, you will not be disappointed. Only suggestion I have is that with the long cook time, don't be afraid to start early so people aren't waiting till after the Halftime Show to enjoy some wings. Good Luck!
