A Few of My Favorite Wings

Chicken wings, the Kobe beef of poultry, at least where price is concerned ( all because of supply and demand, apparently). And this week the Julia child politely demanded that I make them, as she has been denied devouring meat on the bone while having braces. But before I get to my recipe source and results, let me digress and tell you about wings that make my salavary glands ting. The Chinese wings from the now defunct Yat Wah restaurant in Lansing, MI and the Asian wings that come with the pu-pu platter at Chopsticks in Hamilton, Bermuda are both similar and savory with a hint of ginger and soy and spice and everything nice. Our exploits in Bermuda are well known (see Dark and Stormy Bar Trek) and I look forward to our visits every five years, if only for the wings. Now back to reality, this recipe comes from Gourmet and the chicken is oven roasted and then tossed with a buttery balsamic reduction. Normally, I use regular balsamic, but upon discovery of some cherry balsamic in the pantry, I threw caution to the wind and tossed my wings in it. A slightly sweeter result.

Cheers in an airport. A womanizer, a harmless dim wit, a woman waitressing with dreams and aspirations, a nasty cross terminal rival - yep WINGS was NBCs 1990 answer to NBCs Cheers. Tim Daly, Steven Weber, Tony Shaloub and Thomas Haden Church - now  all household names, but back then a bunch of nobody newcomers. The really took off and soared for seven years entertaining us with the Joe and Helen will they or won't they? Can Sandpiper Air ever really beat Aeormass? Will Lowell ever get a brain? Will Antonio ever achieve the American dream? And so on and so forth, all in a little Nantucket airport pre-9/11 and TSA interference into the daily lives of a bunch of misfits.Thank you for choosing my blog. Enjoy your day in my kitschen, or wherever your final destination may be.

The Recipe:

4 lb chicken wingettes (basically, halve the wings at the joint, with a sharp knife)
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
 2 tsps sugar
1 tblsp butter

Special Equipment: step stool to remove the smoke detector

Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven (or, if have double ovens as I do, use em both). Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Put pans in oven (s) and preheat to 500 degrees. Pat wings dry, then toss with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and divide between the preheated pans, spreading wings in one layer. Roast, without turning, until golden and tender, about 35-40 minutes. While wings roast, simmer vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a 1 qt heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Remove roasted wings from oven and let them stand one minute (to make them easier to remove from foil) then transfer to a large, clean bowl. Pour balsamic mixture over wings and toss to coat well. Let stand 5 minutes, then toss again. 


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