CHINESE CHICKEN WINGS

CHINESE CHICKEN WINGS 

oven-baked, honey-soy

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 1 hours 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hours 20 minutes Yield: 6 to 8

Source: My mother via The New New York Times Cookbook (Craig Claiborne, 1979)

Notes:

• If making a small batch — 5 drumsticks or 4 thighs, etc. — halve the sauce recipe but keep the cooking time the same.

• Wings are perfect for a Super Bowl party. Definitely cook the wings until the sauce is thick, which usually means 1 hr and 15 minutes. Wings are very forgiving — don’t worry about overcooking them (within in reason).

INGREDIENTS

18 chicken wings or 10 drumsticks or 4 thighs and 5 drumsticks, etc.

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons oil — peanut, canola, vegetable, etc.

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup honey

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Preheat oven to 400ºF. If using wings: wash and dry, cut off wing tips and place on a rimmed baking sheet. If using the larger quantity of drumsticks and/or thighs: wash and dry and place in a 9X13-inch pan; if using the smaller quantity, wash and dry and place in a 8×8-inch (or something similar) pan. Season lightly with salt (as soy is salty) and pepper to taste.

2 Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Toss chicken (with your hands, if you don’t mind, or with tongs, if you do) and then arrange skin-side down in the baking pan. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove pan, turn chicken over, and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

3 Remove pan and turn chicken over once more. I find that the chicken is usually done at this point, but my mother likes to cook hers for another 15 minutes, which is what the original recipe calls for, too, although the original recipe also calls for a 375ºF oven temp. It’s your call — you can’t mess it up. I suggest turning the oven down to 375ºF if you do bake it for an additional 15 minutes.

4 If your sauce is not the thickness you like, but the chicken has completed its cooking, you can transfer the sauce to a small sauce pan and simmer it down stovetop till it thickens.