wings wings wings
About once a month I crave chicken wings and now that March Madness is upon us, that craving is alive and well. I mean honestly, is there anything better than biting into a spicy piece of fried chicken?
The crispy ends making a crunch between your teeth and the spice exploding on your tongue, it's the best part of any game-day, party, or just a Saturday. For some, wings have a sketchy reputation, seedy bars, womanizing restaurants, and daunting deep fryers horror stories, but for me, the first few wings always take me back to childhood. Weekends spent at family parties watching football or basketball games, summer picnics, and of course barbecuing by the pool - wings really bring me back!
My family lives all across the country, so weekend parties are few and far between. Until we all live near each other again, I make wings whenever I'm feeling nostalgic! I use a counter-top deep fryer (because I'm extra) but these are great baked as well!
Here's what you need:
- 1⁄2 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 bunch of cilanto
- 10 chicken wings, tips removed
As you might've guessed from the ingredient list, these aren't traditional buffalo wings. These are ginger spiced wings! Feel free to adjust the spice mixture based on your preferences, but I like my wings spicy.
For oven baked wings, preheat the over to 425 degrees. For deep fried wings, heat oil to 325 in a large skillet or deep fryer.
Make sure your wings are prepped, cleaned, and dry. Fresh is always the best, but if you only have frozen that's totally fine! Either way make sure the wings are patted down and dry, and a little tacky so the flour and spices stick. We're not using a batter here, so no eggs are needed-- just a simple flour spice mix.
In a clean bowl (or large zip-lock bag) mix the spices and flour, and add the wings! Mix together until the wings are completely coated in the flour mixture. Remove from the mixture and set aside either until the oven or oil comes up to temp. Arrange them on a baking sheet about 1.5 inches apart and bake for a half hour, flip them and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and season once more with salt and pepper to taste. If you like spicy, add a few more dashes of cayenne.
For the deep fryer, same thing! Remove the wings from the flour mixture and ensure the excess is tapped off each wing. Then, deep fry for 10 minutes and again, season with salt and pepper (cayenne if you're brave) while they're warm to ensure the spices stick.
These wings come out so crispy and the spices really dance around bringing a warm spiced flavor to the traditional chicken wings. Arrange on a plate and garnish with fresh cilantro! These wings are so juicy and flavorful they really don't need a sauce.
