Butcher Block

The Wing Ding

Ahhh, wings.  The quintessential bar and grill food. It’s a shame that people don’t think of wings as something they can make at home.  Wings are easy to cook, fun to eat, and perfect with just about any seasoning you can think of.

Of course we’re all familiar with the deep fried version of chicken wing cookery. but don’t fret if your kitchen lacks a 40 pound vessel of hot oil.  Wings work with just about every cooking method there is.  Wings with a light marinade are fantastic on the grill.  Cook wings on the grill over a medium heat—wings are relatively thin so they cook faster than other chicken parts.  If you’re after some spice, try brushing your favorite hot sauce or wing sauce on for the last couple minutes of cooking.  Putting your sauce on too early could result in a burned wing, so wait until closer to the end of the cook time. 

A quick and easy wing cooking method is baking.  Mix hot sauce with melted butter in a bowl, then dip each wing in the sauce and put onto a sheet tray.  Bake at 400 for about 40 minutes - the skin should be crisped and the meat fully cooked.

Wings aren’t limited to our friend the chicken. Ducks have some excellent, large wings.  Duck wings can be slowly cooked in duck fat just like duck legs.  A confit duck wing is a wonderful thing.  Let’s not forget turkey wings as well; turkey wings are much larger and meatier than their chicken and duck counterparts and make a fantastic entrée with a couple of sides.  Look for them at Price Chopper at 50th and Roe. 

Wings have an amazing balance of unctuous gelatin, tender meat and crispy skin.  Get yourself some wings and get cooking this classic restaurant food at home.