George's wings

10 To 12

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
6 pounds Chicken Wings; (up to 7)
½ Stick Margarine
3 cups Hot Pepper Sauce ; (from the grocer's sauce section; NOT Tabasco type)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 2 tsp. dried Herb Mixture ; (Basil, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley - whatever!)
1 teaspoon Chili Powder; up to 2
Ground Black or Red Pepper; (red is hotter)
⅛ teaspoon Turmeric
1 Orange; (About 1/4 to 1/2 cup) , Juice of

Directions

At the end of each month, The Cook & Kitchen Staff select some of the best recipes sent to Recipe-a-Day during the month, and post them to the entire membership. Today's offering is from Recipe-a-Day member George L.

George informs us that "Most restaurant-style 'Buffalo Wings' are simply cooked in a greasy sauce. That is, the wings are usually baked, broiled, or deep-fried, then glazed with a mixture of melted butter and hot pepper sauce." George's wings require more preparation time, but they're crisper, spicier, and not as messy to eat, since they have less fat.

Cut wings at joints. Use only the two larger pieces. (Save the tips in freezer for making stock.) Rinse the wings in cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

Melt the margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the hot pepper and Worcestershire sauces, herb mixture, chili powder, black or red pepper, turmeric, and orange juice. Stir to combine all ingredients.

Pour the marinade over wings in a large glass or stainless steel container.

Toss to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (overnight is better.)

Note that there's no salt added to the marinade. George doesn't think it's needed at all; but if you like, salt the wings only during the last 15 minutes of cooking, because adding salt to the marinade will dry out the wings and cause them to be less tender.

Also note, there's nothing sacred about the measurements above, they're just approximations. Increase, decrease, add or delete anything according to what you like and what you have on hand.

Spread marinated wings in a single layer in a large on a shallow roasting pan. (George uses a cheap aluminum throwaway pan so he doesn't have to wash it.) Reserve excess marinade for basting if needed. (Since the marinade has been in contact with raw chicken, keep it in the refrigerator and use only in this recipe. Please, don't use it in anything else.) Preheat oven to 450-F degrees. Bake wings, uncovered on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325-F degrees and continue baking for an additional hour or so. Turn or the wings once while baking.

Halfway through baking, drain accumulated juices from pan. (George reminds you that this is important. Otherwise the wings will be rubbery and gunky like the restaurant variety, and will contain more fat.) Brush or spoon on some of the reserved marinade to coat the wings again.

After the wings are finished, they can be held for several hours in a warm oven. Add a shot of the juices drained from the pan to keep them moist and cover with aluminum foil, or just serve them warm, now.

Serve with traditional celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. Beer is optional, but highly recommended by George! Posted to dailyrecipe@... by Recipe-a-Day <recipe-a-day@...> on Jan 31, 1999, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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