eG Cook-Off #88: Wings

[Duvel]

4 minutes ago, TicTac said:

Ever since COVID started my desire to not waste ANYTHING has amplified 10x (I have always been very environmentally conscious, but our current situation seems to have magnified that).

 

That being said, curious if I am the only one who saves chicken bones (from any part of the bird) to make stock with after the fact?

 

When I told some friends about this they turned their nose in disgust "after they have been in peoples mouths!?" - I laughed and assured them the rolling boiling liquid will surely kill anything to concern yourself about.

 

Curious if I am the only one slowly going nuts 🥜

I do this with rotisserie chicken or any bird where I strip off the meat with my (clean) hands. Haven’t thought of using the wing bones after consumption - maybe because of „contamination“ with spices and little return from little bones, but in principle … why not ?

[Tropicalsenior]

11 minutes ago, TicTac said:

curious if I am the only one who saves chicken bones (from any part of the bird) to make stock with after the fact?

I use mine to make stock to add to rice and veggies for my little dog. I do save the raw bones, vegetable peelings and any other vegetables that I can't use up before they will go bad in the freezer for stock.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Tropicalsenior (log)

[Steve Irby]

I'm really enjoying this challenge.  Chicken thighs have become the go to at our house based on taste, cost and availability.  I'll occasionally roast a whole chicken (small ~2.5#-3#, Judy Rogers/Zuni method) but haven't bought or prepared wings in years.  As served at hot bars and delis the wing's coating and sauce takes precedent over the quality of the meat so I thought little of preparing them at home.  

 

We have membership at BJ's and they feature Perdue chicken which we find to be of relatively good quality.  By we I mean myself, wife and our cat Aspen.   Aspen is a tortie  that had gum disease resulting in all her teeth being pulled.  She was just about to waste away until we started feeding her rotisserie chicken from Sam's or BJ's.  I started buying thighs at Sams Club and prepared them boiled, baked and fried but she would not eat the Members Mark brand.  I decided if my cat would not eat it neither will I.  They must be using a lot of disinfectant to reduce the bacteria count which Aspen is detecting.  She is a big fan of the Perdue thighs with Popeye's breast being a real treat!

 

BJ's packages the chicken sections in compartmentalized vacuum bags.  A typical retail pack is 8 packs with 4 wings to the pack.  Costs this week was $2.67/#.   The wings are of decent size with a meaty flat and drumette.  Last night I prepared an absolutely delicious chicken curry using a recipe from the website Fatima Cooks. The recipe is Chicken Curry Salan/Pakistani Chicken Curry/Murghi Ka Shorba using eight wings.  I prepared the recipe exactly as written and it was perfect for a cold night's supper.  The ratio of chicken meat and fat were perfect to my taste in this dish. 

 

BJ's/Perdue packaging

 

 

[Mjx]

19 hours ago, Duvel said:

. . . . Carrageenan itself is banned in the EU.

 

Its use is prohibited in infant formula and organic foods, but otherwise, it is permitted food additive (at least, since 2018).

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, Steve Irby said:

$2.67/#

Good price.

 

I'm having wing anxiety.....only one more package in the freezer.  

 

Yes.  I've decided I'm a hoarder.

[Tropicalsenior]

7 minutes ago, Steve Irby said:

I decided if my cat would not eat it neither will I.

Ha, ha. I thought that I was the only one that followed my cat's recommendation. I also had a Siamese with gum disease and he would only eat raw hamburger from one particular market. That's the only place that I buy my hamburger now.

[Steve Irby]

12 minutes ago, Shelby said:

Good price.

 

I'm having wing anxiety.....only one more package in the freezer.  

 

Yes.  I've decided I'm a hoarder.

At least we don't have freezer burn anxiety.  Those chamber vacuum sealer packs really hold food well back in the far recesses of the freezer!

[TicTac]

Took a shot while shopping today of the typical (non butcher) wings I buy.  Was very relieved to see they only contained…..wings! 
 

[ElsieD]

I checked the chicken yesterday at a store where I do the bulk of my shopping and both turkey and chicken had no additives of any sort.

[Anna N]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:09 AM, liuzhou said:

Wow! I'm guessing that is Canadian Dollars? I'm afraid to tell you what I pay for fresh duck breast or legs. You would weep. I don't get frozen whole duck but my local mom and pop store does a nice line in live ducks to take home and kill.

 

I will say frozen duck wings are the equivalent of $9 (CAD) for 2.5 kg.

Yes, Canadian dollars. 

[Kim Shook]

3 hours ago, Steve Irby said:

I'm really enjoying this challenge.  Chicken thighs have become the go to at our house based on taste, cost and availability.  I'll occasionally roast a whole chicken (small ~2.5#-3#, Judy Rogers/Zuni method) but haven't bought or prepared wings in years.  As served at hot bars and delis the wing's coating and sauce takes precedent over the quality of the meat so I thought little of preparing them at home.  

 

We have membership at BJ's and they feature Perdue chicken which we find to be of relatively good quality.  By we I mean myself, wife and our cat Aspen.   Aspen is a tortie  that had gum disease resulting in all her teeth being pulled.  She was just about to waste away until we started feeding her rotisserie chicken from Sam's or BJ's.  I started buying thighs at Sams Club and prepared them boiled, baked and fried but she would not eat the Members Mark brand.  I decided if my cat would not eat it neither will I.  They must be using a lot of disinfectant to reduce the bacteria count which Aspen is detecting.  She is a big fan of the Perdue thighs with Popeye's breast being a real treat!

 

BJ's packages the chicken sections in compartmentalized vacuum bags.  A typical retail pack is 8 packs with 4 wings to the pack.  Costs this week was $2.67/#.   The wings are of decent size with a meaty flat and drumette.  Last night I prepared an absolutely delicious chicken curry using a recipe from the website Fatima Cooks. The recipe is Chicken Curry Salan/Pakistani Chicken Curry/Murghi Ka Shorba using eight wings.  I prepared the recipe exactly as written and it was perfect for a cold night's supper.  The ratio of chicken meat and fat were perfect to my taste in this dish. 

 

BJ's/Perdue packaging

 

 

Bless you for taking such good care of Aspen!  

 

I'm planning to do my wings tomorrow - they'll be brined for a few hours and then done with @Norm Matthews' method as I mentioned above.  I got two packets of these:

So, about 3 lb.  And they were $4.49/lb.  They had whole wings for 20 cents less per lb., but I figured it was worth 60 cents to not have to cut them up.  They are equal amounts of flats and drumettes.  I prefer the flats and Mr. Kim and Jessica like either, so they will suit us.  

 

 

[kayb]

Just put wings on my Kroger order. I don’t recall that I’ve ever cooked a chicken wing. Kroger had 2-pound bags of its brand of chicken, frozen, for $3.99 a pound, vs. Perdue’s $7.99, so I went with Kroger. I’m thinking a combo of Peruvian with green sauce for me, and Buffalo for Child A. Steroids are kicking in and I finally have an appetite.

[chromedome]

24 minutes ago, kayb said:

Just put wings on my Kroger order.

Gave it a Red Bull?

[kayb]

Hey, I tried to order Tuesday and first pickup I could get was Friday am. I’ve just been adding things ever since.

[sartoric]

I do love a chicken wing curry.

[Smithy]

7 minutes ago, sartoric said:

I do love a chicken wing curry.

 

That looks wonderful! Recipe, or at least rough instructions, please!

[sartoric]

3 minutes ago, Smithy said:

 

That looks wonderful! Recipe, or at least rough instructions, please!

Something like this;

Heat a few tbs oil, add some cumin and black mustard seeds, when they pop add in a finely diced onion and fry until beginning to colour. Add ginger and garlic (both finely diced or grated) when you can smell them add chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned) and simmer smooshing them to a paste, until the oil appears at the edge of your pan. Add your curry mix, I use a tsp of ground cumin, coriander, chilli and 1/2 tsp turmeric. You can use any you like. Add wings, possibly water, simmer covered until done. 
Finish with a tsp of garam masala, a crumble of methi (dried fenugreek leaves) a sprinkle of chopped coriander. 
 

You can add extra seeds at the beginning, like cardamom, cloves, fennel, and different ground spices within reason. Also vary the finishing touches, mint, parsley, dill all work. Leave out the methi if you don’t have it.
The mainstay is the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato base. I sometimes stir in a spoon or two of yoghurt.

Turns out different every time, always tasty though

[Smithy]

Many thanks, @sartoric! I'll have to try that. It looks really good, and certainly less work than what I did last night.

 

I used half of my wings yesterday, as planned, to try the recipe from Buttermilk & Bourbon (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) that I mentioned above. That is, I set out to try that recipe. I ended up taking some liberties with it.

 

The method is interesting. You start by giving the wings an hour-long bath in 300F oil, in the oven.

 

 

I'll note that this tenderizes and essentially cooks them beautifully, but the skin is quite soft and pale.

 

Next, marinate the wings for at least 4 hours (or, he says, preferably overnight) in the marinade you've made according to his recipe. This is where things broke down: in order to make that marinade, I first had to make his Cajun spice blend. I began looking around for the ingredients. I did not have dried thyme, ground bay leaves, file gumbo powder or cayenne. I decided that, since the recipe called for 1 tablespoon of this mix in 4 cups of buttermilk, I could (heh) wing it on the seasonings. The marinade also includes hot sauce, and that accounts for its pinkish color.

 

 

While that is happening, and before heating oil for the final fry, you mix up yet another recipe, this time for the seasoned dredge: flour, masa harina, lemon pepper, granulated garlic, Creole seasoning, black papper, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne. I had about half of those ingredients - including the flour, but not the masa. I used corn meal instead, and wung winged it again on the spices. Then you dredge the drained wings and fry them in 350F oil until they're golden brown.

 

 

They were great! They were the most crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside wings we've ever had. I wouldn't use corn meal next time, however: it made a mess of the pot and I'm not sure the texture of those grains added anything to the chicken.

 

I was supposed to have made a few dipping sauces too, but ran out of motivation before I got that far. We used buttermilk ranch dressing (also from that book) and called it done.

 

 

I think the technique is a keeper although it had the usual problems of leftover oil that go with deep frying. (I strained and saved what I could. The rest, and the crunchy bits in the pot, are going into tonight's campfire.) As for the seasonings and multiple recipes: if I try this exact recipe again, I'll be sure to make them all ahead of time. I'll be more inclined to keep the double-fry method and use another dredging mix altogether. 

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by Smithy
Removed extra photo (log)

[Shelby]

1 hour ago, Smithy said:

Many thanks, @sartoric! I'll have to try that. It looks really good, and certainly less work than what I did last night.

 

I used half of my wings yesterday, as planned, to try the recipe from Buttermilk & Bourbon (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) that I mentioned above. That is, I set out to try that recipe. I ended up taking some liberties with it.

 

The method is interesting. You start by giving the wings an hour-long bath in 300F oil, in the oven.

 

 

I'll note that this tenderizes and essentially cooks them beautifully, but the skin is quite soft and pale.

 

Next, marinate the wings for at least 4 hours (or, he says, preferably overnight) in the marinade you've made according to his recipe. This is where things broke down: in order to make that marinade, I first had to make his Cajun spice blend. I began looking around for the ingredients. I did not have dried thyme, ground bay leaves, file gumbo powder or cayenne. I decided that, since the recipe called for 1 tablespoon of this mix in 4 cups of buttermilk, I could (heh) wing it on the seasonings. The marinade also includes hot sauce, and that accounts for its pinkish color.

 

 

While that is happening, and before heating oil for the final fry, you mix up yet another recipe, this time for the seasoned dredge: flour, masa harina, lemon pepper, granulated garlic, Creole seasoning, black papper, red pepper flakes, oregano, cayenne. I had about half of those ingredients - including the flour, but not the masa. I used corn meal instead, and wung winged it again on the spices. Then you dredge the drained wings and fry them in 350F oil until they're golden brown.

 

 

They were great! They were the most crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside wings we've ever had. I wouldn't use corn meal next time, however: it made a mess of the pot and I'm not sure the texture of those grains added anything to the chicken.

 

I was supposed to have made a few dipping sauces too, but ran out of motivation before I got that far. We used buttermilk ranch dressing (also from that book) and called it done.

 

 

I think the technique is a keeper although it had the usual problems of leftover oil that go with deep frying. (I strained and saved what I could. The rest, and the crunchy bits in the pot, are going into tonight's campfire.) As for the seasonings and multiple recipes: if I try this exact recipe again, I'll be sure to make them all ahead of time. I'll be more inclined to keep the double-fry method and use another dredging mix altogether. 

This looks incredibly delicious.  

 

It's a bit similar to doing the chicken in the SV before brining.......

 

The breading at the end I definitely want to try.  Thank you!!

[Kerala]

10 hours ago, Duvel said:

Nice job, @Kerala !

 

How does Kenji‘s method perform in terms of retaining the crispiness of the wing after being sauced ? I understand the goal was to get the thin crackly layer on the outside of the wing, but does it persist in the hot sauce/butter environment ?

 

I am preparing now for the Mission Chinese method, that Kenji also referenced, which consists of prebaking, freezing and then deep-frying. But the „Chongqing chicken wings“ that Bowien makes are essentially dusted with a spice mixture rather than being sauced, so I guess the end result with retain its crispiness quite well …

The skin remains crisp. I can't wait to do this again without overcooking the wings (initial frying temp was closer to 150C than the 110C Kenji recommended.) I will try it with the ginger-honey-sriracha glaze shown by @gfweb

[Tropicalsenior]

I really wanted to enter this with my orange teriyaki chicken wings but when I went to the market Monday they had no wings. I had planned to go get wings today but our covid count shot up over 4000 yesterday and I ain't sticking my nose out the door just to get wings. I rummaged through the freezer and managed to find a package of thighs. Can you kind of squint and pretend that they are chicken wings?

[weinoo]

On 1/12/2022 at 8:23 PM, chromedome said:

Edmonton had some buses running on biodiesel made from recycled fryer oil. Made them smell like french fries, which was pretty amusing.

 

I must've told the story of my nephew and his headbanging band, who "toured"  (okay, drove around) in a bus which ran on biofuel. They used to get containers of oil from Chinese restaurants. So one day my sister couldn't figure out why she kept smelling egg rolls. When she went out front, there was the bus, running on the front lawn and spewing egg roll fumes.

 

12 hours ago, Duvel said:

 

I am preparing now for the Mission Chinese method, that Kenji also referenced, which consists of prebaking, freezing and then deep-frying. But the „Chongqing chicken wings“ that Bowien makes are essentially dusted with a spice mixture rather than being sauced, so I guess the end result with retain its crispiness quite well …

 

I can vouch for these as some of the most insane, spicy, salty, everything-y wings I've ever tasted. And we ordered them every time we went to MCFNY, when it reopened on our block. I don't remember/think the OG yet had the wings, but I could be wrong.

 

12 hours ago, Duvel said:

I do this with rotisserie chicken or any bird where I strip off the meat with my (clean) hands. Haven’t thought of using the wing bones after consumption - maybe because of „contamination“ with spices and little return from little bones, but in principle … why not ?

 

Because that's disgusting?  I do save roasted bones which have been dechickened, but only dechickened by my hands, not anyone's mouth. 

 

My order from Fresh Direct arrived promptly this morning.  Missing the two packs of wings I had ordered.

 

[heidih]

12 hours ago, TicTac said:

That being said, curious if I am the only one who saves chicken bones (from any part of the bird) to make stock with after the fact?

 

When I told some friends about this they turned their nose in disgust "after they have been in peoples mouths!?" - I laughed and assured them the rolling boiling liquid will surely kill anything to concern yourself about.

 

Curious if I am the only one slowly going nuts 🥜

I do but only from people in my "pod" and the broth/stock is only used by me. I have to do it on the down low as they find it horrifying.

[Duvel]

10 hours ago, sartoric said:

I do love a chicken wing curry.

That looks soooo good … and thanks for posting your method. If I may: what else is going on on that plate ?

[sartoric]

I don’t seem to be able to reply and quote @Duvel, but here goes anyway.

Clockwise from the wings; white cabbage curry from an English website called The Curry Club (Home cooking) we are growing cabbage and this recipe is delicious. Next to that cucumber and mint raita (also growing cucumber and mint) flavoured with roasted and ground cumin, next again is fresh tomato chutney (a South Indian recipe, I’ve  posted the method for this in the curry cook off I think). Yes, we’re growing tomatoes too

Lastly is Poha, a partially cooked flattened rice, often eaten for breakfast. The flavourings can be almost anything you have on hand. Sourdough flatbread to mop.