Chicken Wing Friday … Salt and Pepper Wings

I haven’t had a Chicken Wing Friday in a hot minute and with the Super Bowl upon us, its peak season. I’ve been thinking a lot about a salt & pepper crab dish I had a zillion years ago and thought that flavor combo would work well with chicken. Lord knows the price of crab these days is the equivalent of a new car, so chicken wings it is. 

So there’s salt, of course, and three kinds of pepper – black, white and to mix things up, Szechuan. Why have one pepper when you can do three? There’s a little five spice powder for something interesting and just a touch of cayenne for the slightest hint of heat and it’s all pretty nice. Super easy too – toss the wings in a spice mixture that includes baking powder and bake them. Admittedly, baking powder seems a bit strange and not particularly tasty but it really works well with a 30 minutes dry time and a high oven temp to get them nice and crispy without the mess of deep frying (thank you Cooks illustrated). I’m not a fan of the havoc frying wreaks in my house – the lingering smell, the greasy mess, the used oil to deal with. As much as I enjoy hot crispy fried food, it’s a lot better when someone else does it for me.

For game day or a regular ‘ol Friday night, these are great as is but a little chili crisp or even some peppercorn ranch on the side would be wonderful. They’ll be gone in no time – crunchy, flavorful, not really spicy but well-seasoned and utterly delicious. If you’re not sure what to serve Sunday, this is a certain crowd pleaser.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: EASY BREEZY Honestly, the thought of deep frying during a party stresses me out. Ugh. Forget about it. This recipe removes all that anxiety with an oven baked wing that is pretty dang close and very tasty. Who wants to worry about things like this while we’re waiting for the Rihanna halftime show anyway?

other chicken wing recipes: Kimchi Buffalo Wings, Sticky Northern Exposure Wings, Chili Crisp Wings, Sticky Spicy Sweet Chicken Wings, Tamarind Five Spice Chicken Wings, Miso Honey Butter Chicken Wings, Green Curry Chicken Wings

fourteen years ago: Khachapuri (cheesy Georgian bread) 

thirteen years ago: Double Chocolate Cookies, Marmalade Yogurt Cake, Fancy Valentine’s Day Cookies 

twelve years ago: Chocolate Churros, Mexican Hot Chocolate

eleven years ago: Chocolate Dulce de Leche Swirl Ice Cream, Double Chocolate Alfajores

ten years ago: Chocolate Pear Clafouti

nine years ago: Buckwheat Blini

eight years ago: From Scratch Rum Cake

seven years ago: Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies

six years ago: Dark Chocolate Marshmallows

five years ago: West African Puff Puffs

four years ago: Piggy Coconut Buns for Chinese New Year

three years ago: Dirty Chai Cookies

two years ago: Oatmeal Date Cookies

last year: Small Batch Raspberry Rhubarb Jam

SALT & PEPPER CHICKEN WINGS

Servs 3-4 as a snack

2 pounds chicken wings

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1 teaspoon finely ground white pepper

2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns, finely ground

½ teaspoon five spice powder

¼ – ½ teaspoon ground cayenne

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

for garnish – chopped cilantro or scallions

1. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil and set a wire rack inside. 
2. If you have whole wings, cut into drumettes and flats. Discard the wingtips or freeze for stock.
3. Pat the wings dry with paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible. Set aside.  
4. In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, grind the Szechuan peppercorns as finely as possible.
5. In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, black and white peppers, ground Szechuan peppercorns, five spice, cayenne, garlic powder and sugar, whisking well to combine.
6. Add the dry wings to a large bowl and toss with the oil to evenly coat.
7. Sprinkle the pepper mixture over and toss to thoroughly coat.
8. Arrange the wings on the rack, leaving about ½” between each wing and let rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
9. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
10. Bake for 30 minutes; flip and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, about 20-30 minutes longer.
11. Remove from the oven, place on a platter, garnish with the chopped cilantro or scallions. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.