Yosef’s Spicy Chicken Wings for Whitney

Hi!  In case you’re wondering, I did not fall off the face of the Earth.  It’s just been a trying couple of weeks. Luckily for me, however, I’ve got some amazing friends who have been incredibly supportive during this time.  And speaking of amazing friends, this post is round 2 of the “please help me fill my blog with content while I chase around my 2.5 year-old and pray for September to come”.  This one is from my dear friend, Yosef, over at This American Bite.  Not only is Yosef also a father (of 3, no less!) and works full time but he also totally gets the challenges of trying to keep this blogging thing afloat while balancing life. So, naturally, I asked him to put one more thing on his plate by requesting he do a guest post for me. I mean, that’ s what friends are for, right? Anyway, below he brings you a quick and easy (and delicious) recipe perfect for the week day dinner rush.  I hope you like!
Spicy wings for whitney kosher jewhungry blog
Two hours ago, I was wondering when in the world I would find time to get this recipe to my buddy Whitney without me asking if I could push the deadline one more time.  Now I’m sitting at BWI airport watching my delayed flight home get pushed later and later, and I’d love to be able to snack on a bowl of chicken wings.
That’s the thing about wings.
Spicy wings for whitney kosher jewhungry blog
Whether you snack on them, serve them with the Super Bowl or make them for dinner, there’s something comforting and social about them.  Now, these aren’t the traditional buffalo wings that Whitney grew up with in the South, but they sure are a favorite of mine.
I happen to love chicken.  I’d prefer a perfectly roasted chicken dinner to many other meals (and this may be my all-time favorite one-pot chicken recipe) and I have found the chicken wings make the perfect vehicle for any spice or seasoning that works with a full chicken.  Curry cumin chicken wings.  Za’atar garlic chicken wings.  Red hot chili wings.  No matter how you season them wings, this is my mess-free, quick and easy, chicken wing life hack.
Spicy wings for whitney kosher jewhungry blog
For this recipe, I’m sharing spicy wings that I love to serve with crispy red-chili flake sweet potato fries but rest assured that I have used this method for all sorts of spice blends.
Spicy Wings for Whitney
 
Ingredients:
2lb Chicken Wings (or drumettes)
3 teaspoons garlic power
1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
Splash of Hot Sauce (I use Burning Bush or Cholula)
Method:
If you are using frozen wings, defrost them in the fridge.  Once they are defrosted, pat them dry with a paper towel.  It’s easy to think that patting them dry does nothing and take a shortcut, but let me assure you, for that crispy, heavenly wing, pat them dry.
Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mix all the dry seasoning in a bowl then sprinkle evenly on both sides of the wings.  You can double up the quantities if you need more.
Do not forget the salt.  Do not be afraid of salt!  Many kosher cooks skip the salt when they are cooking and I promise you it makes a difference.  I learned this from my buddy Chris and I thank him for it every time I add salt to my kosher meat or chicken!
Put in the oven for 45 minutes, an hour if you want them a little crispier.  You can even finish them off with three minutes under the broiler to speed this along.
Before serving, splash with a dash of your favorite hot sauce, and serve this with my awesome sweet potato fries!