My daughter, Jillian, has a couple of favorite meals I make, one of them being chicken wings. That girl can put away some serious quantities of chicken wings in one sitting! So..... I always buy the huge package of wings from Costco. You would think it would be more than enough to feed 6-8 people, right? Well, think again! I had four people tonight for dinner. I think there were maybe 36 wings in the package. I cut the tips off and also split the wing from the drumette. There is only a small container of wings left! Unbelievable. But they did come out amazing, which is why I want to share them with you.
Start by preparing the wings. Wash, cut off the tips, and cut the remaining wing in half. Put them all in a zip lock bag and make the marinade:
1 cup soy sauce
1 tbs grated or minced fresh ginger
2 tbs chopped fresh or dried cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a lemon, juiced
ground black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
Whisk all of this together, and pour into the bag of wings. Refrigerate for about an hour or so.
While that is marinading, I make a delicious batch of Jasmine rice. I follow the package directions, but I use chicken broth instead of water. I also add a few dried onion flakes and some extra butter to the broth. This rice cooks a lot quicker than traditional long grain rice, so after about 15 minutes, check it and give it a stir. I usually shut off the heat and let it sit, covered, for the last 5-10 minutes.
I now add about a 1/2 cup of sliced almonds, a little needed salt and pepper, and a little extra butter. One last taste...... delicious! Pop the cover on and head out to grill the wings.
I try to cook the wings over a medium-high grill. I want them to become golden, not charred. I also turn them often. I think they were on the grill for about 30 minutes total. I will finish them in the oven, so don't worry if they are not completely cooked.
When they are brown enough, I take them off the grill and put them in a roasting pan and drizzle with honey. Make sure you use enough honey. As they finish in the oven, the honey turns into a glaze which is what makes these wings so incredible! Stir them every once in a while for the time they are in...which is about 15 minutes.
The only thing left is my salad. Basically, I use romaine lettuce, shredded and grated Romano cheese, croutons, fresh ground black pepper, and dressing. Today I was out of croutons....darn! now what? Well, I had some foccacia bread left over from Not Your Average Joe's, and I thought... all I have to do is cut them up, spray a little oil on them, a sprinkle of garlic powder, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, and lightly toast them in the oven. I have to tell you.....it was the perfect solution!
Dinner was served by 8:00! I think I got distracted a little bit along the way, but that's alright. Everything came out perfectly...the flavor of the chicken was awesome, the jasmine rice had that little bit of sweetness paired with the almonds and butter, and the "special" croutons made the salad!
This really was an easy dinner that comes highly recommended by all those who devoured it... they even did the dishes! Nice.....
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