What I’ve Been Holding Out on You: Indian Curried Chicken Wings and Tickets to Columbia
I don’t know how to say this but… well, I’ve been holding out on you. In fact, I have a seriously backlog of recipes to share. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been cooking any more than usual as of late, but somehow they just keep piling up. While I have a bunch of tasty options to choose from, I think it’s time I give my carnivores some love. And you’ve put up with far more than your fair share of lentils, tofu and juice… so I’m going to give you a lot of love.
I think that’s about ten pounds of chicken wings. Ginormous Costco chicken wings at that.
What possessed me to make ten pounds of giant chicken wings, you ask? No, we’re not that bad at avoiding Costco specials… these wings were for the going away party we hosted for my brother Nate. In mid-April, Nate left for a two year trip around the world, an adventure he has been planning since 2009. He (along with his best buddy Chris, for a portion of the trip) will be traveling on his motorcycle across 75 countries and five continents, crossing oceans by boat, making memories and friends, and seeing the world. I’ve yet to tell this to anyone who hasn’t been intrigued, jealous and/or immensely curious about this endeavor, so I’ll go ahead and tell you now: you can learn all about his trip, follow his progress and maybe even help him find places to sleep along the way on the World Via Motorcycle Facebook page.
So back to the chicken wings (although really, the trip around the world is much more interesting!) As long as I can remember, Nate has loved chicken wings. Throughout our high school years (which only slightly overlapped), we were both huge fans of Tuesday night Wing nights at Don & Dave’s (along with the rest of Keene High School). And one of the first stops during our rare trips back to Keene is always the Elm City Brew Pub, to catch up with friends over wings and beer. So it only seemed appropriate for the last meal I made him before he left to be wings.
Of course I had to get a little creative. Since this was an “Around the World” themed party,” I couldn’t make a quintessentially American food like Buffalo wings. And so the spices came out and these curried Indian chicken wings were born.
Oh, and this wing recipe isn’t the only thing I’ve been holding out on you… I have some fun news! Of course I already miss my big brother very much, and I myself am more than a little jealous of his world travels (especially as I sit at my desk job). So last week I went ahead and pulled the trigger… and bought Courtney and I tickets to Cartagena, Columbia! We’re pretty excited, since this will be our first international travel since our honeymoon. Come August Recess, South America here we come!
Spicy Indian Curried Chicken Wings
Adapted from “Modern Spice” as seen on Passionate About Baking
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon store-bought ginger-garlic paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons red chile flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ½ pounds chicken wings (about 20 wings)
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the cream, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chile flakes, lemon juice, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the chicken wings and toss to thoroughly coat them. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 3 hours.
3. Turn on the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it lightly.
4. Place the wings on the baking sheet. Pour any remaining marinade on top of the wings.
5. *Broil the wings about 4 inches from the heat until cooked through, about 12 minutes on each side or until they begin to brown well. Turn the wings once.
*We actually smoked the wings. I highly recommend this method if you have a smoker! I bet these would also work on the grill! Also, I can vouch for the fact that these freeze very well (if you freeze a portion, be sure to leave them in the extra marinade)!
Serves 4-6
