The humble chicken wing

Last weekend was International Chicken Wing day and if you missed it, don't worry, we have plenty of recipes for you to make and try this weekend so that you don't feel left out.

Despite fried chicken has been popular in the UK for many years, it is only in the last 10 years or so that chicken wings have started to really gain popularity in the UK. Wings have been hugely popular in both the United States and China for very many years - what took us so long to catch on? In fact, wings are becoming so popular in the UK that the Wingstop has just announced it is opening 5 more branches, bringing the total to 38. Not bad for a company that has only been in the UK 5 years (and with a pandemic in the middle of that time). There is also a wing festival in several places around the UK over the summer and London is sold out.

**Chinese ginger and spring onion wings**

Although being higher in calories than chicken breast or thigh, this is probably down to the amount of skin on wings versus the other cuts. For me personally it is the skin to meat ratio that makes them so irresistible, especially when they are cooked well and super crispy outside and soft inside. Add a great sticky sauce and honestly there are few dishes that will make you smile so much.

If you don’t like fried foods then don’t despair, they don't have to be deep fried for them to be crispy, this is also perfectly achievable outside on your braai or bbq or inside in your oven or air fryer. I like how they cook outside over charcoal, they get these little charred bits but on rainy days they are fantastic from the oven.

Whenever I get a new cookbook one of the first recipes I hunt for are wing recipes - or even a chicken thigh or breast recipe that would work with a wing. I love wings so I am always on the hunt for the next best recipe. My favourite kind of wing is sweet, salty and slightly spicy. I say this but to be honest, if I go somewhere and wings are on the menu I am more than likely to order them, whatever the flavour. Probably my ultimate wing recipe though is nduja and honey. The slightly spicy nduja mixed with the honey and lemon just sit beautifully over the crispy skin and are literally irresistible to me.

Some of the recipes you will find on our site might say oven baked or braai'd/bbq'd but in all honesty all can be cooked either way. Outside over coal you just need to remember to cook them over an indirect heat so that they cook all the way through, expect them to take a similar time to cooking them in the oven. Our recipes are: wings with a chilli beer sauce, Asian baked with a savoury caramel (which I LOVE. If you have never tried savoury caramel you must, it is salty and spicy and sweet and drizzled over perfectly crispy wings is just such a great thing to eat), Chinese inspired with ginger and spring onion, sticky sesame harissa wings, basic wings (using ingredients you most likely have lurking in the cupboard), smokey Spanish, Guinness, Tandoori, pineapple huli huli and one that will seem strange as it uses mayonnaise but is so delicious, Alabama.

Let me know if you try them out and how they work out for you.

Kelly x

Healthy kick start to the New Year

The King’s Coronation