Stovetop Honey Garlic Wings. For the love of Garlic!

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Why are wings so special?

I think wings are my favorite part of the chicken. Very strange because it’s the smallest part of the chicken and there’s barely any meat there. However, maybe that’s what makes it so yummy and flavorful. I think based on the size and texture it absorbs seasonings and herbs very well which gives a really delicious bite. It’s certainly preferable to chicken breast, no matter how much they make chicken breast seem great I basically tolerate it. No matter how many ways I season wings or cook it, they are just amazing.

Flats vs. drums
Okay I may lose some friendships here but I’m flats all the way for many reasons. 1. It’s easier to hold. 2. It’s easier to flavor. 3. I think with all the skin it provides a great crispy bite if the wings are fried. 4. Its that skin again. It’s a thin layer of skin that crisps up well even when not fried yet it’s not too fatty, that’s a load of flavour. If you’re all for drums we can definitely eat from the same platter, it’s a match made in wing heaven.

Holy Garlic sauce, that’s good.

Now let’s talk about garlic. Garlic is one of my favorite ingredients. Interestingly enough as a child I wasn’t a fan. In Jamaica we drink a lot of tea and rely heavily on it for it’s medicinal purposes. When I say tea I don’t mean a teabag but more steeping actual herbs. My mother would make garlic tea, not sure which ailment she took it for or what she was trying to prevent but I hated the smell of it. She would even put the garlic in her mouth. That I thought was the worst thing ever. Now don’t get me wrong, even grown I’m still not doing that but my love for garlic has definitely blossomed. I believe garlic makes everything better, who cares about garlic breath when you’re eating good food? So back to this garlic sauce. This is the key ingredient to the recipe and is the really the whole flavour of the wings. To me, the more the merrier for this sauce, I mean it’s their show.

What will you need?

I had intended to make this recipe in the oven but at the last minute decided against it. It’s been so hot lately that I avoid turning on my oven at all costs. For all you bakers out there I feel your pain and don’t envy you. So stovetop it is. Very simple ingredients because as I mentioned before the sauce is key. That’s where the party is. All you need is salt, all purpose, onion powder, paprika, garlic, honey, soy sauce, corn starch, scotch bonnet pepper. Call me the scotch bonnet queen because I will find a way to use it.

How to prepare?

Start by separating the flats, tips and the drums at the joints. Usually you don’t see the tips served with wings but I cooked and at them anyway. Wash chicken with water and lime juice or vinegar (1 tbsp.) This process of washing the meat is customary in Jamaica. I believe its something we all learn to do and we believe in it greatly so its been rather eye opening to find out that a lot of people in other parts of the world don’t wash the chicken. That’s a topic for another post because there is a lot I could say about that.

The next step is to season the chicken with the list of ingredients. Just a few that keeps them simple. Now we are making this on the stove top but you can use the oven if you prefer. We start by browning the chicken first. Though we are using a sauce we want that chicken to have a nice colour. I saw a meme recently that listed things that Jamaicans are afraid of and of course “pale or undercooked chicken” was on the list. Safe to say we like no signs that may indicate it lacks flavour or undercooked, We do eat with our eyes after all.

After browning on both sides, its time to add a litter water and let the wings cook. Not a lot of water, this is to let the chicken steam and not dry out and burn however we don’t want to boil the chicken so we keep the water quantity low and check the stove frequently to top up when its about to dry out. While this cooks we make the sauce. The sauce is also very easy but very flavourful as soon as it heats up. Chop that garlic, pepper, add that water, honey and soy sauce and lets not forget we thicken with corn starch. This will give us the consistency we are looking for.

So now that we have run through the steps. Lets get cooking shall we.

Price Range: $1000- $1,600 JMD. (_{Price range based on type of supermarket, brand and season. Does not include Pantry Items and tax)}                                                                          

Eating in can be easy on the pocket yet just as fun and tasty as dining out.  Enjoy!

Brawta: Honey. _{(Non pantry ingredients that are leftovers for future use.)}