Saturday, November 29, 2008

Scampi Chicken Wings

Okay, so before I get into this I have to clarify, Scampi is the Italian name of a crustacean that's somewhere between a shrimp and a lobster and is traditionally cooked in butter and garlic. In North America the term has come to define the method of preparation rather than the ingredient. So using this loose translation, here is a recipe I found for some very good chicken wings. I'm not adding any measurements to this one because the recipe is very straight forward.

Ingredients:

Chicken Wings

Vegetable oil
Garlic, minced
Shallots, finely chopped
Dry white wine
Butter
Lemon zest
Salt & pepper, to taste
Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. If you are lucky enough to have a deep fryer available, simply drop the basket and cook these little guys but, assuming you don't have one of these (like most normal people) set your oven at 350F, arrange wings on a baking sheet and pop them in for about 20 - 25 minutes, or until cooked.
(when arranging the wings make sure to line them up evenly without stacking them on top of each other as they will not cook evenly.)

2. Using a frying pan, heat your oil over a medium low temperature and caramelize the garlic and shallots. Make sure not to burn as they will taste bitter.

3. When the garlic and shallots start to get soft and translucent, add a splash (or a more generous) amount of wine for moisture and flavor.

4. Add your butter and allow to melt before adding your lemon zest and seasonings. Check your flavor and turn temperature down to a very low temperature.

5. When the wings are done, toss them with the sauce and add the parsley. Serve and enjoy!
(If you don't have Italian parsley available you can substitute with cilantro)