Home Wings vs. Store Bought--The battle begins...

As anyone who knew me in college will know, I have an incredible fondness for wings.  Strangely enough, however, I hadn’t even considered it for a recipe until a good friend (thanks SFR*) recommended it.  I know, I’m slow on the uptake.  But I’d never considered wings because they seemed to me to be one of those things you just don’t make on your own from scratch.  Like pizza, or funnel cake.  But it turns out they are surprisingly easy to make, and just as delicious.  To make sure I didn’t end up hungry (and disappointing my hungry friends), I decided to make two different types of wings, and then order two types of wings from THE BEST WINGS PLACE EVER.  Yes, for those of you who went to college in Boston, you may have heard of Wing It, my absolute favorite place for drunk food.  Wing It has wings of any type or flavor, and amazing fries.  I’ve definitely spent the end of many an ill-advised night there.  Could my wings compete?  I’ll let my friends be the judge.

Wings Recipe # 1: Honey Mustard Wings

You’ll need:
5 chicken wings, rinsed and patted dry
1/2 cup mild honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. You can buy chicken wings already cut and ready from any major grocery store.  I got Perdue chicken, but it’s entirely up to you what chicken to buy.  Place the rinsed and now dry wings in a shallow baking dish.
3. Mix honey, mustard, salt and butter together and pour over wings.
4. Bake for 1 hour, turning them half-way through.  They’re done when they appear browned, but just make sure they don’t burn.  You can save the extra sauce and pour over the wings.

Wings Recipe # 2: Garlic Pepper Wings

You’ll need:
5 chicken wings rinsed and patted dry
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl whisk together egg and milk. In a larger bowl combine flour and 1 tsp salt.
3. Dip wings in egg mixture then transfer to the flour to coat. Transfer to the baking tray and allow to set for 15 minutes.
4. Drizzle the wings with canola oil. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn and cook for another 15 – 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, while your wings are cooking, in a large bowl whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, minced garlic, pepper, remaining salt, lemon and garlic powder. Let sit at room temperature for about 25 – 30 minutes to let the flavors mingle.
6. Once wings are cooked, use tongs to transfer hot wings to bowl with garlic pepper mixture. Toss to coat.

Who Won?
 

To be honest, they were all pretty good.  From Wing It, I ordered the old standby, Buffalo wings, and my favorite, Boneless Honey BBQ wings.  I do love my boneless wings, but because I baked rather than fried the other wings, I believe I like them better than the buffalo ones.  I served them all with Bleu cheese dressing and celery.  The Honey Mustard wings were simple, and so easy to make.  They also reminded me of how I have normally had wings in the past, with a different twist.  The Garlic Pepper wings were completely different, having been breaded in flour.  They scared off JC, who thought the garlic chucks looked a little weird.  WW was a little more open minded, and she actually thought those were her favorite.  I like the way they were crunchy and had some texture.

In the end, I learned that making wings is as easy as making a chicken breast.  And if I bake them I’m probably saving myself unknown calories (or at least that’s what I tell myself.)  Remember to bring the wet naps though, the Honey Mustard ones were particularly sticky!  And watch out for the bleu cheese, it tends to make a mess when you’re not paying attention…


*To protect their privacy, I’ll refer to my friends by their initials.

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