Mahogany Wings - Easy

So after dragging myself off to a grueling day at work (yes, kiddies, Happy September!  The library is back to its Sunday hours), I wanted nothing better than to make something relatively easy after working FIVE WHOLE HOURS.  Of course, there, staring back at me in the fridge, was a partially defrosted bag o'wings.  Technically, just the halves of wings that look like mini-drumsticks.  But still wings.

I've been tinkering with a recipe for the past year, adding and dropping ingredients in an effort to find The Perfect Wings recipe.  Haven't found it yet.  But if you don't count snipping up cilantro, the version I have at the moment satisfies everything I want in a weekday-on-the-weekend meal:  easy.

Since wings are approximately 95% skin, this is not exactly health food.   But once in a while, a splurge is well deserved.  If you prefer, you can rationalize it all by serving them as an appetizer, only allowing 2 pieces per person, then serving something more sensible as the main course.

We had leftover from erev Yom Kippur some chicken soup with knaidlach (matzoh balls), followed by 5-6 wing halves each.  Since chicken soup is healthy, the two courses cancel each other out.  As I so rationalize.

You can make this recipe with whole or cut up wings, but I prefer drumettes (also called wingettes).  They are cute, look like mini drumsticks, sit patiently in your freezer and are a little easier to eat as finger food if you live with animals teens or are serving them (the wings, not the teens) when a bunch of friends (or a couple of teens) show up unexpectedly at your doorstep or sukkah.  Drumettes usually come individually frozen in a 4 pound bag, so you can simply pour out the amount you need at a moment's notice and shove the remainder back in the freezer for the next time.

As usual, I find it easier to scissor up the required amount of cilantro rather than chopping.  Same with the optional scallions.

Mahogany Wings
Serves 6 as an appetizer, 3-4 as a main course

Cooking spray
2 lbs. chicken wings or drumettes, frozen or defrosted
2 Tbl. Low-Sodium Soy sauce
1/4 cup Chinese Hoisin sauce
2 Tbl. Rice vinegar
1 tsp. ground Ginger
2 Tbl. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
One scallion, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line large baking sheet with aluminum foil (you'll thank me later at cleanup time).  Lightly spray foil with cooking spray.

Arrange wings in a single layer on baking sheet.   Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

While wings are baking, in a small bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients except for the scallions.

At the end of 20 minutes, remove pan from oven.  Notice that they are barely cooked.   With pastry brush, carefully apply a light coating of the basting sauce.

You don't have to cover them completely, just enough to make them less naked.  Return pan to oven for another 10 minutes.

A little more cooked, but still nowhere near done.  Brush on more basting sauce.  This time try to cover the parts that weren't hit the last time. Return pan to oven for another 5 minutes (10-15 if wings were frozen), or until wings are nicely browned and cooked through.

Pile wings onto large platter or on individual plates. Sprinkle with chopped scallions, if desired. Serve hot or warm.