Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Curried Chicken Wings with Peach Dipping Sauce

I get pretty excited about a new book with great recipes, and when it includes an interesting tip or two as well, I’m even more eager to use the book. With that in mind, the new book from Virginia Willis of which I received a review copy, Basic to Brilliant, Ya'll, will frequently be open on my kitchen counter. Willis combines classic, southern cuisine with perfected techniques and some French dishes that may have been given a southern twist. Every recipe in the book is presented first in its standard way, and that’s followed by a brilliant tip that makes the dish even more special. The tip might be a suggestion for the presentation, a garnish, or an added step in the process. They're all so brilliant because they’re not about adding to the cost of the recipe, they’re just about taking an additioinal step for special occasions. For instance, for the shrimp rillettes, the spread could be served with store-bought crackers or endive leaves, and the brilliant tip is to make homemade fennel flatbreads. I plan to try this for a Thanksgiving appetizer. The kale omelet would delicious on its own, but it’s made brilliant by being baked in a sourdough boule. And, the meringue pillows with strawberries and cream recipe is elevated by making dacquoise layers for a cake instead of individual meringues.

I couldn’t wait to try the curried chicken wings recipe and its accompanying brilliant tip. The basic recipe involves marinating chicken wings in a mix of curry powder, turmeric, cayenne, soy sauce, canola oil, chopped jalapenos, and finely chopped garlic. To up the presentation of the wings, they were turned into chicken “lollipops.” Each wing was cut into drumettes and flat pieces, tendons were cut, and the meat was pushed down the only bone on the drumette or the bigger of the two bones on the flat piece. On flat pieces, the smaller bone was then removed. You’re left with a scraped-clean bone that makes each cooked wing piece very easy to pick up and eat. After turning the pieces into lollipops and marinating them for at least an hour, they were baked while the dipping sauce was made. The sauce was a mix of Greek yogurt, peach preserves, hot sauce, and salt and pepper.

Cutting the wings to form the lollipops did require some extra effort, and the flat pieces were not as easy to convert as the drumettes. However, it was absolutely worth it. They looked great, and were perfect for serving yourself from a platter. They tasted as good as they looked too. Even though I only had time to marinate the wings for one hour, the spices flavored the chicken well. And, the sweet-spicy dipping sauce was exactly right with the flavors from the marinade.

See my review of Basic to Brilliant, Ya'll and get this curried chicken wings recipe at Project Foodie.



26 comments:

  1. wow I love those lollipops chicken wings...fingerlicking!

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  2. The Chicken Lollipops look amazing from here!

    And the 'Basic to Brilliant' cookbook sounds like the kind of book I'll be reading like a Harlequin romance novel.

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  3. Marvelously spicy! Those chicken wings look really scrummy.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Yummm I love these flavourful chicken lollipops :)

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  5. These wings sound awesome and so full of flavor. Totally worth the effort to make them into lollipops.

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  6. Very nice, I like the use of peach preserves, never thought of it...

    I am off to read your review about the book...

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  7. Lisa, these chicken wings look great, I love how you cut them...and the peach sauce sounds like a great combination.
    Hope you are having a wonderful week :-)

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  8. My little brother requests a similar recipe for his birthday every year. These look great Lisa!

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  9. Ok if there is a Chicken Heaven, it is right here...
    Beautiful, I also make chicken lollipops with some asian flavors, these looks just just wow...
    DELICIOUS AMAZINGLY!!!!

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  10. Lisa, I am fascinated by this lollipop drumstick thing - a cool new technique for me:)
    Wishing you a happy and delicious Thanksgiving,
    Erin

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  11. We have a grocery store here that sells the drumettes by themselves, so that does make things easier for this recipe. The spicy wings and the sweet peach sauce does intrigue. Your picture really does look fantastic. I will pop on over to that link now.
    If our comments don't cross again before the holiday-I wish you a memorable one surrounded by the people you love, enjoy it.

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  12. That is brilliant! I never eat chicken wings, mainly becuase they're so messy. These look perfectly lady like. I caught a few minutes of Virginia's demo at the Texas Book Festival. She's supper charming and funny- still need to pick up a copy of the book.

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  13. Love the peach dipping sauce! A little tang and sweetness will boost the flavors of these little chicken "lollipop".

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  14. Those spiced lollipop wings must be so delicious! and the balance the peach dipping sauce brings to the spice....awesome and addictive!

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  15. These look well worth the effort - I like the presentation of them. It kicks chicken wings up a notch. And the flavors sound out of this world delicious!

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  16. This sounds so exotic . Love the recipe.

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  17. I just watched a video on how to make the lollipops, Lisa. Surprisingly easy for such a cute result! And here I just saved a chicken wing post in advance for Super Bowl...and didn't do the lollipops! Darn.
    Well, perhaps I can do another batch, using your recipe...I love the curry idea, but the peach dipping sauce is a huge winner!

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  18. This sounds like an innovative cookbook. I love the idea of having an everyday version, and a version for special occasions. Cute chicken wings!

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  19. I love how dainty these wings look. So sophisticated! Looks delicious.

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  20. i think the peach should be used more often in savory cooking--it's amazing! nice plate of food, lisa. :)

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  21. I'm always in the market for a great cookbook. I can definitely appreciate the difference between cooking for cooking's sake and then cooking for an audience, especially when that audience includes people you love and cherish. Will definitely check this out.

    Looking forward to hearing how your fennel flatbreads turn out. :)

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  22. What a great sounding cookbook and it's not every day that you come across Southern American cuisine and French together! :)

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  23. The title says it all: back to brilliant, ya'll!

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  24. While I love chicken wings I never think of serving them at a party. These lollipops bring chicken wings to a whole new level. And the spicy curry and the sweet peach must taste amazing together. I'm filing this recipe for next time I throw a party :)

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