For as long as I can remember I’ve always been into books. My childhood allowance usually went towards books from the Scholastic book sale at school or food (go figure!). One of the best purchases I made from one of those Scholastic catalogs was a simple cookbook for kids. It was the first cookbook that made me excited about cooking. I’d wake up on the weekend, turn on the toons and make a batch of french toast that my brothers would bribe me for. I worked my way through that little cookbook with recipes for eggs, pasta, and English muffin pizzas but the one thing that impressed me and my whole family most was the roasted chicken thighs.
Every time I roast chicken, I get a vivid flashback. I remember mixing chicken thighs with chopped onion in a metal brownie pan. I drizzled the thighs with olive oil, coated them with rosemary, thyme, salt & pepper and placed them into the oven to roast. What came out of the oven was more than decent; it was exceptional! The sheer alchemy of it all fascinated me and I felt a great sense of accomplishment making a grownup dish on my own. Fast forward twenty something years later and I’m still blown away at how spice coated chicken can be easily transformed by a little oven time. These wings & drumsticks were a hit in my household. Casey’s always begging me to make more meat and with the ease of this recipe there’s really no excuse not to!
And we’re off!
Wings & Drumsticks. Trim those wing tips!
Transfer to a baking sheet. Season the chicken with salt & pepper.
In a large bowl, mix the oil, garlic, sweet paprika, cloves, and allspice.
Toss that chicken in there. Let it marinate for about an hour, covered in the fridge.
Spread the chicken on a baking sheet. Now ROAST!
Look! They’re done!
This is totally football season food.
I’m gonna make my man happy this winter!
Peppery Chicken Wings
Serves 4-6
(recipe slightly adapted from Heart of the Artichoke, by David Tanis)
- 5 pounds chicken wings, wingtips removed (I used a combo of drumsticks & wings)
- kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 4 medium cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with a little salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Lay the chicken wings out on a baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the allspice, cloves, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic and oil; toss to coat evenly. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Have a large roasting pan or baking sheet at hand.
Spread the wings evenly in the pan or on the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, uncovered, until they are nicely browned and crisp, about 1 hour.
Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
