Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend and everyone knows it’s not a Super Bowl Party without chicken wings! Here are two delicious ways to prepare them without frying so you can enjoy them with a little less guilt and a lot less mess.
Dry & Bake - This process needs to start a day in advance and involves coating the wings with an egg white mixture then letting them dry out in the refrigerator overnight. The drying process is critical to obtaining the crispy texture. So don't skip this step.
1. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Combine 2 large egg whites, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp fine sea salt in a large bowl and beat until the salt and baking soda is dissolved into the egg whites (feel the egg white, you shouldn’t be able to feel any grains of salt). Toss 2 lbs chicken wings in the egg white mixture, making sure to coat all sides of the wings. Pick the wings up from the bowl, letting any excess egg white drip back in to the bowl, and put on the wire rack, making sure the wings aren’t touching. Put in the refrigerator, uncovered for 8 hours or overnight to dry out. If you can, flip the wings once to let both sides dry out evenly.
2. Once the wings have dried, preheat the oven to 450˚F. Place the wings on an oven-safe stainless cooling rack set in a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then flip the wings over and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Flip one more time and bake for 10 more minutes or until the wings are crispy golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Toss with your favorite sauce and serve. Check out the complete recipe with Korean BBQ sauce.
Roasting - If you're looking for something a little different from traditional wings or if you don't want to bother with drying them out overnight then this is the method for you. Simply pat wings dry then toss them with one of the combinations below. Let them rest in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight). Follow the cooking instructions as described in the dry & bake method above.
Tuscan Chicken Wings
Toss wings with desired quantity of chopped garlic, zest of 1 Lemon, a few sprigs of chopped fresh rosemary and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper before roasting. Roast with additional fresh rosemary sprigs and fresh lemon slices scattered around the wings.
Tequila Chicken Wings
In a large bowl combine 1/2 cup gold tequila, 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro.
Tuscan and tequila roasted chicken wings have have plenty of great flavors on their own. Sauce optional; finger licking required!