CHICKEN WINGS - BAKED!!!

Most chicken wings are deep fried, but chicken wings already contain enough fat to fry themselves! and get crisp skin. This one is BAKED!!!!!!

I have nothing against frying . I believe that whatever you eat to your stomach's content(a happy stomach feeling and not the bloated feeling ) is healthy  for you.

It's just that frying is time consuming and I want to spend less time in the kitchen. I have been playing with this recipe for a few years now. To mimic the frying , I baked the wings at 550 degree Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes, voila !you get nice crispy baked chicken wings in half the time.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1-1/2 kg of chicken wings(I have taken 1-1/2 kg of frozen wings, after thawing it will weigh a little less about 1.4 kg)
2. 1 Tbsp pepper powder
3. 4 Tbsp. cornflour
4. 1/2 tsp baking soda
5. 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
6. salt to taste(4 tsp for the chicken)    

For the sauce

1. 1 big whole garlic, finely chopped(35-40 gms)
2. 1 Tbsp. red chili powder or 2 Tbsp. Kashmiri chili powder
3. 2 Tbsp. oil
4. 1 tsp cumin powder
5. 2 Tbsp. brown sugar or honey or sugar
6. 5 Tbsp. tamarind pulp or frozen tamarind cubes or 45 gms tamarind soaked in water(next time 60 gms.)
7. salt to taste(1/2 tsp)

METHOD

• Oil and dust a baking tray with flour. This is very important. This keeps the wings from sticking to the tray.
• Pre-heat the oven to 550-degree Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• The next steps should be perfectly aligned such that the chicken can be put into the oven as soon as it is mixed. 
• Mix baking soda with lemon juice in a small bowl and keep aside.
•  Wash the chicken and put it in a colander for about 5 minutes so that it's not very wet. Then mix in the cornflour, pepper and salt. Mix everything well for about 2 minutes and then add the baking soda-lemon juice mixture and mix well again. Layer this into the the tray. This should be done as soon as the chicken is mixed. 
• Don't wait for the water to seep out of the chicken. Before that it should be baked. So, time yourself between pre-heating the oven and mixing the chicken.
  
  
  
  

• Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes take the tray out and turn over the wings, put the tray back in the oven and bake at the same temperature for 10 minutes. The goal is to imitate frying. So first bake until the top of the chicken just starts to brown and then take it out and turn it over and then bake at the same temperature till the top part is light brown. 
• Even if you are not using less  amount of chicken, please don't open the oven door for the first 10 minutes. It needs that minimum amount of cooking time.
• I hate this step of taking the tray out and turning it the wings over but it is mandatory so that both the sides are crisp and brown.
  
  

• While the chicken is baking, heat a sauté pan on medium high heat. When warm add oil , when the oil is hot add the garlic, sauté till the garlic turns slightly brown(not burnt), then  turn off the stove and  then add in the cumin powder, chili powder, salt and 2 Tbsp water. Stir it and then add  tamarind pulp and sugar. Turn on the stove and bring it to a slight boil and then turn off the stove. 
•  Stir well and keep covered until the wings are baked. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• By this time you can hear the cracking of the skin of the chicken. 

                                            

• Put the chicken in to the pan and give it a good stir. Add more tamarind pulp if required. 

         

         

• Chicken wings are ready to serve.
  
  
  

NOTES

• Adjust the sweetness and sourness according to your family's choice.
• Is the baking soda-lemon juice mixture really important? Yes; The chicken is crispy as soon as they come out of the oven but as they sit, the skin of the chicken becomes tough. The baking soda-lemon juice mixture helps to soften the chicken skin even when its cool.
• The sauce can be made ahead and mixed with the chicken as soon as they come out of the oven.
• Substitute for tamarind pulp? Puree 4 big tomatoes and stir into the sauteed garlic. You will have to reduce the tomato puree to avoid the raw smell and taste of the tomatoes. Finally add rest of the ingredients and also 1 or 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice. Tastes good. 
• I tried with 1-1/4 Kg. chicken but that's too less and there was enough vacant space in the pan and when the the chicken is baked, the empty space in the pan burns as in becomes pitch black. So we do not want very less chicken pieces, we do not want to overcrowd the pan nor do we want a lot of empty space. 
• Rubbing in the salt into chicken is very important. So you want to continuously mix the chicken with your hands.
• The chicken wings remain crispy even after 20 minutes of making it. If possible serve as soon as you make it. Otherwise, make it ahead and microwave it just before serving. 
• When making the chicken wings for a party: I tried making it way ahead as in the whole thing including mixing it with the sauce and then I tried reheating the wings in a 550℉ oven for 10 minutes but I feel microwaving the chicken just before serving is the best option.