"chickenwings" news and stories

Like they say, ain't no thang like a chicken wang. Er, rather chicken wing.

I realize that we're posting about main dishes all day today for Slashfood's Super Bowl Week, and traditionally, chicken wings are eaten as appetizers. However, if you eat two dozen chicken wings the way I do with a small bowl of rice on the side, you can pretty much consider these chicken wings a main course.

These wings are based on a recipe that I first manipulated out of a college roommate, who got it from her friend's mother. I took lecture notes, my roommate gave me the recipe. Now, it's a very loose set of instructions, since I first got it form a Korean mom, and there's no such thing as "recipes" for Korean moms. There is always room for customization, which I had to do last night because my guests are on a low-spice diet. I know. Could there be anything worse than a low-spice diet?

Yesterday we did dips during the cookbook of the day, but we all know that dips aren't much good without something that needs dipping. Chips, crackers and crudite are all good options, but when it comes to sports, hot wings should be a game day staple. Wings Across America: 150 Outrageously Delicious Chicken-Wing Recipes: 150 Outrageously Delicious Chicken Wings Recipes is a cookbook that serves up more than enough recipes for chicken wings to get you through this season and next.

The wing recipes in the book go much farther than you might expect them to in terms of flavor, with recipes from not only all over the country, but from around the world as well. You'll find the classic Buffalo hot wings, as well as Cajun-style wings, and heat levels that range from mild to fiery hot. The better-traveled wings use a combinations of spices and sauces from the Caribbean, Italy and Mexico, with some Asian flavors thrown in for good measure. There are plenty of dips and butters that go perfectly with the wings, as well as a variety of wing-complementing side dishes and salads. Many of which, like the Yummy Beer Battered Onion Rings, are deep fried.

And just in case the massive number of wing recipes still can't tempt you to get into the kitchen and make your own batch, the book includes a section on "wing joints," so you'll be able to track some already made ones down.

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The first time I tasted stuffed chicken wings was years ago at Lotus of Siam, the Thai spot in Las Vegas that many say is the best in the States. Needless to say their version was packed with an incendiary stuffing.

I forgot about this culinary wonder that ranks up there with the turducken as one of mankind's greatest achievements until the other week when I was dining with some friends at Chanto, a sleek Japanese restaurant and nightspot in lower Manhattan.

Glancing at the menu, I saw it, "Tebagyo: gyoza stuffed chicken wings with teriyaki sauce." I love a good gyoza and I'm quite fond of teba, or Japanese-style wings. Who needs mad food scientists and their shrimp as pasta, I mused as I pondered the wonder of chicken wing as pork dumpling that awaited.

When the pork-laden wings touched down on our table, they did not disappoint. The skin was lacquered with a delicious sauce. Cutting into them revealed a ring of chicken meat surrounding a savory filling of ground pork combined with scallions and other green bits. I guess pigs can fly after all.

Chanto, 133 Seventh Avenue South, (212) 463-8686

Spicy is probably the most popular way to make a chicken wing, with the Buffalo-style leading the flock. However, there's more than one way fly. And fry. Most of chicken wings taste great either grilled or deep-fried (my preference) then simply tossed, while still hot, with a sauce. To start, deep fry cleaned and dried wings in oil over medium heat, about 5-6 minutes. Then, use one of the following:

• Original Buffalo wings - For every pound of wings, mix 2 Tbsp. melted butter, 1 Tbsp Franks RedHot Sauce, and a dash of cider vinegar. Serve wings with Blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
• Asian Spice - mix 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp chili sauce (sriracha or sambal) and 1 Tbsp sugar. Toss sauce with chicken wings.
• Barbecue - many people marinate meats in barbecue sauce before grilling or broiling. However, I prefer a fairly sweet barbecue sauce, which would end up burning too quickly. Instead, I grill wings that have been seasoned lightly with salt and pepper and lightly oiled with olive oil, then leave a barbecue sauce out for dipping.
• Italian Fried - Just like making oven-fried chicken, dip each wing in melted butter, then coat the wings with bread crumbs that have been generously seasoned with dried basil, oregano and Parmesan cheese. These wings are baked in an oven at 400 degres for 40 minutes. I love to serve these wings with fried mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce for dipping.

Anything you do to the rest of the whole chicken, you can do to the wings. Tandoori? Terikyaki? The options are endless.