STEPHEN • These are my attempt to re-create the fantastic salt-and- pepper wings from a local NYC kitchen called La Poulette. I order them when I need something to pick up my spirits. They are very simple to make, and as my version is baked, not fried, I tell myself they are healthy.
EVIE • There are several things that Stephen turns to for comfort. Lord of the Rings is, of course, top of the list, and then old episodes of Veep, but these delicious yet easy chicken wings also are a go-to for calming the brain and restoring the spirit.
Growing up, this is one of the things we often made for parties with other Japanese-Australian families and it was always a hit with everyone, especially with the children – we nicknamed this dish ‘yummy chicken’, which says it all really.
The key here is marinating the chicken in the sauce. Don’t be tempted to keep all the delicious marinade in the tray because it will just burn. Instead, drain off the marinade, cook it separately to reduce it, then use it as a glaze towards the end of cooking. You could use fish fillets here instead of the chicken, too. Sake is used for flavour and is a tenderiser, but if you don’t have it, you can use a splash of white wine instead. If you don’t have mirin handy, try a delicate honey instead, which is what my mother would have used.
I am yet to meet someone who doesn’t like chicken wings. Traditionally this recipe was made using the whole chicken, however it is so much more shareable when made with wings.
Sweet, tart and snappy with healthy shots of hot sauce, and grilled to near potato chip crispness, in our book the chicken wing approaches celestial perfection. Neither light meat nor dark, they are a coupling of both, and nothing pulls in flavor and crisps up in cooking quite like wings. It’s that wonderful proportion of luscious skin to meat and bone.
Excellent hot, at room temperature, or cold, these will keep 5 days in the refrigerator and reheat nicely.