Wings in Black Bean Sauce with Noodles

Chicken wings meat and bell peppers in black bean sauce with egg noodles

Just like many millions of other people, I love wings simply roasted or fried and eaten straight off the bone. What I love even more, however, is experimenting with different ways of cooking and particularly serving wings. 

Black bean stir frying sauce

Ingredients (Serves 2)

8 to 10 whole raw wings
6 ounce foil pack black bean stir frying sauce
8 ounce pack fresh egg noodles (or two single serving nests of dried noodles)
6 ounce pack mixed sliced bell peppers
Vegetable oil (or similar) for frying

Chicken wings in black bean sauce ready for roasting

Directions

Start by getting your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Put the black bean sauce in to a large glass or stone bowl. Add the wings whole (removing the tips is optional) and carefully fold them through the sauce to fully and evenly coat. Lay them out on a roasting tray, skin sides up, in a single layer.

Roasted chicken wings in black bean sauce

When your oven is ready, put the tray in to roast the wings for half an hour. At this stage, remove the tray and set aside until the wings are cool enough to handle. This time period will vary person to person but do be careful not to burn yourself as particularly the inside flesh of the wings against the bones will stay very hot for at least fifteen minutes.

Meat is plucked from roasted wings

Carefully pluck all the crispy skin and succulent meat from the bones and add temporarily to a small holding dish. If you want to discard some or all of the skin on healthy eating grounds that's fine but do remember it is the skin which contains most of the black bean sauce flavour.

Reheating egg noodles

These fresh egg noodles required simply to be added to a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes to reheat. If you are using dried noodles, refer to the instructions on the pack.

Starting to stir fry bell peppers

Add a tablespoon or so of oil to a deep frying pan or wok and bring up to a high heat. Add the bell peppers and stir fry for a couple of minutes until they are just starting to soften.

Draining egg noodles

Drain the noodles through a large colander or sieve.

Wings meat is added to pan with stir fried bell peppers

Add the chicken pieces to the pan and carefully fold through the peppers over a medium heat for a minute or so just to fully reheat.

Lay the egg noodles on two serving plates and arrange the chicken and peppers on top/alongside.

Noodles are arranged first on serving plate

Indian Pakora Spiced Chicken Wings with Homemade Pakora Sauce

Chicken wings roasted in pakora spices are served with salad and a homemade pakora sauce

Indian spices in many ways are almost meant to be combined with chicken. The number of tasty combinations we can make from these simple ingredients is beyond counting. It was while I was making a batch of vegetable pakora and contemplating making chicken pakora that I came up with this alternative idea. I was almost certain it would work well and I'm delighted to say that it did - it was absolutely delicious!

Note: Regular readers of this blog may notice a subtle change in the layout today. The pictures are not only larger but now contain captions. I very much hope you like the changes (which will remain, going forward) and agree that they improve the presentation of the recipes.

The spices are added to the sunflower oil

Ingredients (Serves Two)

8 large chicken wings (or as required)
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium tomato
2 or 3 slices from half an onion
Homemade or bought pakora sauce
Chopped coriander/cilantro to garnish

Chicken wings are added to the bowl with the spiced oil

Directions

Put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Pour the sunflower oil in to a large bowl (it will need to be large enough to contain the chicken wings) and add the salt and spices. Stir well to form a smooth paste.

Chicken wings are carefully stirred through the spiced oil

Put the chicken wings in to the bowl and very carefully stir them by employing a folding motion until they are evenly coated with the oil and spices. Lay them in a single layer on a large roasting tray and put them in the oven for half an hour.

Chicken wings are laid in a single layer on a roasting tray

Remove the chicken wings from the oven and set them aside to rest for at least five minutes, perhaps while you prepare the simple accompaniments.

Tomato and onion forms the simple salad accompaniment to these spicy wings

The pakora sauce is best served in small ramekins. The onion slices should be separated in to strands and the tomato cut to six or eight segments. Plate your meal as shown in the photographs, serve and enjoy.

Pakora spiced chicken wings and homemade pakora sauce

Hot and Spicy Chilli Chicken Wings

How do you like your chicken wings? Sadly, a great many people will say straight from KFC or any one of a number of other fast food outlets. The reality is, however, that chicken wings are not only incredibly easy to cook at home, they can be prepared in your own kitchen in any number of different ways that you will never see them for sale in a takeaway. If you don't know this already, why not give them a go? They're inexpensive to buy from supermarkets and this is just one idea of how you can serve them up to your family. At the bottom of this post, you will find links to help you with a great many more delicious ways to serve up these succulent and tasty food items.

Ingredients per Person

4 large chicken wings
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp hot chilli powder
Pinch of sea salt
1/2 small white onion
2 tbsp Indian spiced onions
1 10" naan bread
Sprig of mint for garnish

Directions

Pour the vegetable oil in to a large glass or stone bowl. Add the chilli powder and a pinch of salt. Stir well to form a smooth paste before adding the chicken wings and sliced onion. Carefully stir in a folding motion to ensure the wings and onions are evenly coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours. (Marinating for this length of time is not absolutely essential but does improve the ultimate flavour.)

Preheat your oven to 400F/200C. Lay the wings and onions on a baking tray and pour over any excess oil. Cook for thirty minutes.

When the wings come out of the oven, check the juices run clear by piercing with a skewer. Leave to rest for ten minutes before adding them to a serving dish.

If you are using a store bought naan, heat it per the instructions on the packet. Lay it on a chopping board and slice in to portions for service.

Spoon the spiced onions in to a small ramekin and garnish with the sprig of mint. Plate alongside the wings and arrange the naan bread slices alongside.

Spicy Szechuan Chicken Wings with Summer Salad and Bruschetta

Feeling the summer heat? Are hot and spicy chicken wings the last thing on your mind right now? Maybe these chicken wings, still hot and spicy but served cold with a simple summer salad and some easy made Italian bruschetta would be just what the doctor ordered for dinner tonight. They are perfect for eating outside, served with a freezing cold beer.

These wings can equally well be served hot but if serving them cold as I have done, you will have to cook them at least a couple of hours in advance. The sauce which I have used is simply a 4oz pack of stir fry sauce but you can use sauce from a larger jar. This will be perfect for a pound, to a pound and a quarter, of chicken wings.

Put the sauce in to a large bowl and add the chicken wings. Stir carefully and well. If time permits, cover and refrigerate for an hour or so to marinate.

Preheat your oven to 400F/200C. Spread the wings out in a single layer on a large baking sheet or roasting tin. Cook for thirty-five minutes. Remove the tray from the oven, cover with foil and set aside to rest and cool.

Ingredients per Person for Salad and Bruschetta

1 Little Gem lettuce
1 large tomato
1/2 small onion
1 Ciabatta bread roll
1 clove of garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash the lettuce and roughly chop. Finely slice the onion and cut the tomato in to six segments. Season with salt and pepper, mix carefully together and arrange on a serving plate.

As the bruschetta is going to be served hot, we want everything else ready to serve before we prepare it. Lay your chicken wings therefore on a separate plate and scatter with some freshly torn basil leaves to garnish.

The Ciabatta roll should be halved horizontally. Preheat an overhead grill and toast the halves of the roll on both sides until beautifully golden. Lay them cut side up on a chopping board.

Peel the garlic clove and lightly crush it under the blade of a large knife. This simply helps to release the juices and impart the flavour in to the toast. Rub the garlic clove over both slices of toast and discard.

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the toast, season with salt and black pepper, arrange by the salad as shown and serve immediately.