Secrets to Seattle chef’s Avery Island Wings recipe
Whether you’re tailgating at the stadium or hosting a party in your backyard, chicken wings are classic fare. The only problem? The idea of chicken wings often outstrips the reality. We’ve all encountered sad wings that are burned on the outside and woefully pink within, or so slathered with Buffalo sauce they only taste like Frank’s RedHot.
That’s not the case with the Avery Island Wings recipe from James Beard award-winning restaurateur and chef Tom Douglas, whose culinary empire includes more than a dozen Seattle restaurants (Dahlia Lounge, Etta’s and more), the Hot Stove Society cooking school and a Seattle Kitchen radio show.
The recipe is named for a Louisiana island best known for Civil War-era resident Edmund McIlhenny and the hot sauce company he founded in 1868. The McIlhenny Co. has been making Tabasco ever since.
Tabasco, as you might guess, figures prominently in this chicken wings recipe, whose zesty success relies on a few key tricks. First, the chicken marinates overnight in a spicy, flavorful mixture that includes that peppery sauce, plus Dijon mustard, garlic, fresh ginger and herbs. The marinade is so tasty, it makes a great finishing glaze, too. Be sure to set some aside for that purpose, before any raw chicken hits the bowl. And finally, cook the chicken wings low and slow, Douglas says, “so they cook thoroughly before the glaze burns.”
Here’s the recipe:
Avery Island Wings
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup Dijon mustard
½ cup water
½ cup Tabasco sauce
¼ cup chopped garlic
¼ cup peeled and chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
18 whole, large chicken wings, or 24 small wings DIRECTIONS
Whisk the soy sauce, mustard, water, Tabasco, garlic, ginger and herbs together in a bowl. Reserve ½ cup of the marinade — cover and refrigerate it — to use for basting tomorrow.
Place the chicken wings and remaining marinade in a zip-top bag. Seal and turn the bag a couple of times to make sure the wings are well marinated. Refrigerate overnight.
Fire up your grill. Remove the chicken wings from the marinade, then discard this marinade. Grill the wings slowly over medium-low coals, turning often, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the reserved marinade in a saucepan and use some of it to baste the wings a few times while cooking.
Cut into one of the wings to make sure no pink remains near the bone, then remove the wings from the grill and serve.