One of the biggest weaknesses in Kris and my life is a cold beer and some delightful deep fat fried bar food. Nothing goes with football like chicken wings, onion rings, jalapeno poppers and queso dip. I had never eaten a chicken wing until I met my husband. One of my closest friends husband, Dan, found this to be one of the most appalling things that he had ever heard in his life. I have spent countless hours trying to remedy this short coming. Since I met my husband eleven years ago, we have been on the quest to figure out what the perfect chicken wing is; The wok, the crock, oven, BBQ or deep fried? The sad reality is, as we get older we can't eat what ever the hell we feel like, when ever we feel like, without a care in the world of the dreaded pound (or in my case pounds). Eight years ago, we embarked on the quest to perfect the healthier chicken wing. After extensive trial and error, we discovered that if you steam the chicken wings before you bake them it brings the oil to the surface allowing you to actually achieve a crispy chicken wing right from the oven. With this method, there is no need to spray the chicken with extra oil. With that said, my favorite homemade chicken wing is on the rotisserie basket on the BBQ. They (the wingy) cook evenly, resulting in a crisp and delicious end result. I realize not everyone has access to this method thus steaming and baking the wings is very close. Secondly, I move to the key to healthier bar food is the two P's, parchment and panko bread crumbs. This is the sole key to replacing the deep fat fried crunch with a lighter healthier oven baked goodness. This method brings me to the onion ring. Kris has perfected the oven onion ring. A lightly toasted, seasoned bread crumb that are crispy, delicious and oh-so satisfying without all the fat. We also use these to make chicken strips and breaded fish. I may not be able to make beer any healthier, but I can move us toward a level of eating satisfaction that will leave you satisfied and not feeling like you need to take a nap.
Chicken Wing:
Steam, bake on parchment paper or baking rack.
Panko:
Season to taste (we use garlic, pepper, cayenne, etc.)
Toast over medium heat and spray a little olive oil on it to make it golden brown
Onion Ring:
Slice and soak red onion in milk for 1/2 hour. The milk removes the bitterness from the onion.
Pat onions dry to remove excess moisture.
Coat with flour (usually with sea salt and pepper)
Dip in beaten egg.
Coat with seasoned panko bread crumb.
Bake on parchment at 350 degrees until crisp.
Chicken Strip:
Cut chicken in strips, use above method.
The key to the parchment paper is it wicks away the excess moisture preventing what you are baking from becoming soggy. The other great advantage to parchment is clean up. Just pull out the paper ad get er done.
I would like to give a special thanks to my brother in law Tyler for introducing me to the panko bread crumb and to my friend Nick for teaching me that you have to toast the bread crumbs in a pan first so they stay crisp.
No matter how afraid keep on cooking and remember there is always room in the pizza budget.
