Food chains that specialize in chicken wings generally have a limited repertoire. You order wings with various degrees of spice and heat (habanero sauce at one end, ketchup-like at the other), different coatings (barbeque, teriyaki) or rubs (jerk, garlic) and the same dips – ranch or blue cheese with a stalk of celery. They are not without character, unlike chicken fingers that set the standard for bland, but it’s hard to find anything interesting about them once you’ve had them once or twice. Nothing new, as Ecclesiastes says, under the sun.
Well, here’s a variation to consider: wings that come from the Chinese dim sum tradition. In this preparation, the wings have had the meat forced to the end, baring the bone. In the case of the double-bone section, one bone is removed first. These are lightly seasoned, battered and deep fried. For lunch today, I used a bit of garlic as the seasoning, made a light batter and served them – to myself – with a roasted tomato salsa and a homemade mayonnaise. They’re not messy, since the edible portion is all at one end, and the light batter gives them a richness lacking in a plain wing.
I noted in my last newsletter that these would be a good addition to a football party, since they retain their bar-food character, ease of eating and ability to go well with a variety of drinks. I still believe this to be true, but would urge you to get someone else to make them for you. Preparing the wings, removing the bones, etc. is tedious.