Recently, however, one of my favorite food blogs posted a recipe for jerk chicken wings so I gave them a try.
Holy crud were they good.
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| Wings |
I think that the chicken wings came from high-quality chickens made a difference, but the marinade had such a wonderful sweet and savory jerk flavor, I devoured them. Additionally, the method by which they're roasted--first for 15 minutes at 400° then for 15 more minutes (for blackening) at 500°--cooked them to perfection: crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. In the past I've cooked wings in the oven and they don't end up crispy, but the method used by Comfy Belly was perfect--even if it did set off the smoke detectors in my apartment.
My stand-by taste-tester Andrea said that they were the best homemade chicken wings she's ever had.
A few night's later I was having some folks over for dinner, so I decided to make them again, and this time I also added some chicken legs to the marinade to roast along with the wings--the legs are cheaper and meatier and I figured they'd serve as a more solid "meal" star. I cooked the legs for about 25-30 minutes on 400° first, then for the 15 minutes on 500°.
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| Legs |
To go along with the chicken I also made my standard cabbage slaw (just sliced cabbage with a simple vinaigrette made from apple cider vinegar, crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and good olive oil) and roasted potatoes.
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| Slaw to accompany the jerk. |
I sliced the potatoes prior to roasting them so that they could be seasoned inside and out--slicing them just so they are still connected at the bottom, then tossing them in olive oil and sprinkling them with tasty seasoning. I used Montreal steak seasoning, but any seasoning you prefer will do.
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| Taters |
It was a very tasty meal indeed, and one that will likely be in my regular rotation because it's also incredibly simple.
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| Think next time I make it, I might add some carrots to the slaw to bring more color to this dish. |
I served aged red Zinfandel with the meal (when I had company), but I think beer accompanies it better ...perhaps a Red Stripe. ;)
