Matt Preston’s chicken wing recipes revealed

Masterchef MATT PRESTON cooks chicken wings in a multitude of ways. He explains how to prepare the little meaty gems and the best ways to make them unforgettable.

Matt Preston

3 min read

February 15, 2024 - 1:45PM

Recipes

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For value, flavour and general deliciousness, chicken wings are No. 1. Matt Preston reports.

Chicken wings are that wonderful combination of being versatile and cheap per kilo. If they’re handled right, they can also be darned delicious.

How to cook chicken wings

The first thing you need to do is to divide the wings into their three segments.

First, chop off the wing tips. These are too fatty to be much fun to eat but are great for adding to chicken stock to boost its flavour.

Then divide the rest of the wing into the two obvious portions of drumette and wingette at the joint.

It is then really just a matter of working out from which part of the world you want to take your culinary inspiration. Whether you want to bake Indian wings that have been marinated overnight in yoghurt and tandoori paste or give the wings a French twist by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, smooth Dijon mustard and two crushed cloves of garlic for the marinade.

After a couple of hours, shake off the excess marinade and grill or barbecue slowly.

Chicken wings can be braised in a Chinese way.

CHINESE-STYLE CHICKEN WINGS

My kids love their chicken wings with a Chinese twist. The easiest way to achieve this is to marinate 1kg of the wing pieces for an hour or more in a sauce made from combining 1/4 cup honey, 1/2 cup soy sauce and the juice of a lemon.

Then lay the wings in an oven tray and bake in a 190C oven for about an hour until the wings are cooked and the marinade has turned into a sticky glaze on the wings. Toss them a couple of times during the cooking.

For a more adult version, very finely grate a thumb-sized piece of ginger and two garlic cloves into the marinade.

Alternatively, mix together a rub of a tablespoon of brown sugar, two teaspoons of salt and a tablespoon of five-spice powder. Rub this on to a kilo of lightly oiled wing pieces or place the spice rub inside a plastic bag with the wings and shake it on.

Arrange the wings in one layer on a rack in a baking dish and leave them (covered) in the fridge for at least half an hour for the rub to flavour the skin. Shake off any excess rub and bake in a 220C oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

If you want, serve these wings drizzled with a salty caramel sauce spiked with deseeded slices of red chilli and sprinkled with toasted white sesame seeds.

The wings can also be braised in a Chinese way:

In large pan, heat oil and brown 1kg of wing pieces. Then add a cup of sliced mushrooms of your fancy – shitake are great but ordinary button mushrooms are fine.

Trim and peel a bunch of spring onions. Cut off the white parts and stir into the pot. Reserve the green parts of the spring onions.

Pour in a cup of chicken stock plus half a cup of sweet soy and of dark soy. You can find these in the Asian section of your supermarket or at Asian delis.

Cook the wings at a gentle simmer for half an hour or until the wings are cooked but still juicy.

To finish the dish, drizzle over a couple of teaspoons of sesame oil, snip the green part of the spring onions as garnish and serve with rice.

After a couple of hours, shake off the excess marinade and grill or barbecue the chicken wings slowly.

MADE IN AMERICA

Of course, the US has a massive love affair with the humble chicken – it even eclipses beef and pork as that nation’s most eaten protein – and wings have a special place in the hearts of every American. That’s why this week’s recipe celebrates a classic and very decadent US treatment of wings – pairing them with cola.

Recipe Idea: Cola Fried Chook recipe

The first thing you need to do is to divide the chicken wings into their three segments.

ITALIAN INSPIRED

The method of braising your chicken wings works equally well with other flavours.

For Italian-accented wings, brown 1kg in a large high-sided frypan or heavy saucepan with a little olive oil until they are all toasty and golden.

Finely grate (or chop) two garlic cloves into the pan and jumble the wings so the garlic is well distributed among the wings. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar. Then add a can of tomatoes, a cup of chicken stock, a handful of capers and a large handful of pitted and halved black olives.

Cook on a medium heat just quietly bubbling away for half an hour.

Finish by stirring in a handful of chopped parsley and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar just before serving.

This is great served with buttered noodles.