It's early spring here in New England, which means we get an occasional really nice day. It also means we have an incredible amount of spring clean up and preparedness to do as well. Last Sunday was one of those days, and when you get a fairly decent weather day in April around here - you maximize it. So the last thing I wanted to do was plan elaborate meals that tied me up in the kitchen for hours. That's where Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings came into play.
I tried to find cheap wings that I could cut and trim myself, but given the product stocking challenges at my local grocery store recently, I had to settle for what I could get my hands on - so enter highly priced organic "party cut" wings.
I'm not sure what's making them a "party" - but they were clean, well cut and ready to go. They were actually perfect for what I needed them to do and that was to be a quick fix for lunch. Having them already cut probably saved me a good 20 minutes in the kitchen, so for this application, I wasn't too bummed out that I overspent on chicken wings. They were so clean and good looking, I didn't even have to rinse them off - they were that good.
I began by lining a baking sheet with tin foil and finding a rack that would fit the pan. (Yeah, it's a cooling rack but a good chef knows sometimes you have to roll with the punches.) The wings call for a light coating of dry rub, and the mix couldn't have been easier. Salt, pepper and garlic powder gets combined in a large bowl and then I dumped the wings in and tossed them to coat. Once the seasoning was spread around the chicken, I laid them on the rack in an even layer and then popped them into a 400º oven for 50 minutes.
How awesome is that? For any of you folks that don't want to babysit your meal - this is your jam! I literally pushed the pan in the oven and walked off....out of the house...for nearly an hour....a blessed hour that I spent outside getting the garden ready for spring planting. I didn't have to toss, or stir, or mix, or flip, or turn, or baste or nothing. These babies are the epitome of easy!
After 50 minutes, I came inside and they looked pretty good. I took them out, flipped the oven to broil, and took a few minutes preparing the Parmesan mix of cheese, minced garlic and parsley and melting a little butter. It all got mixed together, wings dumped in and then I tossed the whole bowl until the sauce covered the wings.
I then picked them up with tongs and placed them back on the rack they cooked on. I placed the pan under the broiler for about 5 to 10 minutes more. It gave me enough time to get out some plates and silverware, fill up our drink glasses and call the kids to the kitchen. Before I knew it, I was dishing the chicken onto plates, topping with more Parmesan cheese and lunch was served!
They smelled amazing and tasted fantastic! I threw some chips onto our plates to give us a bit of variety but they would have been great on their own. For the first time in my life making wings, I did not even have one left - we ate them all!
I've since seen a recipe for a creamy Caesar-like dressing to dip them in, and so I will be checking that out at a later time. But we ate them plain (well as plain as you would consider a garlic Parmesan butter sauce) and we found them to be a perfect quick lunch option that won't destroy your appetite for dinner.
So, if you need quick and easy - here it is - Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings! If you give the a try, come back and let me know what you think.
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