I finally joined this month. It was an ear-to-ear smiling reaction when I saw the blogger I'd been given. Even though I've never met her, I consider Kate from Kate's Kitchen a friend. I've drooled over her food for months. It's because of her that I have Canton Ginger Liqueur and St. Germaine Elderflower Liqueur in my house, even though both bottles were expensive.
I love Kate's sense of humor, her relationship with her husband and her work ethic. And, I love her food. Choosing the recipe was a no-brainer. Even though I would have loved to re-make one of the many drinks she and her husband make, I went immediately to my bookmarks and the recipe I've thought about ever since since Kate posted it in July.
The La Brea Tar Pit Chicken Wings. How can you not love a dish with a name like that?
The Process
This couldn't be easier. Prepare the wings by cutting the drumette from the rest of the wing. I personally wouldn't cut the tip because I love that part, but the pieces I bought came tipless so I wasn't given the opportunity to leave them on. Lay the wings in a dark, big baking dish.
Heat the soy sauce, red wine and brown sugar in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then pour the liquid over the wings. Cook them at high temperature, turning once, until the liquid is the consistency of; yes, tar.
The recipe calls for baking the wings for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, then flipping them and baking them another hour. I did the 45 minutes and they were already looking close to done, so I watched closely and ended up taking them out after only 15 minutes. They were definitely done and, as you can see, well lacquered.
The Verdict
These were a humongous hit. Even Dudette, who wasn't fond of the Apple-Honey Drumsticks I made earlier in the month loved these. We ate them until we were sick, then we waited a little while and had more. They cook up crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. The tar pit sauce is sweet but saucy and really, really good. The only thing I would like is for Kate to come over and clean my baking dish.
What I'd Do Different Next Time
I saw a recipe on Epicurious for this and they used ground ginger. I'd definitely add that, if not grated fresh ginger, next time. But that doesn't make them any less phenomenal without the ginger.
La Brea Tar Pit Chicken Wings - print this recipe
from Kate's Kitchen
3 pounds chicken wings
1 cup quality soy sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Chop off the tips off the wings and split them at the joint.
Mix the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves.
Lay the wing pieces in a dark baking dish or rimmed sheet tray. Pour the sauce over and around the wings.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn the wings and bake for another hour, checking often so the sauce doesn't burn. The sauce should turn lacquer-like.
Below is the list of all the other people who were part of my Secret Recipe Club group. If you'd like to join in, you can head to their site and sign up. It's really very fun and just once a month. Just click on the link below to check it out.
