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Meat & Poultry

Simple And Delicious Airfryer Chicken Wings.

While I’ve been the recipient of many airfryers (brands send them to me), I sparingly use them. Why? I cook for 5 people and the size of the standard airfryer is not as accommodating, unless you cook in batches. However the new stove I purchased a few months back (DON’T BUY Samsung stoves) has an airfryer feature (essentially a wire basket, with the convection setting on) which allows for cooking larger amounts.

You’ll Need…

1 lemon (juice)
3 pounds chicken wings (trimmed)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Bone Sucking Sauce (powder)

Notes. In my culture we wash our meats, but if that’s not your thing you can skip that step. To keep things simple I used a prepacked rub. You may make your own or use a brand you like. I am not affiliated with the brand I used.

Trim and wash the chicken wings with cool water and the lemon or lime juice. Then pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels and season with the salt and the Bone Sucking rub on both sides.

I set my airfryer to 380 F and gave the wire rack a coat of baking spray (oil) to prevent sticking and to assist clean-up after. Try to leave some space between each wing, so there’s airflow – better even cooking.

Just before I placed the seasoned chicken wings in the airfryer I gave the top of the wings a quick spay of the baking spray (optional).

After 20 minutes, I flipped the wings to the other side and put them back into the airfryer, but at 400 F.

Depending on how big the chicken wings are that you used, it will take another 10-15 minutes. You’re looking for a golden colour with a bit of charring on the edges.

If you’re interested in the sauce I served these with – Amazing Avocado Garlic Sauce (for wings and fries).

Now you’re probably wondering why I mentioned to not get a Samsung Stove. The list of reasons is long, but in keeping with the airfryer feature – the entire oven gets to be a MESS. The grease splatter is not only throughout the oven, it’s caked on at the bottom of the oven and door. A $3000 + stove/oven that’s stained only after the first use. Stupes! Let me know if you’re interested in a full review video on the Samsung Dual Oven With Airfryer in the comments below.

I know this is not your typical Caribbean recipe, but with all the requests I’ve been getting for Slow Cooker and Airfryer recipes, I thought I’d share. Plus.. who doesn’t like a good crispy yet juicy Chicken Wing?

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Simple Crispy Fried Chicken Wings.

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After posting an image of these crispy wings on Instagram a couple weeks back, the DM’s we’re rocking with requests for the recipe. And while this probably won’t be considered a “Caribbean” recipe, I thought that it will still fit within the theme of this website. Infused with herbal flavors as we do on the islands, these wings are super simple to make and with the crispy finish.. you’ll impress your family and guests. Guaranteed!

You’ll Need…

5-6 lbs wings
3 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
4 sprigs thyme
1 scallion
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 bird’s eye pepper (optional)
3 cups veg oil for frying

*I’ve posted this recipe within the ‘gluten free’ section of the website (as well), please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

Feel free to trim off the tips of the chicken wings, cut them in 2 pieces if you wish and give them a look-over for any nasty feathers. As I mentioned in the video, no-body eh trying to get ah feather! Then give the scallion a rough chop as well as the bird’s eye pepper (use any hot pepper you like – optional) and whisk together with everything (except the wings and oil) to make a brine. I like starting with one cup of warm water so the sugar and salt can dissolve easily. Then I go in with 2 cups of super cold water to bring the temperature down to safe levels.

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Place the chicken wings in a deep container (or freezer bag) and pour the brine over them. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for about an hour. Try to not allow them to brine for more than an hour or you’ll risk them going salty.

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After one hour, drain and rinse well with cool water. Allow to drain off and air dry.

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Place the oil to heat in a deep pot (I used a wok) or use your deep fryer if you have one, on a med/high flame. Pat the wings dry with paper towels (make sure they are DRY) , then into the hot oil.

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Depending on the size of your wings, they will take between 17 and 22 minutes to completely cook and go crisp and golden. Remember to flip them and DON’T crowd the pot with too many or it will drop the temp of the oil and make them soggy.

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Fry in batches. As I removed the first batch I placed them on a wire rack (on a sheet-pan to collect the oil drippings). Normally I’d say to place them on paper towels, but I find that when they sit on the paper towels they can go a bit soggy and loose it’s crispy finish. For a more crispy finish you can fry them for a bit longer.

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Since the wings were in that herb-salty brine,  there will be no need to salt these further (but I’m on a low salt diet). Taste and sprinkle on some Sea or Himalayan salt as they come out the hot oil if you want. We enjoyed these with the mango habanero sauce I shared a while back.

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Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Stewed Turkey Wings Recipe.

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I’m not a huge fan of turkey, especially when it’s done the traditional North American way – roasted in the oven. I much prefer getting the cheaper cuts like the necks (Curry Turkey Necks) and in this case, wings. Though a bit tougher than chicken wings, I find that they hold up well to the Caribbean way of stewing and the outcome is quite delightful. Tender pieces of meat, with a wonderful gravy which is excellent on rice, potato, dumplings, roti or ground provisions. The key is in the way we’ll season, marinate and finally braise these turkey wings in a process which is most traditional to the Southern Caribbean.

You’ll Need…

3-4 lbs turkey wings
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tomato (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
3 scallions (Chopped)
1 birds eye chili (1/4 scotch bonnet)
3 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon chopped shado beni (or cilantro)
2 seasoning peppers (known as pimento peppers)
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon veg oil
1 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 cups water

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs – especially the Worcestershire sauce.

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Have your butcher cut the turkey wings into same-size pieces for you, wash and drain. Then season with all the ingredients mentioned above, except the water, veg oil and brown sugar. Mix well, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2-3 hours. Overnight would be best, but not necessary.

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Heat the veg oil on a high flame in a heavy pot, then add the brown sugar and stir. It will clump, but after a while it will start to melt. Turn the fan on above your stove or open your kitchen window as it can get a bit smokey. Remember to use a dry long handle spoon. Keep stirring the sugar.. it will melt, go foamy/frothy and start changing color… you want it to get to an amber colour. Have the seasoned turkey wings very close as you need to act relatively fast. (watch the video below) As it goes a rich amber color, start adding the pieces of seasoned turkey wings and stir. IMPORTANT – you are adding wet wings to VERY hot molten sugar, so be careful and use a long handle spoon. Stir well, to coat all the pieces of turkey with the lovely color.

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Turn the heat down to medium, cover the pot and let it go for about 10 minutes. Yes, it’s ok if some of the marinade goes into the pot as you added the turkey wings. In the same bowl you marinated the wings, pour in the water and move around to pick-up all the remaining marinade – we’ll need that soon. The wings will spring up it’s own natural juices in the pot. Remember to stir it a few times to color it evenly. To intensify the flavor and color of the stew, remove the lid off the pot and crank up the heat to high. It’s time to burn off all that liquid. The goal is to have a dry pot, with the sight of the veg oil at the bottom of the pot that we started of with. Now pour in the water and bring to a boil. This step will now gently cook the wings to perfection.

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When it comes to a boil reduce it to a simmer, cover the pot and let it go for about 70-90 minutes. Remember to stir every 10-15 minutes and keep an eye on your liquid level. After about 80 minutes, they should be fully tender, it’s now time to personalize the dish a bit. You can remove the lid and turn the heat up to get the gravy to the consistency you like and remember to taste it for salt and adjust accordingly. Your tolerance for salt will be different than mine.

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Top with some chopped scallions and serve!

 

Gluten Free Meat & Poultry

Grilled Spicy Mango Chicken Wings.

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As mentioned in the video for this recipe (see below) I had a serous craving for buffalo style chicken wings and with the mango habanero chicken wings we had a few weeks back at Buffalo Wild Wings still on my mind – I had to do my version. The actual spicy mango sauce can be used as a typical dipping sauce for fried chicken, chicken strips or for coconut shrimp as well.

 

You”ll Need

3 lbs chicken wings
1/2 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt (plus a pinch for the sauce)
2 scallions
2 cups mango puree
1 scotch bonnet pepper
2 tablespoon melted butter
1 table spoon corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Notes: If you can’t get scotch bonnet peppers, you can use Habanero pepper or use your fav hot sauce or traditional Caribbean pepper sauce. If you want you can replace the corn syrup with honey and be sure to add more scotch bonnet if you like HEAT!

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Trim off the wing tips (or leave – it’s up to you) and cut the wings into pieces, wash and drain. Then season with the salt, black pepper, chopped scallion and finely chopped thyme. Mix well and let it marinate for a couple hours in the fridge.

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In a sauce pan on medium heat, bring the mango nectar to a gentle simmer and go in with a pinch of salt and finely diced scotch bonnet pepper. If you cannot get scotch bonnet, Habanero pepper will give it a wicked kick with a fruity undertone. Or you can reach for bottle hot sauce or traditional Caribbean peppersauce. Let that reduce for about 8 minutes, then go in with the melted butter, corn syrup and lime juice. Cook on the gentle bubble for about 4 minutes then remove it off the heat.

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Oven Method: Line a baking tray with parchment paper or if using tin foil..drizzle on some veg oil or cooking spray so the wings don’t stick. Place on the middle rack at about 375F for about 1/2 hr (depends on the size of your wings) and remember to flip them so they brown evenly. When fully cooked, toss in 3/4 of the sauce (leave back some to dip the wings in while eating) and put them back in the oven on the broil setting to caramelize (just a couple minutes).

On the grill! On a medium heated grill (about 350-375) grill as you would normally grill chicken wings. For me that was about 25-30 minutes – flipping a few times during the grilling process. Then I removed them off the grill and gave them a bath in the spicy mango sauce and back on the grill to get more flavors as the fame did it’s thing with the sugars in the sauce.

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Serve warm.. top with some chopped scallion and wedges of lime or lemon and it’s always nice to have the reserved mango sauce on the side for those who like to dip their hot wings. You can double up on the sauce and store it in the fridge, so you always have a batch handy when you want to enjoy a spicy mango dipping sauce or for your next batch of Caribbean style Buffalo hot wings.

Meat & Poultry

The Ultimate Fried Chicken Wings Recipe.

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I love me some chicken wings, but I’ve come to accept that most restaurants in North America do them “Buffalo” style. Which basically means… fried crisp then tossed in a vinegar based hot sauce. Vinegar is one of those ingredients you won’t see being used much in the Caribbean, unless it’s for an escovitch sauce or as a preservative for home made peppersauces (hot sauces). Like other West Indians I dislike vinegar, so this chicken wings recipe is based on a traditional way of making fried chicken in the Caribbean. Where you get that crispy skin, followed by tender and juicy pieces of chicken, seasoned perfectly with herbs and spices.  No-lie.. this fried chicken is much better than KFC and Popeyes!

 

You’ll Need…

4 lbs Chicken wings (trimmed and washed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup flour
vegetable oil for frying (about 2-3 cups)

Note: I washed the trimmed pieces of chicken wings with about 3 tablespoons of lemon juice (you can use lime juice as well) and cool water.

 

Place the trimmed, washed and drained chicken wings in a large bowl and mix in the salt, black pepper, curry powder and Caribbean green seasoning. Mix well and marinate for a couple hrs in the fridge.

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Remove from the fridge about 20 minutes before you’re ready to fry so they come back to room temperature. Now beat the eggs in a small bowl and pour over the seasoned chicken wings. Be sure to mix well so the wings get coated in the eggs.  In a large zipper bag (or in a mixing bowl), mix together the corn starch and flour (you can also add a pinch more of black pepper, salt and a bit of paprika). Mix well, then add (a few at a time) chicken wings to the bag and toss around to coat.

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Heat vegetable oil or whatever fat you like using for making fried chicken on a medium high heat in a large pan. I like using my wok when frying so the splattering does not soil the stove top as much. I hate cleaning up grease on the stove.

Add about 3-5 pieces of dusted chicken wings to the hot oil at a time so as not to overcrowd things.

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Fry until golden brown (about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the wings you’re using) and set on paper towels or on a wire rack (over a baking sheet) as I did, so we can get the excess oil to soak up or simply drain off as they cool a bit. Fry the chicken wings in batches and remember to serve warm for tastier results!

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Our last visit to Trinidad and Tobago for Carnival 2014, while the rest of us were ordering bake and shark sandwiches at Maracas Bay (beach) Indy (our youngest daughter)  opted for deep fried chicken wings which were almost exactly like these. Those chicken wings came with fries and a wonderful garlic sauce (like a garlicky mayo).

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