There is a little Jamaican restaurant that Mangy and I love. It’s run by 2 men who are uncle and nephew and they’re as Jamaican as you’ll find in Melbourne. My 2 favourite things on their 4-dish menu, are their wings and fried plantain. I’ve been meaning to try cooking the wings at home but have yet to find an exact recipe match.
This recipe is a little closer than others, it’s also really tasty in it’s own right. It’ll make great party food and would be easy to cook up for a crowd. I’ve tweaked it slightly to suit my taste for mouth-burning chili and have added rum to suit Mangy’s taste for mind-numbing alcohol.
You’ll need (for the sauce):
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 knob butter
- 1 French shallot – finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons ketchup
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons hot english mustard
- 3 teaspoons tobasco sauce
- 1 shot glass rum (I use Bacardi)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
For the wings:
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 chicken wings, tips removed and drumlet cut from winglet.
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degree Celsius.
In a pot, heat oil and butter. Add shallots, bay leaf and a pinch of salt. Cook until soft. Add ginger and garlic paste, cook on low heat cook this mixture for about 5 minutes. Add all the other sauce ingredients, stir well and simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Make sure the chicken is dry, then coat lightly in the flour. Dip each wing into the sauce and spread out on a baking tray. Bake chicken for about 30 minutes, make sure to stir the chicken every 10 minutes or so. Once the chicken is cooked and tender, stick the pan under a very hot grill. This will start caramelising the sauce and the chicken will get a nice colour. also keep an eye on the chicken and stir occasionally to prevent burning. Once it’s done, serve on a large platter, scrape out any sauce in the pan and serve with the chicken. Enjoy!
Sharm's Kitchen 