Teriyaki-Glazed Wings

Serves 4 normal people or 2 college students
I’m a wing girl—always have been—and for the longest time that was never a family conflict. With any given roasted whole chicken dinner, there was no dispute: Mom got the wings. But over the years, my family caught on to the skin-crunch-meat-bone wing attributes, and now they all want the wings. So we buy large pallets of them in the grocery store for home cooking. For a straight-up collegiate-style chow-down, serve with Loaded Potato Skins (page 123).

INGREDIENTS

  • 2/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1-1/3 cup sake or dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup mirin
  • 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced (2 tablespoons)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 pounds chicken wings, whole
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

 

FOR THE VEGETABLE CRUDITES

  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
  • 1/2 daikon radish, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 English cucumber, cut into spears

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 375, with oven rack in center position.
  2. Combine soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger, garlic, and sugar in a small saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature.
  3. Toss wings in bowl with oil and salt and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, glazing and turning the wings a few times in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
  4. Serve warm with vegetable crudites.
cook's note
WING VARIATIONS
Hot wings, garlic wings, honey-mustard wings, barbecue wings, and teriyaki wings are being scarfed down all over the country. Analyze your favorite take-out tastes and replicate the flavors at home, using the basic cook time given here. For instance, honeymustard-glazed wings are easy: whisk equal parts of honey and your favorite mustard, add some lemon juice, and you’re set. When using most glazes, you want to get the wings cooked and golden before adding the glaze, or it will burn before the chicken is cooked through—and the result won’t be as crunchy.
pantry
Need help with the ingredients? Check our pantry list: