Happy Monday!  I am going to keep this short and simple and let the chicken wing do the talking.  If you didn’t already know – I love chicken wings!  I try them everywhere I go to see if I can find the best chicken wing on earth.  I love making them at home with different flavor combination to see what makes the best wing.  When I was in Boston last year for the Healthy Living Summit I tried some wings at a restaurant called Wings Over.  These were the best restaurant wings I have ever had in my 33 years of existence.  Simply amazing and plump with great flavor.

For today’s wing I opted for a simple technique but one that never fails… especially in the summer.  I cooked the wings dry both in the oven and on the grill and then coated them in the sauce to finish them off.

The sauce is killer.  A combination of sweet Thai chili and hoisin sauce toned down with a little brown sugar if needed.

Ingredients

• Chicken Wings
• 1 1/2 Cups sweet thai chili sauce ( you can buy the sauce or make it yourself )
• 2 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
• 1 Tbsp. Brown sugar
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment and place chicken wings in a single layer on pan
3. Roast for about 45 minutes until they start getting brown – remove from heat and place in a large bowl
4. Using  a saucepan, add sweet thai chili, hoisin and place over a low heat.  Continue stirring and let it warm through.  Perform a quick test for heat and add sugar if you feel it is too spicy.
5. Preheat grill to medium and place the chicken wings on the top grate to avoiding burning
6. Cook until they become crispy and then remove and let rest for 2 minutes
7. Toss the sauce over the chicken wings and coat evenly.
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When making the sauce, use only a low heat because all ingredients contain sugar and they will burn very easily.  Just bring it up to a light simmer and let it stay there while the wings are cooking.  You will be happy.

The work week is upon us and June is coming.  For all the folks in the US, Happy Memorial Day to you.  I hope everyone has a great day and I will see you in June.  Oh and these wings are crazy good.  You should try them, if you don’t like chicken wings – at least try the sauce.

Take care

zesty

Happy Wednesday to you! Before I get into an exciting yet simple bread recipe, you first have to remember to enter the Dempster’s Giveaway Contest. I cannot wait to have 4 people try this bread and let me know what you think.

Do you like Prosciutto Ham? Are you a big fan of goat cheese? If you are, then this recipe might be for you! Now me on the other hand – I tend to eat whatever is in front of me but I did really enjoy this loaf. One addition I would do in the future is to place some fresh basil leaves under the ham for additional flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 DEMPSTER’S® OvenFreshTM White or Multigrain Baguette
• 2 Tbsp.  Olive oil
• 1 Log Goat cheese
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh thyme leaves
• 10 Thin Slices Prosciutto

Method

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F.
2. SLICE baguette diagonally into ½ inch (1 cm) slices, about 20 slices. Brush on side of each slice with olive oil.
3. SLICE goat cheese into ¼ inch (5 mm) slices and place one slice on each baguette round.
4. SPRINKLE each round with a pinch of thyme and wrap ½ slice of prosciutto around the center of each slice of bread. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves.
5. DRIZZLE with remaining olive oil and bake for 8 minutes or until cheese is softened and baguette is hot and crisp.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you do not like goat cheese, simply replace with your favorite cheese.

Alright, so there you have it.  The contest ends today at 5:00pm Eastern.  Be sure to enter and I will announce the winners on Friday.  I will see you back on Friday with a dish from my latest Sunday cook-off.  Have a great mid week Wednesday.

Take care

zesty