In my last post, I mentioned making a sauce for chicken wings. I use this one for special occasions, and especially in the winter, when oranges are in season. I usually make it with oranges, but I’ve taken to using pretty much any orange citrus, and clementines are what I have on hand as of this writing. This is basically an orange juice reduction, a process that concentrates the orange flavor while adding the sweet heat of cascabel peppers. It’s a flexible recipe, more a process with the specifics of what’s available, and can be varied to taste. It’s a wonderful sauce for any kind of chicken parts; I usually use wings.
Ingredients
3-4 lbs chicken wings
brine (if using; any basic chicken brine will work, adjusted to size of pieces)
2-3 cups clementine juice
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
one small shallot, finely diced
1/2 tsp green peppercorns in brine
1/2 stick butter
5-6 cascabel peppers (remove seeds to lower heat)
salt and white pepper to taste
sugar
Sauce
Lightly sauté shallots, garlic, green peppercorns in butter with salt and white pepper until shallots are translucent, and add orange juice (I’ve not tried this, but deglazing the pan with gran marnier before adding juice might be a good idea). Reduce to half the volume of juice. The more you reduce it, the more concentrated the flavor; check the flavor occasionally, and if it becomes too bitter, add sugar. Once you’ve reached the desired flavor, adjust seasoning, strain through medium strainer, and set aside.
Wings
Brine wings if desired (and you have the time). On a well oiled sheet pan, roast chicken wings until starting to brown, and begin basting liberally with the cascabel sauce, until the wings are well-browned. Put into lightly oiled glass casserole, loosely cover with foil, and keep in warm oven until ready to serve. These are wonderful cold, too, and can also be reheated.
FoodIowa 