Spicy Lime Chicken Wings

I am not much of a sports fan but I might become one just for these Spicy Lime Chicken Wings.

Bursting with flavour, smokiness, spice and heat they are a winner, ranking high on the ultimate dude food if you ask me.  And I don’t think you could ever make enough of them.

I found the inspiration for these on Instagram one morning. I love Instagram. It feels like I have a circle of friends that stretches around the whole world and in any one day I can see images taken in New York, Dusseldorf, Beirut, Rome and Melbourne. Photos of daily life, the scenery on the way to work, the interior of a really cool restaurant or gallery or something baked that morning for a special occasion in that person’s life.

And talking about seeing a different part of the world. I am updating this post all the way from Boussac in France. I am here with fellow photographer Francois Pistorius and we are photographing a recipe book. It is incredibly exciting to not only work on our first book together but to be able to shoot it in France. We are immersing ourselves in French countryside living, enjoying incredible food and hospitality while creating the most beautiful images.

Do keep an eye on my Facebook page, Twitter feed and Instagram feed for more updates on the book and images of our adventure here.

The recipe was on Donna Hay’s Instagram feed and I immediately knew I wanted to make it for the blog. I tweaked it here and there (as you do) and have no shame admitting that I did not share a wing with anyone. Get plump wings from happy, organic free range chickens as you do not want just skin, fat and bones for this. And they do need a good squeeze of lime juice just to cut the fat a bit.

Spicy Lime Chicken Wings

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Ingredients

  

• 1½ tablespoons ground smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp chicken rub get one with herbs
• 1 tbsp garlic flakes
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp finely grated lime rind
• 2 tsp ground paprika
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 600 g chicken wings 2 -3 wings per person
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• lime wedges to serve

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
• Place the all the ingredients except the wings, olive oil and lime wedges in a pestle and mortar and grind until combined
• Combine chicken with the oil and 5 tablespoons of the rub in a sandwich bag
• Set the rest of the rub aside
• Close the bag and shake well ensuring that all the chicken pieces are covered with the spice mix Place the wings on a wire rack set above a baking tray and roast for 20–30 minutes until golden and cooked through
• Sprinkle with extra rub and serve with lime wedges
• Adapted from Donna Hay

Wine suggestion from Conrad Louw (CWM)  I have long ago moved beyond the bygone idea of “white meat/white wine or red meat/red wine”. However, for various reasons I would revert back to that rule when making these chicken wings. The lime juice, together with the smoked paprika and pepper etc. need a wine that can hold its spot against the food. The acidity and taste of the lime juice needs something like Sauvignon Blanc, but with a bit more body. I would thus strongly lean towards a white Bordeaux styled wine, with other words, a Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend. Semillon would just give it that extra body whilst the Sauvignon would provide the acidity to make the acidity playing fields level. I recently enjoyed the Spier Creative Block 2 (2014) which is a wine with body and packed with flavour. Of course one can get an array of white Bordeaux style whites that would fit the profile, but Spier’s choice would be softer on the budget too supported with all the flavour and body.
Another choice for me personally would be, because I do not belong to the “ABC Club” (Anything but Chardonnay), to enjoy De Wetshof Finesse / Lesca Chardonnay 2013. It is relatively high in acidity so it can fight the lime’s acidity. It is very well rounded and packed with citrus notes, and would complement the smoked paprika and other spices with ease. The choice is yours, and as a winter’s luncheon snack, the choice is yours – make it work for yourself. Enjoy!