Alabama White Sauce Chicken Wings – Oven-Roasted

Step-by-step recipe

1. Most chicken wing recipes use two parts of the wing, leaving out the thin tip. Alabama white sauce wings are also made from the two meatiest parts, and you can now buy wings packed exactly like that. They are cleanly plucked, have never been frozen and roast or bake beautifully. Chicken like this needs no preparation at all.
   
2. How to marinate the chicken wings
3. The wings are dry-marinated and left in the fridge. At first it may seem like too many spices and seasonings, but it isn't: they give the meat a subtle flavour and aroma in which the spices are hinted at rather than pronounced. In a cup, mix 1 tbsp of brown sugar (it can be very dark, also called muscovado) with half a teaspoon each of fine salt, granulated dried onion and garlic, chili powder, chili flakes and ground white pepper. To give the wings a reddish colour, also add 1 tsp of ground sweet paprika.
   
4. Many white sauce wing recipes add baking powder to the dry rub, as it is believed to help form a crispy skin. Try it if you like. Wash the wings, pat them dry with paper towels and cut them at the joint into two pieces. Put the pieces in a bowl, sprinkle with the spice mix and toss well so the spices are evenly distributed. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, preferably overnight.
   
5. How to cook Alabama chicken wings
6. There are several ways to cook them. If you can, use a charcoal grill or an electric grill. You can also deep-fry them. The simplest option is an ordinary oven. Take the wings out of the fridge and drizzle them with 1 tbsp of neutral vegetable oil. Toss and place them on a baking tray – I use a large ovenproof glass baking dish. Arrange the pieces in a single layer.
   
7. Preheat the oven thoroughly to 180-190°C. Put the tray of wings in the oven. Chicken is usually done in 25-30 min, but here it is better to cook it a little longer. Turn the pieces from time to time so they cook through and brown well. The total cooking time is up to 45 min. Don't let them burn or stick to the tray.
   
8. Making Alabama white sauce
9. Mayonnaise is the base of the white sauce. You can make your own or buy a good-quality thick mayonnaise. For 1 kg of wings, 100 ml of mayonnaise is enough. That said, the sauce is so tasty and so good for dipping the chicken that you may want to make more. The other ingredients are nothing complicated or exotic. Get the mayonnaise and seasonings ready.
   
10. Add 1-2 tbsp of good apple cider vinegar to the mayonnaise. By the way, if you don't like apple cider vinegar, use pickle brine instead – it tastes a little different, but very good. Other ingredients: 1 tbsp of natural honey (or even 2 tbsp) and 0.5 tsp each of ground white pepper, fine salt, granulated garlic, mustard powder and chili flakes. A special addition is finely grated horseradish root or prepared horseradish. Mix the Alabama white sauce thoroughly; you can even whisk it.
    
11. How to serve Alabama white sauce wings
12. When the wings are well roasted and nicely browned, they are done. Take the tray out of the oven and transfer the wings to a deep bowl. Let them cool slightly: they should be very warm, not hot. Keep in mind that a mayonnaise-based sauce doesn't take strong heat well, so serve the dish as soon as possible after adding the sauce. Use a large flat plate with a small bowl of sauce in the middle for dipping.
    
13. Add half of the Alabama white sauce to the bowl of wings and toss right away. Arrange the wings one by one on the plate around the sauce bowl. I recommend sprinkling them with a pinch of finely chopped fresh dill and, if you like, chili flakes. Serve immediately!
    
14. Some versions also briefly smoke the wings, which gives the dish a special flavour. In that case, the wings are only partly cooked in the oven or on the grill, and the smoker finishes them.