Chicken Wings in Carolina Gold Mustard Sauce

Preparing and marinating the wings

1. Carolina Gold wings turn out best without the thin wing tips: there is hardly anything to eat on them, and they usually overcook. Before baking, it’s important to let the wings sit with the spices so they absorb the salt and aroma.

2. Prepare the wings: wash them, pat them dry with paper towels, cut off the thin tips if they are still on, and cut the wings in half at the joint.

   

3. Marinate the wings. Put everything in a bowl and add salt, sweet paprika, black pepper, dried onion and granulated garlic. Use as much spice as you like – the dish will be flavourful either way. I once read that a chef on some cooking show said: use every spice you have, it still won’t be enough. Toss the wings with the spices, cover the bowl with a plate or cling film and leave for 1 hour.

   

Baking the wings in the oven

1. The simplest way is in the oven – it’s convenient and quick. If you can, use a grill. Some versions deep-fry the wings instead. The meat is patted dry with paper towels, coated in flour or cornstarch and fried until cooked, then coated with the sauce and baked.

2. Preheat the oven thoroughly to 180-190°C. Toss the spiced wings with 1 tbsp of any vegetable oil, then spread them on a baking tray or in a dish in a single layer. We usually use an ovenproof glass dish: food bakes and browns more evenly in it.

   

3. Bake the wings for at least 30 min to get well-cooked chicken with a nice golden colour. Go by how brown they are and don’t let them burn. While they bake, turn the pieces from time to time or simply stir them with a spatula.

   

The sauce and the final bake

1. As for the sauce, besides the authentic Carolina Gold there are plenty of similar, quite decent sauces sold all over the world – buy any of them. There is nothing exotic in this sauce, and it’s easy to make yourself. The simplest version: mix yellow mustard, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar or honey, good ketchup and Worcestershire sauce – the proportions are very flexible, so experiment. Add spices: dried garlic and onion, chili powder, black pepper. Heat the homemade sauce over low heat until it thickens.

2. While the meat is in the oven, prepare the sauce for the final bake. Pour about half a cup of Carolina Gold mustard sauce (100 ml) into a cup and add finely chopped garlic and chili to make it more piquant – the result is excellent. Since the sauce has a fairly pronounced apple cider vinegar taste, I also recommend adding 1 tsp of brown sugar (5 g). Stir.

   

3. When the wings are nicely browned, brush them with the sauce or simply toss them with it in a bowl, then return them to the oven at the same temperature for 10-15 min so the sauce dries into a slightly crispy, golden-orange glaze. There is no need to stir them this time. If you are using a grill, make sure the sauce doesn’t start to burn.

   

Serving

1. Most sauced baked wings are served in much the same way.

2. Put the wings on a plate with a small bowl of sauce – either the one the wings were baked in or something special. Serve with sliced fresh vegetables too: carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs.

   

   Buffalo wings, for example, are often served with a cheese dip.