Skillet Chicken Wings in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
2 servings
- Chicken wings 6–8
- Onions 2
- Garlic 2–3 cloves
- Tomatoes (fresh, canned pulp or tomato juice) to taste
- Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
- Hot red pepper optional
- Parsley 2–3 sprigs
- Salt, ground black pepper to taste
- Sugar a little
- Aromatic herbs (basil, savory, oregano) a pinch
- Potatoes for mashing optional
Step-by-step recipe
Browning the wings
Cut each wing into two or three pieces at the joints. You can cook the wings whole, but this is much handier. Sometimes the store has already cut off the last, thinnest section.
Wash the chicken wings thoroughly and remove any remaining feathers. Season with salt and ground black pepper and add a pinch of aromatic herbs (basil, savory, oregano).
Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a deep skillet. Put the chicken wings into the oil.
Fry the chicken wings in the oil until nicely browned. It’s best to do this uncovered, over fairly high heat.
Onions and tomato purée
Peel the onions and cut them into strips. The size is up to you; I recommend slicing lengthwise along the onion, so the pieces hold their shape better during cooking and stay almost like strips. Add the sliced onions to the browned wings and keep frying for about 10 mins, stirring.
If you like, add a pinch of dried hot pepper pod ground together with its seeds. Or, as an alternative, a few whole dried mild chili pods. If the pods are intact, they won’t make the dish very hot.
Prepare the tomatoes. The tomato in chicken wings in sauce is a topic of its own. Fresh tomatoes are of course the best choice. But out of season you can use canned tomato pulp or good tomato juice. Remove the seeds and skins from fresh tomatoes first. Put the tomatoes, canned pulp or tomato juice, depending on what you’re using, into a blender, add the peeled garlic cloves and a little sugar. Blend everything into a tomato purée.
Simmering
Once the wings and onions are browned, add the tomato purée.
Stir the wings into the sauce, cover and simmer over low heat for 20 mins.
If the tomato sauce seems a little thin, take the lid off the pan and the excess liquid will evaporate very quickly.
Serving
Optionally, boil some peeled potatoes separately and make mashed potatoes as a side dish.
Sprinkle the chicken wings in sauce with finely chopped parsley.
Calories and macros
565 kcal
Serving ≈ 280 g
- Protein37 g27% of kcal
- Fat40 g66% of kcal
- Carbs9 g7% of kcal
100 g202 kcalProtein 13.4 gFat 14.4 gCarbs 3.4 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
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To Get It Right
Which tomatoes to use
For wings in tomato sauce, ripe fresh tomatoes are best, with the seeds and skins removed. Out of season, use canned tomato pulp or good tomato juice. A little sugar and the garlic in the blender soften the acidity of the tomatoes.
To get the wings browned
Fry the wings in a deep skillet, uncovered, over high heat. Pat the wings dry with a paper towel before frying and lay them in a single layer: piled up, they start to stew instead of fry.
If there’s too little sauce or it’s thin
Thin sauce for the wings: take the lid off for a few minutes and the liquid will evaporate quickly. Want more sauce for the mashed potatoes? Add some tomato juice or a little water and simmer for a couple more minutes.
Storage
Wings in tomato sauce keep covered in the fridge for 2–3 days. Reheat in a skillet over low heat, covered, with a spoonful of water if needed.
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Questions and answers
How long do you cook chicken wings in a skillet?
About 40 minutes including simmering: brown them, fry with the onions for about 10 more minutes, then simmer covered in the tomato sauce for 20 minutes.
How do you know when chicken wings are done?
The meat comes away from the bone easily, and when pierced near the bone the juices run clear, with no pink. After 20 minutes of simmering in the sauce the wings are usually done.
Do you need to marinate chicken wings for pan-frying?
Not for this recipe. Salt, pepper and a pinch of aromatic herbs are enough: the flavor comes from the tomato and garlic sauce.
Can you cook chicken drumettes this way?
Yes. The drumette is the upper, meatiest part of the wing and is cooked the same way. It has more meat, so you can simmer it 5–10 minutes longer.
How many chicken wings per serving?
3–4 wings per person: 6–8 wings make 2 servings. A kilogram usually has 10–12 wings.