Wings that might not kill you

By Nikki

J went grocery shopping with me a few weeks ago and a family pack of chicken wings for less than $6 caught his eye. He thought that given the price, they were a responsible dinner choice. I agreed to see what we could do with them, on the condition that we eat them with cauliflower. OK, cauliflower gratin. I'm pregnant! I need my cheese.

I think we found a way to make the wingies semi healthy. I don't have a picture, but I'll take one next time we make them. Here's the recipe.

• A couple pounds of fresh chicken wings
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• about 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper
• Franks wing sauce or other wing sauce made mostly with vinegar so there isn't any fat in it. (This is important because if you make your own, it's hot sauce and butter and no longer semi healthy.) Or, of course, there's barbecue or teriyaki...

1. Preheat the oven to 400
2. Get a strong scissors and cut the wings apart. (So each one actually gives you two pieces. This was news to me the first time.) Throw away the wing tips.
3. Put the oil, salt and pepper and press the garlic clove into a bowl big enough to hold your wings. Stir it up.
4. Put the wings in the bowl with the seasoning and mix everything well.
5. Put the wings in two roasting pans or cookie sheets. I think it's important to spread them out onto two to give them space so their moisture doesn't impede browning. The first time I made them, this is how I did it and they got pretty crispy. The second time, I put them all in one pan and didn't have such good results.
6. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until they're brown enough for you. You might have to play with the oven temp. I think we ended up lowering it after 10 min. Turn then a few times.
7. When they're done, put a handful of them at a time in a glass bowl (preferably one with a lid and that's not too heavy, cause you're going to be shaking it.) Pour your sauce in. If you have a small child, call her over for this next part. She will giggle and that will make the wings taste better. Put the lid or a plate on top and shake it until the wings are coated.

I think you'll be surprised at how good these are. They celebrate the flavor of the fresh chicken, rather than using frozen, fried meat as a vehicle for oil and sauce. And if you eat a reasonable number of them with a baked potato or oven-roasted jo-jos, I think it IS a responsible dinner.