The second week of the World Cup has commenced and I am enjoying the upsets, surprises and surprising wins and losses by underdogs and favourites. Greece for example, gave us a disappointing 2010 World Cup debut against South Korea but then they won our hearts back with a gutsy victory over Nigeria this past Thursday.
Greece plays soccer powerhouse Argentina next and the task is not an easy one. Argentina has played very strongly under the guidance of soccer great Diego Maradona as their coach. Argentina seems to have “the stuff” to get them to the final but we’ll see….some smaller, sleeper teams always play the spoiler. We’ve seen Italy play to two ties, New Zealand play beyond even their expectations and Paraguay, Netherlands and Brazil all look strong. Which team are you cheering for?
If you’re like me, you’re catching the game at a pub or bar, perhaps a social club or a public viewing area or…simply watching the games at home? Today, I have another game-time favourite – chicken wings. Toronto is a city that loves its chicken wings and their popularity surely is boosted from the the proximity of Buffalo, NY and it’s famous chicken wings.
There are many takes on chicken wings and last year I shared a spicy version with allspice and paprika...a warm, brown aroma and flavour if you will. Today’s chicken wing recipe is mustard based but all the elements of a good dish are still there: tangy mustard and lemon juice, good honey for sweetness and balance, herbs and spices to please the savory soul and some heat to help you sweat (just a little).
Anytime I make a marinade, I taste it before adding the meat so that I may make adjustments. There are many intangibles like how sweet or sour the lemons are, how strong are your spices, fresh or dry herbs, etc. For this recipe, I also reserve some of the marinade so that I can brush it on the wings at the end.
The first game of the day will be on in just uder a couple of hours. Time to organize my day and get on with juggling work, watching some games and cooking. 
Chicken Wings With a Mustard Barbecue Sauce
1 kg. of chicken wings
1/4 cup of your favourite mustard
4 scallions, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red chilli pepper, chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp. sweet paprika
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 level tsp. fine sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. of fresh thyme
sesame seeds for garnish + wedges of lemon
- Rinse your chicken wings under cold water, drain and pat-dry. Set aside. Add all the ingredients except for the sesame seeds and lemon wedges in a food processor and pulse until well-blended. Adjust seasoning according to your tastes (salt, heat, acid, spice).
- Empty approx. 2/3 of your marinade into your bag or vessel and now add the chicken wings and reserve the remaining 1/3 for brushing on your wings at/near the end of when they are cooked. Toss to coat all the chicken wings well, cover and refrigerate overnight. A half hour before grilling, remove from the fridge to allow the chicken to return to room temperature.
- Pre-heat your gas or charcoal grill, brush the grill surface well to remove any excess residue from your previous grill session. We’re looking for a medium-high heat.
- Place your chicken wings on the grill and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side (be careful of flare-ups, as chicken skin contains lots of fat). When the are golden-brown, crisp – brush the remaining sauce on the wings.
- Remove from the grill, serve on a large platter and sprinkle sesame seeds on the wings and garnish with lemon wedges. Crack open some cold beers.
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© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis
22 Responses
Not much to say on this one Peter, other than the obvious: looks delicious! Do you think this would work if you breaded the marinated wings and deep fried them? I live in a fourth-storey flat and haven’t got easy access to a grill.
Brian
Brian, no to frying. I would place them in the oven under the broil setting. Cooking time will vary but the result should still be good.
Oooh what a yummy sauce! LOVE the pictures, I really hope you saved me some? :)
They look so irresistible!
Cheers,
Rosa
That sounds so much more appealing to me than the typical chicken wing sauce
Wings are a popular pub and backyard BBQ food. I will always remember the aroma coming from our neighbours backyard as they grilled their wings.
OK, oven it is then… Thanks.
brian
I must admit that other than FB status updates, I’m not really following World Cup Soccer. I do like it when my friends get happy about their teams though.
I’ll gladly skip the game and just enjoy these wings. Your sauce looks tasty. I could see baking some whole chicken pieces with this.
I love me a good chicken wing.
Have to try this! Pretty unique ~ don’t think I’ve ever seen cinnamon combined with chicken but it sounds great!
sounds like a great marinade, even if I don’t care for wings; I don’t have to follow the games I know by the sound of fire power who is winning in our neighborhood
Beautiful! I think I’ll make these while my husband is watching the matches this weekend. (And though it’s an easy bet, I’m still pulling for Brazil to win it all.)
I’m not even going to mention the Aussies at the World Cup! I’ll have a kilo of these thanks with a few coldies! The cinnamon in this recipe is genius!
We love wings! I feel so silly that I haven’t ever cooked them at home. This recipe sounds like a winner for my crowd. Sorry I’m not so into soccer, but YAY for my LA Lakers!
LL
sounds delicious, have to try the sesame seed at the end….
They look scrumptious!
i don’t cheer for soccer, i cheer for food. this batch of edibles would get a standing ovation, and maybe the wave. :)
Great. It’s 11 in the morning and all I want to do is sit in a bar with a beer and a big plate of wings! How am I meant to get any work done today?
These look great Peter! A feast for any sport-watcher. We love wings around here AND sports. But must admit we don’t follow soccer.
When I was young and living at home, dad made a steak with a mustard bbq sauce and it was the best steak I had ever eaten. He never made it again, but I have never forgotten it. This recipe looks really delicious and I will be away all summer in the former Yogoslavia – so grilled chicken will absolutely be on the menu. This will be a fun change!
Thanks for the inspiration!
Valerie
Peter, I think of you sitting there in Toronto watching every game each time I turn on the tv to watch another match. And boy, I am not disappointed in France since they deserved it but I would have loved to have a plate of these fabulous wings as I watched the USA play their last match. These wings would have calmed me and made me happy!