Portuguese-Style Grilled Chicken Wings

If you love chicken wings, but you would never cook them yourself.. This recipe couldn’t be easier, I promise! It was included in my weekly email from FoodNetwork.com right before the 4th of July and was also featured in the Food Network Magazine. These wings are cooked ON the grill but IN foil! There was one FN recipe for Caribbean Jerk Chicken Wings (with sauce) or a much simpler Jerk wing recipe included in 50 Things to Grill in Foil, but as I didn’t have any jerk seasoning I decided to make my own Portuguese inspired rub. This rub works so well with a whole chicken, chicken wings or even just some skinless chicken strips.

For about two dozen wings, I combined a couple tablespoons of Paprika, a large heaping tablespoon of Cumin, a couple teaspoons of Garlic Salt, a teaspoon or so of red pepper flakes and if you like it extra spicy add some more Chili Powder or Cayenne. Mix these together and be sure to taste! Add it to a large ziploc freezer bag with the wings, the juice of 1 or 2 Limes and a few large tablespoons of Canola or vegetable oil. If the marinade looks a bit dry, add more oil so that the rub is evenly distributed. Leave it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight if possible.

Get the grill hot with high heat. Cut out a couple long pieces of foil, drizzle lightly with more oil and using tongs arrange the wings so that they lie flat. First fold the long sides together and then the short ends to seal. Be sure that it’s fully sealed but do it loosely. Close the grill and let them go for about 15 minutes. Using tongs, gently open the foil packets and turn all the wings over once. Re-seal and let them cook another 10-12 minutes. When you turn them over they should have a nice caramelized color/crisp. When they’re done, open the packets up and squeeze fresh lime juice and sprinkle chopped Cilantro/Coriander. Serve them hot and I guarantee that you’ll be licking your fingers!

If you don’t have time to make this rub yourself, try some Nando’s Peri-Peri seasoning, jerk seasoning, Cajun or just any fajita/taco seasoning. A bit of fresh lime juice is a perfect finish for these juicy wings!

Read Full Post »

THE FIRST ANNUAL ARIZONA BBQ FESTIVAL

Last weekend I attended my very first BBQ festival right here in Scottsdale. Something that I’ve learned about Arizona is that, due to its almost-year-round sunny weather, locals are really into putting on outdoor festivals. They range from various music festivals (jazz and blues, etc) to cultural festivals (Asian themed or just ‘international’) to foodie festivals. Although this was the first time this event was put on, it seemed like it was a success.

Theme of the Day = Pig!

It was located down by the Scottsdale waterfront, across from Fashion Square mall on a large dirt parking lot with tents set up. With a $10 admission charge and $2 tasting tickets, it was a pretty decent set up. I liked that it wasn’t too spread out nor did it feel overcrowded. My cousin and I arrived around 2pm and there were still loads of people (the tasting ended at 4pm). We decided to just make our way around with no agenda other than to eat and get a cold beer (it was in the mid 80’s!). Our obvious approach was to go to the stands that had the longest crowds (assuming they’d have the best food).

First up was The Mission which is a modern, Latin restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale. They were not in the competition but were selling small versions of dishes from the restaurant. Tiff had already told me that I had to try this place as it’s one of her favorites. So we got the combo platter with a chicken taco, pork shoulder taco and grilled sweet corn. As we waited for our tacos the smells coming from the grill were intoxicating and made us all the more hungry. I must admit I am not a huge BBQ (sauce) person, but once you get that smell in your nose you really can’t say no. Plus you just think about the tender, smoked pork melting in your mouth and that memory reminds you that you’ll eat it even if you’re not hungry. As Tiff promised, the tacos were delicious. The pork shoulder taco is served with pineapple glaze, cilantro and cotija cheese. The chicken taco is served with oregano, lemon, aji Amarillo, cabbage and more cotija cheese. If you’ve never had cotija cheese, it’s a slightly salty yet mild Mexican cheese. The texture if very much like feta in that it’s firm and crumbly. One of my favorite ways to eat cotija is with grilled corn on the cob and lime juice. Both tacos were so refreshing and were packed with lots of flavor. I will definitely be making a trip to The Mission some time soon.

Read Full Post »