Chicken Wing Week: Day 4 - Chicken Tikka Masala Wings

Chicken Tikka Masala is probably Mikey’s favorite thing that I make. He asks for it every week, so I thought why not get creative and make the same magical spice combinations in wing form?

Chicken Tikka Masala Wings

This recipe makes enough for about 24 wings!

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

• 1 TB lemon juice

• 1 TB garam masala powder

• 2 tsp ground black pepper

Other Ingredients

• about 2 dozen traditional bone-in chicken wings (about 4 #)

• 2 TB Avocado Oil

• 3 TB butter

• 1 TB minced garlic

• 1/4 cup tomato paste

• 1/2 cup half n half, heavy cream, or full fat coconut milk

• 4 tsp garam masala

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Helpful tools: wire rack that fits inside your baking sheet, tongs, aluminum foil, and a meat thermometer.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all of your marinade ingredients. Add your wings and coat them evenly. Cover your bowl and put in the refrigerator to marinate for 30-60 minutes. NOTE: I like to cover use a bowl that has a lid (i.e. Pyrex) so that I can shake the wings up a bit to coat them better.

2. Remove your wings from the refrigerator and preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Cover your baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil and place your wire rack on top. NOTE: If you don’t have a wire rack, that’s ok too! You’ll just need to flip your wings half way through the baking time. The wire rack allows for better air circulation and crispier, evenly cooked wings.

3. Heat a big soup pot or dutch oven to medium-high heat, then add your avocado oil. Using your tongs, place some of your wings skin side down, into the pan. Hearing a sizzle is VERY important at this step. If you don’t hear a good sizzle, your pan isn’t warm enough yet and you won’t get a good sear to lock in the juices. It’s also important not to over crowd your pan because then you will steam your wings instead of searing them. Make sure they aren’t touching. You will most likely need to do this step in a couple batches depending on the size of your pot and amount of wings you are making.

4. Sear the chicken wings for about 3 minutes until golden brown, then flip and repeat on the other side. Once both sides are seared nicely, use your tongs to remove the wings and place on the wire rack, that is on top of your baking sheet and repeat the process until all of your wings are seared and on your wire rack.

5. Bake in the center rack of the oven for 25 minutes at 425 degrees F. If you don’t have the wire rack, make sure you flip the wings halfway through this 25 minute cooking time.

6. While the wings are baking, it’s time to make your chicken tikka masala sauce to coat your wings! Reduce the heat of your soup pot to medium heat and add 2 TB of butter. Once melted, add your minced garlic and saute until fragrant (about 30-60 seconds).

7. Add your tomato paste, half and half, and water and mix well until combined. Add 4 tsp garam masala, paprika, and salt. Allow to come to a simmer, reduce heat a little to medium-low and let cook until your wings are done baking.

8. Remove the wings from the oven and turn the oven onto broil. This is the part that is magical for the crispy skin, but you must keep a close eye on it since everyone’s oven is different, and broiling happens quickly. In my oven, I broil for 2 minutes on each side, with the wings on the top rack. They should be close to the broiler but not touching ANY flames. Therefore, they broil for 4 minutes total. NOTE: It’s important to measure the temperature of your wings to make sure they are cooked throughout and at least 165 degrees F. If you prefer a drier wing, you can take them up to 175-180 degrees F. This part you can adapt to your preferences.

9. While wings are broiling, add your last TB of butter to the sauce and let melt and mix in evenly.

10. Once your wings are cooked to your preference, toss them in a couple TB of sauce to coat and serve. I like to serve with a little chopped cilantro on top but that is optional.

I hope you have been enjoying Chicken Wing Week so far! We still have THREE more recipes coming at you! Head to Margie’s blog tomorrow <<click here>> because she’s up next and you don’t want to miss her next creation!

Happy Wednesday,

Andrea

Chicken Wing Week: Day 1 - Dre's Original Baked Wings

Welcome to a very exciting collaboration with one of my very best friends Margie (@margiefoodie) over at MargieFoodie.com! Today, May 3rd, through Saturday, May 9th, one of us will share a chicken wing recipe on either of our blogs. I’ll recap everything at the end of the week, in case you miss anything, but it is bound to be an amazing week.

First up today, I’m sharing a baked wing recipe that’s a great starting point for any of your chicken wing needs. I think it’s a great place to begin this flavorful week.

Dre’s Original Baked Wings

I typically make 6-8 wings per adult, so this recipe is tailored towards two adults. Multiply as needed.

Ingredients:

• 3 TB of avocado or olive oil

• 3 TB red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp dried parsley

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 12-14 traditional bone-in chicken wings (about 2 #)

• Helpful tools: wire rack that fits inside your baking sheet, tongs, cast iron grill pan, aluminum foil, and a meat thermometer.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix your quick marinade of oil, vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper. Toss your wings in the marinade, making sure to coat every wing evenly. Set to rest while you heat your grill pan and prep your baking sheet. NOTE: Make sure you don’t let the wings sit in the marinade for too long (more than a couple minutes) because the acid from the vinegar will start to cook the chicken).

3. On the stove, heat a cast-iron pan (grill pan is preferred but not necessary), to medium-high heat. While you wait for it to warm up, cover your baking sheet with a layer of aluminum foil and place your wire rack on top. NOTE: If you don’t have a wire rack, that’s ok too! You’ll just need to flip your wings half way through the baking time. The wire rack allows for better air circulation and crispier, evenly cooked wings.

4. Once your cast iron pan is ready, use your tongs to place about half of your wings skin side down, into the pan. Hearing a sizzle is VERY important at this step. If you don’t hear a good sizzle, your pan isn’t warm enough yet and you won’t get a good sear to lock in the juices. It’s also important not to over crowd your pan because then you will steam your wings instead of searing them. Make sure they aren’t touching. You will most likely need to do this step in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your pan and amount of wings you are making.

5. Sear the chicken wings for about 3 minutes until golden brown, then flip and repeat on the other side. Once both sides are seared nicely, use your tongs to remove the wings and place on the wire rack, that is on top of your baking sheet.

6. Once all of your wings are seared, bake in the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. If you don’t have the wire rack, make sure you flip the wings halfway through this 15 minute cooking time.

7. Remove the wings from the oven and turn the oven onto broil. This is the part that is magical for the crispy skin, but you must keep a close eye on it since everyone’s oven is different, and broiling happens quickly. In my oven, I broil for 2 minutes on each side, with the wings on the top rack. They should be close to the broiler but not touching ANY flames. Therefore, they broil for 4 minutes total.

8. It’s important to measure the temperature of your wings to make sure they are cooked throughout and at least 165 degrees F. Mikey prefers a drier wing, so sometimes I take them up to 175-180 degrees F. This part you can adapt to your preferences.

The rest is totally up to you! You can add your favorite wing sauce or eat them as is.

I hope you enjoy this wing recipe and stay tuned to the rest of CHICKEN WING WEEK! Head to Margie’s blog tomorrow <<click here>> for tomorrow’s chicken wing recipe!

Have a great start to your week,

Andrea

How to make the only Kale Chips I'll ever eat.

It's no secret that kale is an extremely nutrient dense food that we should be consuming. Did you know that it can help tremendously with your skin? Full of Vitamin K, kale helps strengthen blood vessels, boost circulation and protect your liver. Since it's anti-inflammatory, it helps reduce puffiness and redness in the face and is great for conditions like rosacea. It's also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin (cartenoids that absorb UV light) which help protect us from free radical damage. Loaded with other vitamins and minerals, kale also has Omega-3 fatty acids and helps your skin stay nourished. Overall eating more kale will help with cell turnover, reducing dryness, and restore radiance to your skin. (Source: Eat Beautiful by Wendy Rowe, 2016)

If you want all of the above but don't know how to incorporate more kale into your diet, look no further! This is my sister's "recipe". The reason I say that in quotations is because I asked her how she made them and all I got was "250 until crisper". So let's just say I made it up from there. 

I have never liked kale chips. I have bought them from the store I don't even know how many times, and each time they taste like what I would imagine dirty leaves to taste like. They have no flavor and the texture is weird. Then last week my sister was talking about making kale chips and my nieces got so excited because they love when she makes them. I was shocked because I like healthy food and eating my greens but couldn't imagine trying kale chips one more time. 

After texting my sister and getting the 250 degrees response, I decided it was time to attempt making them. 

You will need:

A couple stalks of Kale
1 TB Coconut Oil
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder or whatever you want to season with

You will need to do the following:

1. Preheat the oven to 250.
2. Rip Kale leaves off of the stems and tear into smaller pieces. Wash in a salad spinner and dry really well; add to a big bowl.
3. Melt the coconut in the microwave for 30 seconds and pour over kale and massage into kale to make sure it's distributed evenly. 
4. Season with S&P to taste and garlic powder (or your choice of seasoning) and mix with hands to make sure it's incorporated well.
5. Spread out on 1 or 2 baking sheets to make sure most of kale isn't touching and has plenty of space. This allows it to properly dry out.
6. Bake 20-30 min until it's your preferred texture checking frequently to make sure you don't burn them. 
7. Try not to eat them all at once.

Note: I baked mine for 20 min and I found that this was absolutely perfect. I think the reason I've never liked kale chips before is because they are so dried out. 20 min was the perfect amount to dry the kale out so it was crunchy, but still have a little bite to them. If you prefer a super crispy and dried out kale chip, try 30 min instead.

If you make these let me know what you think and how you season yours!

Enjoy,

Andrea

March Must Haves

It's the time of the month where I share everything I've been obsessing over. I get so excited to write these posts for you because you guys seem to love them! As usual, if there is an Amazon link I trust I will share it and it will be an Amazon Affiliate link (feel free to scroll to the bottom to read my disclosure on that). If it's not an Amazon link then it is not an affiliate link. Now let's get to the good stuff! This month will be short, but sweet. 

Let's start with the best healthy cookie recipe you will ever make. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing that I can eat them all in 2 days, but let's be glass half full people and say it's a good thing. Laura in the Kitchen is my go to when I need a good recipe because she has so many and they never disappoint. I have shown these a few times on my Instastories and was waiting to share them with you in a favorites post. So go make them NOW. I would be shocked if someone could tell they were healthier without knowing before hand. 

Dr. Jart Cicapair CC Treatment: This has become an everyday must have for me. I have seen Michele1218 RAVE about this product for about a year and finally bit the bullet and decided to try it. I am obsessed. It is a physical SPF, gives me moisture and has pigment to color correct your skin. It doesn't look like makeup at all but makes your skin look so much smoother, healthier, and even toned. It's my last step everyday when I'm not wearing makeup and need SPF. Don't let the green color scare you, it quickly color corrects the redness in your skin, while being completely undetectable. 

Herbivore Blue Tansy Resurfacing Clarity Mask: If you read my post about Curate + Co (I'll link it here in case you didn't) I was gifted this amazing mask by the wonderful owner Christina. This one has also found its way into a permanent position in my skincare routine because it's amazing. It's completely clean and effective for keeping my skin smooth and blemish free. I love how the Blue Tansy has Azulene which reduces inflammation, so if I have breakouts it calms them while getting rid of them at the same time.  If you can, please use the link in the title to purchase it and support Curate + Co, an amazing small business that I love! If you are only a die-hard Amazon shopper, here is the link for that as well.

Pacifica Rose Flower Hydro Mist : Yes, this one made it two months in a row. I debated not mentioning it but the reality is that I am still obsessed and I used it almost every day in March. It feels so good on the skin and I cannot get enough of it. I love how refreshed I feel every time I spray my face with it and it smells so good. If you're looking for a good refresher try this one out!

Lancome Matte Shaker in Beige Vintage (270): I have been loving this lip product, mainly because it is so light (literally feels like water on your lips) and gives the right flush of color. The staying power isn't great, but that doesn't really bother me. I'm excited to try more shades. 

As you guys know, I recently cleaned out my skincare products and the best part is that all of the skincare listed above is clean and passes my chemical-free test! My every day makeup clean out is still on the horizon so remember that when I recommend any makeup from now on. 

What were your favorites this month? Did you discover anything good? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Have a beautiful day,

Andrea

Disclosure: Amazon links are Amazon Affiliate links meaning that I make a commission off the purchase of the product through my link. I would never recommend a product that I didn't love and all opinions are my own. I am thankful for you choosing to purchase through my links, as it helps me create more content for Andrea Fontana Beauty. 

Dre Does Lemon Chicken Rice Soup

I know this is a beauty blog but I can't help but share this recipe because it's so ridiculously yummy and easy that you have to try it. I fell in love with Lemon Chicken Rice soup last summer when I worked at a Greek restaurant. When the new year began I told myself I was going to learn how to make it no matter how hard it was because I missed eating it. So I got to googling and YouTubing and I was pleasantly surprised to find how simple and easy it is to make. I didn't follow an exact recipe because it all depends on how lemony you want it and whether you want rice or pasta (like orzo), but you can easily tweak it to your liking. 

Here's the basic guidelines I followed (I call them guidelines because I come from a family of non-measuring cooks): 

64 oz. of chicken broth (I prefer low sodium but you can use what you like)

1 cup of uncooked rice (let's be real though. I love rice...I probably used more haha)

2 cooked and shredded chicken breasts 

3 eggs

2-3 lemons

Salt and Pepper

Dash of Oregano (one recipe I found called for it and I can't escape my Italian roots so I obviously loved it)

The really awesome thing about this soup is that you can utilize leftovers! Takeout rice from leftover Chinese food can get a second life and so can leftover or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I however was starting from raw rice and chicken so this is what I did.

1. In a large soup pot, I added all the chicken broth and brought it to a boil.

2. In a large sauté pan, I added a little butter and started to cook my chicken breasts after I seasoned them with a little sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

3. Once the broth was boiling, I added my uncooked rice and stirred it every once in a while to keep from sticking to the bottom, in between checking my chicken breasts.

4. Once the chicken was cooked, I let it cool for a few minutes, shredded it, and threw it into the big soup pot. The time that it takes to cook the rice and sauté the chicken were pretty even which works out nicelyv. 

5. In a small separate bowl I squeezed my lemon juice, removed an seeds that tried to make it to the party, and cracked my eggs into the juice. I then whisked everything together. 

6. Now you have to temper the eggs. If you were to just add the egg and lemon juice mixture to your soup pot, you would make Lemon Chicken Egg Drop Rice soup, because they would cook so quickly, so you have to slowly warm them first, then add them to the soup. To do this you just slowly add ladles of the hot soup to the eggs while you are whisking it. I added about 5 but it'll be different for everyone. Once you can feel the mixture warm up a significant amount, stir the big soup pot and add your egg, lemon juice and broth mixture. You'll notice the broth thicken up and kind of get creamy but this is totally normal and the whole point of what the eggs do. They make the soup so thick, creamy and delicious. 

7. Now I just add my dash of oregano, let everything hang out for a little bit together, and test for salt and pepper. 

That's it! You now have an amazing soup you can eat all year round. It's filling, yet still refreshing because of the lemon. One thing to remember is that it thickens if you save it for later in the fridge, so if this bothers you, when you warm it up just add a little water or broth to thin it out. Like I mentioned before, you can customize the amount of lemon and other ingredients to your liking, but I hope you try it out and enjoy it! If you do let me know!

Have a beautiful day,

Dre