Chicken Wing Week: Day 4 - Chicken Tikka Masala Wings

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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

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