Lemon Pepper Chicken Wings

Ingredients

• 8 whole wings 
• lemon pepper seasoning
• 4 tbsp butter
• freshly cracked black pepper
• lemon juice

Making your favorite take-out wings has never been any simpler to make in your own home.

Preheat your deep fryer to 360 degrees.  If you don't have a deep fryer you can heat oil in a pot but make sure to use a kitchen thermometer to ensure your oil heats to the proper temperature.

Wash your chicken wings under cool water and pat dry with a clean towel. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut your wings at the joints separating the drumettes, flats and tips. The tips can be discarded but I happen to like crispy tips so I fry mine with the other pieces.

In a bowl, lightly season the wings with a couple of pinched of lemon pepper seasoning. A majority of the lemon pepper flavor will be incorporated after we fry the wings but I wanted to have a bit of the flavor cooked into the wings.

Once your oil has reached the correct cooking temperature, you can fry your wings. I am not a fan of breading on chicken wings so I like to fry mine "naked". However, you could use this same recipe with breaded wings. One key to non-greasy, well fried wings is to not overcrowd your deep fryer. Each batch of 3wings should fry for approximately 8 minutes.

While your wings are frying, prepare in a large bowl 4 tbsp of melted butter, lemon juice and freshly cracked pepper. The amount of lemon juice and pepper will vary depending on your personal taste. Start by adding a little and continue to add more of each until you reach your ideal ratio. Oil can be used as a substitute for butter but I personally prefer the butter.

When they are done they should be a beautiful, crispy golden brown. Toss the cooked wings in the lemon pepper butter. Plate and serve. Thus are great by themselves or with your favorite side dishes.

Inman Park Restaurant Week- Parish Foods & Goods

 A couple of weeks ago some friends and I took part in Inman Park's Restaurant Week (annual event where select restaurants have a 3 course prix fixe menu at a very reasonable price). We ventured out to Parish Foods & Goods for a night of we hoped to be good eats. It has been years since my last (and first) visit to Parish. I dined there shortly after they opened and was not impressed by the food or cocktails. I heard things have improved since then so Inman Park Restaurant Week was a perfect time to give them another try.


We of course started with a bottle of wine and decided to also try a couple of starters. Being a fan of many things pork I went with the spicy pork rinds. These were sadly disappointing. They were very hard and it hurt to chew them. I also didn't pick up any bit of heat or spice. (Sidenote: one of my friends had their smoked pork riblets which were very tasty).

For my first course, I had their fried green tomatoes. I first tried fried green tomatoes just a few months ago and absolutely love them. I don't know why I waited so long! Theirs was pleasing- served with goat cheese and a side of fresh arugula. The peppery arugula is always a good compliment to the green tomatoes. I only wish the tomato slices were a little thicker.

My second course was seared trout with brown butter potatoes, green beans and a coffee-balsamic reduction. Although the trout was a tad bit overcooked for my taste, I enjoyed this dish. It was seasoned well and had great flavor. I ate every bit of it despite the fact that I was getting full and had to save room for the 3rd course.

I don't tend to order desserts but since it was part of the prix fixe menu I didn't pass it up. I had the chocolate tart hoping it wouldn't be ubersweet. I was pleasantly surprised. It was moist, rich and had just the right amount of sweetness for me. The sprinkle of sea salt on top made it even better. It was paired with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. The fresh mint was so refreshing and delightful. We loved the ice cream so much that we asked if the sold it in their downstairs market. Sadly, because it was being used in the week's prix fixe menu it was not available to be bought in the market.

All in all, my 2nd experience at Parish was a good one. They redeemed themselves in my eyes. I'm glad I didn't completely write them off.