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.

Chicken Arroz Caldo

Yesterday the weather in Atlanta made a change for the better. We went from sticky, hot 90 degree weather to cool, rainy 70 degree weather. This change in climate made me crave something my mom would make often when I was younger- Chicken Arroz Caldo (or as we called it Chicken and Rice). This is a Filipino rice "porridge" dish that is so comforting and delicious on a day like yesterday and today.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 6 chicken wings, cut to separate drumettes, flats and tips
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• hard boiled eggs, for garnish (optional)
• green onion, sliced for garnish
• lemon wedges (calamansi if it's available to you)

In a large pot heat up 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add the onion and ginger and cook until the onion is translucent (approx. 3 minutes).

Add the chicken and cook for about 5-7 minutes. They should start to turn a light golden brown.

Add the stock, rice and fish sauce. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Make sure to stir often- you want to release the starches from the rice so that it thickens the stock.

If you prefer the end product to be thinner, just ass more stock. While your arroz caldo is cooking, heat up the last 1 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat in a separate pan. Saute the garlic until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

Serve the chicken arroz caldo in bowls topped with fried garlic, green onions, a lemon wedge, a boiled egg and a dash or 2 of fish sauce. When my mom made this for me growing up she never used boiled eggs but I have seen many photos with the egg that I decided to give it a try. I really liked the addition of it to the meal.

Masarap! Definitely satisfied my craving.

Spicy Chicken Tostadas

Ingredients
(serves 2)

• 4 small corn tortillas
• 1/2 lb chicken tenders
• salt and pepper
• cumin
• chipotle powder
• cayenne pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• refried black beans
• sour cream
• ranchero sauce
• mixed greens
• cilantro
• red onions, diced
• tomatoes, diced
• pepper jack cheese, shredded (I was lazy and just chopped some)

Sorry- no exact measurements here. It was just something I quickly whipped up.


I marinated my chicken tenders in salt, pepper, chipotle powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and some canned ranchero sauce. Let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour.


In a skillet, heat up approximately 2 tbsp of oil. Add your onion and garlic and sautee for about 2-3 minutes. Add the marinated chicken. As the chicken cooks, use 2 forks to begin to pull it apart into shreds. Add more ranchero sauce if needed (mimick the consistency of pulled pork).


While the chicken cooks, place the corn tortillas directly on the rack of an oven heated to 400 degrees. Bake until crispy- approximately 5-7 minutes. You can skip this step and use store bought tostadas instead.


After the chicken is fully cooked, layer your crispy tortilla with your favorite taco fillings. I used (in this order) refried black beans, sour cream, mixed greens, cilantro, red onions, tomatoes and cheese.


This is a really simple and delicious meal. It's great if you don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. I made another variation of this the following day but added fresh ginger, pineapple and sriracha to the chicken marinade. Just like with all recipes, I suggest you have fun and be creative with it!