Obsession with chicken wings... and making them healthfully

For some unknown reason, around the time of the most recent Super Bowl Sunday, I renewed my obsession with chicken wings. I had been obsessed with chicken wings while we lived in Hamburg more than a year ago, primarily because I hated all other food options and the hotel we lived in had chicken wings on the menu -- one of the few choice items besides a mixed green salad. I also discovered chicken wings at Burger King in Hamburg and was delighted to have done so, which, looking back, truly reveals how desperate I was to find food other than bratwurst. (And cooking ourselves was not an option, since we had no kitchen.)

The renewal of my chicken wing obsession in New York is slightly odd, however, as on that Sunday I suffered from a severe stomach flu that had spread through our creative team during casting the previous week. This flu finally took me as its victim on Super Bowl Sunday. That day, I could not stomach anything -- I was hungry, but could not keep anything down. And on that day, the only thing I suddenly craved and seem to have the will to eat were chicken wings.

Perhaps it was my stubborn core that insisted I take some part in the Super Bowl Sunday tradition. I don't watch football, I hardly know its rules, but Super Bowl Sunday is one of those American traditions that I wanted to share with David -- it was his first one, after all. We had been invited to a party, but were unable to attend since I was laid out ill on our couch. But I was committed to David having fun regardless. So, like a good wife, I insisted that he go and buy chicken wings and anything else he wanted -- chips, dips, cider (he doesn't drink beer), you name it.

Being Super Bowl Sunday, however, we were unable to buy simply the amount of chicken wings enough for two people. The fewest chicken wings one could buy from Atomic Wings (where the oil is non trans-fat... which means better for you than they would be otherwise) were 50. David bought them anyway, and he ended up watching the entire football game drinking cider, while I nibbled at a wing here and there and slept through most of it on the couch. We had chicken wings left over for days.

Since this Super Bowl Sunday, I have been startlingly passionate about chicken wings. We had chicken wings as a part of a Thai take away lunch at casting in Toronto -- I was THRILLED. Chicken wings made me happy. I had once watched others eat chicken wings and not understood their value, wondered, in fact, what people found so delicious in chicken wings, since there seemed to be so little meat on the wings.

I am a changed person. I think chicken wings make delicious snacks. They are portable in a zip-loc baggy, and with restraint, could be had in small numbers and be filling as well as satisfying. I was hooked.

The problem with chicken wings bought at restaurants and fast-food chains, however, is obvious: they are not good for you. They are fried, most likely in trans-fatty oil, and who knows what is in the seasonings. At home, David and I have been steadily adhering to a more organic diet (thanks to Whole Foods), and, since David avidly has been reading Kevin Trudeau, our life is currently in the process of weaning out all "poisonous" materials (except alcohol). Chicken wings had no place in our healthful lifestyle...

...until we found a way to make ORGANIC chicken wings ourselves. That's right. That's passion for chicken wings. We bought organic chicken wings at Whole Foods, made our own organic soy sauce based marinade with fresh, organic herbs, and also bought organic barbeque marinade from, yes, Whole Foods (so we could make 2 types of wings). We marinated the wings for 48-hours, and they took about 2 hours to cook in the oven (preparations included). Tremendously time and energy consuming, but the results were worthwhile. Last night, around 10:30pm, we sat down in front of a meal of the most delicious and healthy chicken wings we have ever eaten. Tender, moist, flavorful, with all the finger-lickingly satisfying elements of the chicken wing experience. David and I were both in heaven.

While it is perhaps slightly odd that one would have a home-cooked meal of chicken wings that requires so much time and energy, we thoroughly enjoyed making the wings and are ecstatic that we have some leftovers to bring to work today. And in a way, this is a good, healthy move -- after making our own version of chicken wings that are so delicious, we are less likely to eat chicken wings anywhere else. David and I are already thinking of ways to spice our next batch of wings.

Now if only we could find the time to marinate and cook them more often...

TM