Sumac and garlic chicken wings

With monsoon-like showers and strong winds to keep it feeling chilly, it was the ideal weekend for a traditional British barbecue: cooked under an umbrella and eaten indoors! Chicken wings are always my favourite for outdoor eating. They’re messy and greasy and something we would never eat at home at any other time. In the modern climate of rising food prices and the trend for nose-to-tail eating, I’m surprised there aren’t more recipes for them floating around as a thrifty weeknight option. I picked up some from the supermarket that were more than enough for two for under £2 and came up with this recipe for sumac and garlic chicken wings.

I took the timings for the baking from a Nigel Slater recipe, but tried to keep the marinade fairly simple with just a few ingredients. The yoghurt keeps the marinade thick so it coats the wings better than using oil alone and don’t skimp on the garlic! This would be great for barbecues too, if we get the weather for it.

Ingredients

• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 3 tbsp plain natural yoghurt
• 800g chicken wings
• 2-3 tbsp sumac

In a mini food processor, purée the garlic with the oil and yoghurt to form a smooth mixture, season well with salt and pepper.  Alternatively, crush the garlic cloves to paste using the back of a large knife and generous pinch of coarse salt, before combining with the oil and yoghurt to make the marinade.

Coat the chicken wings and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or as long as possible.  I leave the wingtips on the chicken wings because it’s easier, but there’s not much meat on them so trimming them off will save a bit of space and remove a few extra grams of fat (you can roast them separately and use them for chicken stock if you’re that way inclined).

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (Gas mark 6-7). Arrange the chicken wings on a baking tray with no overlaps (you could use a wire rack placed in a roasting tin instead which would allow excess fat to drip away) and bake for 40 minutes, until the skin has crisped and browned.  Immediately on removing from the oven, sprinkle the sumac generously over the chicken before serving.  Serves 2 with salad, or 4 with a more substantial accompaniment like rice or couscous.