Food & Wine

I had the thought that chicken wings would be nice to make in honor of the Chinese New Year, so I pitched the idea to my editor. If wings are too banal or plebeian, it could always be thighs, I offered. The editor replied: wings absolutely, everyone loves wings! But, he said, why not something for the Super Bowl? Perhaps, I ventured, these wings could be multipurpose.

Off I went to research the possibilities. Indeed, it seems the whole world does love wings.

And why not? You get crisp skin, succulent meat and a tasty bone or two to nibble on that you pretty much have to eat with your fingers.

I found chicken wing recipes not only of every imaginable ethnic persuasion but also cooked in a variety of ways — simmered, boiled, baked, roasted, fried, grilled and barbecued. I became reacquainted with Buffalo wings, which still manage to baffle me a bit. I discovered, too (although perhaps I knew), that some cooks use cola drinks as a primary ingredient and that eating wings can, in some circles, be a fiercely competitive sport. Conspicuous beer consumption is evidently required with certain types of extremely highly seasoned wings, often in a barroom setting.

Remembering some especially delicious wings savored in a dimly lighted, cavernous dim sum parlor several years ago, I tried to recreate them. I knew what I was after — the ultimate wings would be sweet, spicy, sticky, fragrant and full-flavored. They would have a fine, shiny lacquered coat in the Chinese manner. But they would be baked, in a small apartment oven, not wok-fried.

The marinade was fairly straightforward. I stirred together sweet rice wine and soy sauce with a little brown sugar, then added five-spice powder, cayenne, orange zest, ginger and garlic. Five-spice powder, though available commercially in jars, is easy to whip up at home in an electric spice mill, using equal parts Szechuan pepper, fennel seed, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. This heady mixture really gives the wings depth, as it does so many Chinese dishes.

Baking the wings in a relatively hot (375-degree) oven is a good idea: It concentrates the flavor in a wonderful way. However, it is quite important to baste them frequently, every 10 minutes or so. Since the marinade is a bit sweet (and continues to thicken as the wings bake), I added a few tablespoons of water at every basting to dilute the juices before brushing them over the wings. This was the key to achieving a gorgeous burnished mahogany exterior.

To make the dish especially festive, I topped the wings with a scallion and cucumber relish spiked with roasted peanuts, sesame oil and hot red peppers. Slices of juicy navel oranges served as a foil to the spicy heat.

Although not absolutely authentic, the result is fairly spot on, I think. Enjoy them, along with steamed rice and stir-fried bok choy, for a sit-down meal to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.

Or take a big pile of them over to the sofa and root, root, root for your favorite team.

SPICY LACQUERED CHICKEN WINGS

Time: 1 hour, plus at least 1 hour marinating

Yield: 4 to 6 servings (18 to 20 wings)

3 pounds meaty chicken wings, tips removed

Salt

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine or sherry

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated ginger

6 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon grated orange zest

1 small cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)

6 scallions, slivered

2 or 3 small hot red chilies, very thinly sliced (or hot green chilies), optional

2 tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 handful cilantro leaves

2 navel oranges, sliced

1. Rinse the wings, pat dry, season lightly with salt and put them in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, five-spice powder, cayenne and orange zest, then pour over the wings and massage well. Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate (overnight is fine) and bring to room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the wings in one layer in a low-sided baking dish or roasting pan (or use 2 pans) and place on middle shelf. Every 8 to 10 minutes, brush the wings with the marinade from the pan, adding 3 or 4 tablespoons water to dissolve the juices as necessary. Continue until well browned, glazed and cooked through, about 40 to 45 minutes. The wings may be cooked ahead and reheated if desired.

3. Pile the wings on a warm platter. Quickly assemble the garnish. In a small bowl combine the cucumber, scallions, chilies, crushed peanuts and sesame oil. Season with salt, toss lightly and scatter over the wings. Sprinkle with the cilantro. Surround with orange slices and serve.