Cilantro Chicken Wings...

Who doesn't love chicken wings?! Truly a meal-staple in our home. We really love the combination of garlic, cilantro and soy seasonings... it has the epitome of Cantonese cuisine flavours, and this recipe yields succulent, slightly sticky and savoury nom nom-ness! I was down to my last few good sprigs of cilantro and tried to stretch it in this recipe (which the photos of the finished wings are lacking). Next time, with a new bunch of cilantro in hand, I will load it in the marinade paste and as the garnish... Doctor this recipe with honey instead of sugar, add a bit of minced ginger or chili peppers or sauce. Or do as I did and wing it with what you have... you can't go no wrong!

Cilantro Chicken Wings
Makes 4 to 6 servings

1-1/2 to 2 lb. chicken wings, whole or split, rinsed with cold water and patted dry

1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

2 tsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Chinese cooking wine 
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. dark soy sauce

Cilantro leaves, finely chopped (use as much as you wish)

Marinate the wings in all the ingredients and refrigerate for at least one hour for the flavours to meld before cooking.

Place wings on slightly greased foil on baking tray; discard marinade. I like to use the convection oven if there isn't a whole lot of wings to bake to save energy, but do not overcrowd or the wings won't cook nice and evenly.

Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes until top skin is glazed-brown and wings are thoroughly cooked. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves or chopped green onions.

For a different cooking style, try wings braised in Braised Chicken Wings with Bamboo Shoots. For other oven-baked wing goodness, get a load of Five-Spice Chinese Chicken Wings and Vietnamese Curry Chicken Wings.