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Chicken Wings Africana

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Refrigerate4 hours
Total Time4 hours 45 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: African, American
Keyword: african spices, appetizer, cayenne, chicken wings, chinese five spice powder, garlic, gluten free, paprika, shallots
Servings: 8 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • 4 garlic cloves zested or pressed with a garlic press
  • 2 shallots finely minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder available at Asian markets and most supermarkets
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary or thyme
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil vegetable or canola
  • 4 pounds chicken wings, drumettes and flats about 20 to 24

Instructions

  • Mash the garlic and the shallots to a paste with the salt on a cutting board. Then transfer paste to a large bowl and combine the paste with the five-spice powder, the paprika, the crumbled rosemary, the cayenne, and the oil. 
  • Add chicken wings pieces to the paste, stirring to coat them well.
  • Let wings marinate, covered and chilled, for 4 hours or overnight.
  • If Baking:  Arrange wings in a single layer, skin side up, on the rack of a parchment or foil-lined large pan and bake on the upper third of a preheated 425° oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes turning wings over after 12-15 minutes of cooking. Cook wings until they are golden brown. For extra crispy skin, put wings under the broiler. Keep an eye on them to prevent burning!
    If Grilling:   Spray or brush grill with oil to reduce sticking and place wings in a single layer directly on grill at medium high temperature. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until one side is golden brown and cooked through. Then turn wings with tongs and cook for another 8-10 minutes approximately, until wings are golden brown.
  • Remove wings from the oven or grill and place on a large platter and dig in!

Notes

The wings can be cooked 1-2 hours before serving and served at room temperature. 
There is a coconut, peanut butter sauce that is part of the original recipe.  I made it once and personally found it to be funky tasting but my brother liked it.  So decide for yourself if you want to make the sauce.  The link to the original recipe is below. 
When working with raw chicken always use a separate cutting board and be sure to wash it and the counter thoroughly.  I have a dedicated cutting board for chicken.