Baked-Grilled-Roasted Chicken Wing Heaven

OK. I admit it. I am a huge fan of chicken wings. Grilled, baked, fried, roasted, slow cooker. If you want to see an empty plate at your home, put these on the table and see what happens. Now in this economy, I wouldn't mind being a chicken wing salesman. Think about this when you go shopping next time. You can buy wings for $2.00-$2.50/lbs. Yet the entire bird might cost half of that on a given week. So go figure!!

Now lets get to the bottom of this issue. How do I make them? I would like to share that and I will try to explain why I do it the way I do.

- Clean the wings with water and dry with a paper towel or air dry on a plate. I do this to wash away any blood that may be in the packaging.

- Once the wings are cleaned, I prepare my own little seasoning but I do in in two stages. In stage one, I will combine equal amounts of the following spices in a shaker. I'll fill it so I can use the spice combination for future use. Which spices do I use the most? They're listed below and in no particular order, and will not include salt and pepper unless I can really get it fine (I prefer to salt and pepper and not mix with the other spices. I see that as two small extra steps= 5 seconds if I take my time):
a. cayenne- nice for color flavor. Also good for your circulation among other things as well (1). See. You kill two birds with one stone.
b. paprika- this is where I get most of my heat because I use hot paprika. Use sweet paprika otherwise.
c. oregano- this provides a nice herby flavor and is also a good antioxidant.
d. garlic powder- you still get the same healthy benefits as well as the potent flavor as well. I prefer using garlic powder because the other spices are all dried and keeps w/ consitancy (2).
e. if you have a store bought mix of all spices, feel free to use that (that is if you like it). You're the one eating the wings so make them to your liking.
f. I will not use flour unless I am going to fry them. This is just my personal preference and I would not create a spice mix with flour because I don't presently fry that often.

- These I prefer to add if I don't decided to grind the spices. I tried to uses these in a shaker and didn't work very well. So I didn't do it going forward.
a. ginger- another nice flavor and beneficial to your health (3).
b. rosemary- not so much if you will fry the wings but if you cook them any other way, this will give a nice aroma, especially if you roast or bake them. This is an herb that if you have an epileptic seisures or a friend who is pregnant or nursing, some adverse reaction could occur. Studies are being done to see any connection between using rosemary and those who experienced strokes or other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and ALS (4).

- You can cover the wings with olive oil, especially if you're baking them. Should you do this, make sure that cover them enough where all parts are well covered. Smooth flavor and heart healthy.

- IF you decide to use a marinade (which I will not address now), make sure that you place them wing on a bowl or plastic bag. Make sure the marinade gets on all parts of the chicken. If you don't, you just defeated your purpose of marinating. As how the sauce relates to this, I'll will address that later.

- Now that you've prepared everything, follow the instructions on the bag as cooking times relate. Otherwise for every 12 wings, you would bake them for about 25-30 minutes.

- Now as it relates to the sauce, I'll admit it. I have not invented one yet because there are several I like alot. Some are wing specific but I also use some of my favorite bbq sauces. Most people make the mistake of putting the sauce on while they cook and that is a mistake. What you want to do is when the wings are done, make sure you have a metal bowl. This is key in the process. I don't suggest not using a metal bowl. Take the wings while they are still warm and place them in the bowl. Then add the sauce of your choosing. The reason for this is that the metal conducts heat and the sauce will coat best that way. Then place the newly-well-sauced wing on a plate. Keep an eye on them because unless you're alone, they may vanish.

- Blue cheese or ranch? If I'm really drifing in my mind, I make the following:
a. take 3/4 of a cup and mix the two.
b. take a spoonful of sour cream, chopped or grilled onions, fresh garlic and take part of the mixture from "a" for a different taste.
c. celery is not mandatory to have so if you like them, chop some up and enjoy to your hearts desire.

Works cited:
1. "5 Ways to Stay Young with Dr. Oz Anti-Aging Checklist on Oprah": WXYZ.com television, Detroit: http://www.wxyz.com/content/news/health/story/5-Ways-to-Stay-Young-with-Dr-Oz-Anti-Aging/Vq88SN4xgEunNvLwhQCaTA.cspx

2.  "Garlic Benefit"by Amy Thomas, MD, healthcentral.com :http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/h/garlic-benefits.html; http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/c/26240/38443/benefits;

3. "The Benefits of the Use of Ginger in Herbal Preparations", Martha Whitney, herballegacy.com : http://www.herballegacy.com/Whitney_Medicinal.html

4. "Rosemary Chicken Protects Your Brain From Free Radicals", ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2007)  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071030102210.html