How to Prepare Chicken Wings
Chicken wings are an appetizer menu staple. You can offer varieties of dry rubs and sauces to make them a delicious option for any customer. While frying and seasoning may seem like the most important part of the cooking process, there are a few steps you need to ensure are done properly to prep your wings. Knowing how to prepare chicken wings is vital to ensure you’re serving quality product.
How to Thaw Chicken Wings
Cooking straight from frozen doesn’t guarantee you the best results. There’s also a safety concern when it comes to thawing frozen wings. There are a few different ways to thaw wings, but keep in mind it isn’t recommended to use the microwave for thawing.
- Option 1. Soak in cold water - A quick way to thaw wings is by dropping them into a water bath. You’ll want to use cold water for this option. However, as you drop them in, you may start to notice a little bit of cloud forming in the water. This is the outside fat coming off of the product, thus affecting the quality.
- Pro: Fast thaw times
- Con: Moisture affects product quality
- Option 2. Overnight defrost - You can lay out product on a tray with an elevated rack in a single layer. You can also place a paper towel on top to ensure the wings don’t pick up any moisture. The tray can then be left to thaw overnight in a refrigerator.
- Pro: Wings maintain better quality
- Con: Takes longer to thaw
How to Clean Chicken Wings
Both fresh wings or recently thawed wings need to be cleaned.
- Tip 1. Rinse the wings in a colander instead of submerging them in water. This helps to get the viscera and blood off the product.
- Tip 2. Spray cold water close to the wings to avoid spraying raw chicken around your kitchen and risking cross contamination. This can be done at a sink to help contain the water.
- Tip 3. Stop halfway through rinsing and give your colander a couple shakes before continuing to rinse. This helps to remove contaminants and ensures all areas of the wings get rinsed.
- Tip 4. After rinsing, shake the wings in the colander again to ensure you’re getting the moisture out. Then let the wings rest on a sheet tray so any remaining water that drains doesn’t contaminate areas of your kitchen.
How to Split & Prep Chicken Wings
Our final step is splitting and prepping the chicken wings. This step is vital if you receive whole chicken wings and need to cut them safely. Whole wings have three key parts: the drum, flap and tip. You’re typicallygoing to split the drum from the flap and tip.
- Tip 1. Stretch out the wing. This helps to expose a gap which ensures a clean cut for you rather than having to cut through bone. You’ll also avoid cutting the blood vessel in the bone.
- Tip 2. After cutting the wing, let it rest on a wire rack and cover them with a paper towel so they stay dry before cooking. This will help ensure the wings come out crispy.
- Tip 3. Don’t season your wings before they’re dry. Otherwise it’ll dry out the meat during the cooking process.
- Tip 4. While the wings are waiting for cooking, keep them on their covered tray and store them in the lower portion of the refrigerator. It’s important to use the lower shelves to follow proper food storage safety guidelines.