Paired with Vitkin Winery Israeli Journey Red Blend 2020
When football is on the schedule, wings are always on the menu at my house. These little flavor bombs are so perfect and easy to make for your game day celebrations and by baking them you can cut some calories without cutting the joy!
Marinated for a few hours or overnight in the most heavenly combination of spices these wings do not disappoint. I think of these like “pantry raid style”. I’ve always got these spices on hand and usually a few bags of wings in the freezer.
I’m still on my quest to consolidate some of the pounds on my body so to minimize the amount of added fat just add a splash of water to your zip lock bag or bowl while the wings marinate to make sure the spices don’t taste grainy instead of using any oils. If your metabolism, unlike mine, is your friend you can use oil instead but these wangs are totally amazing without the extra fat!
The trick to crispy savory perfection is to heat up your cast iron pan before you add in the wings so that a light sear starts to develop right away and start the wings’ journey into spice bliss. I usually just throw my pan into the oven while it’s preheating and that’ll cover it. This step is essential to the tasty crunchy bits we all love on the more traditionally prepared fried wing.
Flipping halfway through the cooking process these could not be any easier to make. Marinate a huge batch of these wings and throw them into the freezer to save yourself some time the next time the craving strikes. 40 minutes into the oven with your desired dip of choice, ranch is king round these parts, and that’s it!
The Pairing
With the umami rich flavor from all of the spices coating our wings I choose the perfect libation to join the journey. Coming from the Judean Hills in Israel, Vitkin Wineries’ 2020 Israeli Carignan, Syrah, and a few others blend was perfectly suited for the wings. Hailing from an award winning family owned boutique winery boasting a varied and lush landscape perfectly suited to all the personality the grapes planted there need.
Similar in body and fruitiness to a Pinot Noir, this Carignan is exploding with Mediterranean herbs, aromas and flavors, incredible juicy red plum and strawberry notes, with a lovely finesse and balance of acidity. The more savory herbal notes really played well with all the spices on the chicken and the party in my mouth was more fun than the football itself. My “Jesus Juice” as I like to call it is so effortlessly balanced and was perfect with the chicken. Whoever thinks you can’t have an elevated beverage choice with such a humble meal is sadly mistaken, this combo was life!
For a good pairing for a dish like this with such a hodgepodge of flavors and the natural fat of the chicken wings, you want to look for 2 key things:
1. Wine with a bounty of different complementary aromas and flavors. There’s a really herbal almost savory component in the Israeli Journey Perfect for this pairing.
2. A lighter bodied but med-med high acid option to not overpower the chicken but still be very refreshing and not bog down your tastebuds.
If you have never experienced the beauty of Israeli wine *shouting* YOU ARE MISSING OUT!! This wine making region that has been around since Biblical times has been producing high quality, unmatched value, and joyful juice since before Christ. I highly suggest giving this pairing a try.
Serve these up for your next game day celebration or a fun movie night with the fam accompanied by our delicious pairing.
Be sure to connect with me on my socials, tag your meals, let me know how you like this combo, and enjoy!
Heavenly Spiced Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
2lb bag of Party Chicken Wings
3 TB Garlic Powder
2 ½ TB Onion Powder
2 TB Each Cumin, Paprika, Chili Powder
1 TB Each Salt & Pepper
¼ cup of water
2 TB EVOO optional
Instructions:
- Mix all the spices and water together (can use oil instead of water if calorie counting is not a factor)
- Add the chicken wings to a ziplock bag or an airtight container
- Pour the spice slurry over the chicken and massage into the meat
- Seal and marinate refrigerating 1-2 hours (overnight is best)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and add cast iron pan or sheet tray to the oven to heat up as the oven heats
- Arrange chicken in a single layer in pan and bake for 20-25 minutes
- Flip chicken over and bake for another 20-25 until the chicken is crispy and internal temp reaches 165 degrees
- Take out, let cool, and enjoy with a glass of Vitkin Winery wine
Pairing: Vitkin Winery
Israeli Journey 2020 Red Blend
55% Carignan, 25% Syrah, 10% Cab Franc, 5% Marselan, 5% Grenache Noir
