03 July 2012

Chipotle Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing and Celery


Every year we have our annual street mid winter Christmas party.  It allows us in the Southern Hemisphere to celebrate Christmas the more traditional when it’s a little chillier and the nights are darker.  For us it has become a tradition to have a progressive dinner at a few of the neighbours houses, one for starters, one for the mains and then one last house for dessert and our version of pass the parcel*.   Well not so much pass the parcel more of a hybrid of musical chairs and pass the parcel. A lot of running around, swapping parcels, pinching parcels all on the throw of a dice. It brings out the inner child in all of us as everyone clamours to get their mitts on one of the prettily wrapped gifts.



This year the festivities kicked off at my place and along with delicious cheeses, koftas with yoghurt dipping sauce, proscuitto wrapped goat cheese filled figs, bacon wrapped chilli mussels, hummus with dukkah and homemade pate I decided on some spicy chicken wings.  Fiercely spicy chicken wings doused in a blue cheese dressing alongside some crunchy celery is an longtime favourite of mine and every now and then I get an overwhelming craving for it that needs to be appeased and this weekend was one of those times.



*Pass The Parcel
Have everyone bring a $5 gift wrapped as prettily as possible....the sillier the better. To start pile all the gifts in the middle of the table or on the floor and have everyone gather around in a circle.
Have 2 dice, each going round the circle in different directions. If you throw a 6 you grab a present.  Keep doing this until all the presents have been taken.
Then the game really begins....set a timer for 10-15 minutes and again have 2 dice each going around the group in different directions. If you throw a 1 you can steal a present from someone else and if you throw a 6 you can swap seats with someone, usually the person with the largest pile of gifts in front of them.
Chipotle Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese  Dressing and Celery
For the Blue Cheese Dressing:
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
Squeeze of lemon juice 
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese 
Salt and pepper
For the chicken wings
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp pureed chipotle chile in adobo
2 good pinches chilli flakes*
1 tsp chipotle paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
Pinch salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1kg chicken nibbles
celery sticks

*Add more chilli flakes or fresh chilli if you like some serious heat.  Just taste as you go. I was cooking for a crowd so kept things a little on the milder side.



Directions
Pre heat the oven to 190C/375F
For the blue cheese dressing:
Place the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and blue cheese in a bowl and stir well to combine.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with cling film and place in the fridge until ready to serve, for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
For the Chicken Wings:
Add the vinegar, pureed chipotle chile in adobo, chilli flakes, chipotle paste and sugar in to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for a couple of moments until the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the dijon, honey, salt  and butter.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet and brush with a little of the chilli mixture.  Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove from the oven and place the chicken a large bowl and gently toss with the remaining chilli mixture.
Pile the chicken wings on a platter and serve with the blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
Spicy chicken dunked in the blue cheese dressing, definitely one of life’s pleasures.  The blue cheese flavour comes through and just works wonders with the spicy, smokey chicken.  It has a clean, piquant taste that is the perfect foil for the smokey chipotle spiciness. The celery adds a welcome fresh crunch.  Me, well I could eat buckets and buckets of these so I always leave some aside for “leftovers” as they make for a perfect little treat the following day.





If you like this you might like this Spicy Chicken Tikka Kebabs
Two years ago Supper Club #2
Enjoy!

10 comments:

  1. Mairi, I would love this playful tradition any time of the year!
    Your appetizers menu sounds awesome - such a great variety of starters (goat cheese-stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto - I'd cross the ocean just for these:)
    And who does not like spicy chicken wings? I trembled a bit when I read 3 Tbsp of chipotle in adobo, as I would have to stop at about 1:)

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    1. Thanks Lana...ah see I love spice & would add more heat!! It was certainly a feast....you should have seen all the desserts!

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  2. These look flipping fantastic. Have eaten a lot of 'buffalo' wings in the states, but have never made them myself, so this recipe!

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    1. Thanks Kirsten...yes never sure why they call them buffalo wings! There is just something about them dunked in blue cheese dressing that is quite sublime!

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  3. I love the party idea and who wouldn't love having a Christmas Party in the middle of summer (okay, I know, it is winter where you are)? The whole table of nibbles sounds fabulous and I am so drooling over these fabulous chicken wings. Even without the great blue cheese dip the wings sound amazing and tasty. Geez I think I now have all of your recipes bookmarked to make!

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    1. Thanks Jamie, yes it really just another excuse for everyone to get together and have a party!

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  4. What a terrific tradition! This sounds fun and delicious anytime of year. Your spicy wings look delicious!

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    1. Thanks Hannah....yes we like any excuse for a party & fortunate to have such wonderful neighbours :)

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  5. I love how you have this tradition on your street. It's so neighbourly. We seem to lose relationships with our neighbours in this society. The game sounds very cut throat. At least it's only a $5 gift at stake!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Very, very lucky with my neighbours :) As for pass the parcel it is all in the wrapping!

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