Chicken wings are a crowd-pleaser at any event, but backyard grilling is really where they find their time to shine. With everyone looking forward to a big plate of juicy wings, there's a lot of pressure to make sure they come out perfect every time. Grills can be finicky, so undercooked chicken with flabby skin or a batch of charred, chicken wing-shaped briquettes are both looming threats. The internet is jam-packed with all kinds of tips and tricks for how to grill chicken. Some make sense, some are not necessarily winners, and it's hard to know what will actually work when you're in the kitchen.
Overcooked chicken isn't the only thing you might have to contend with; the possibility of diseases like salmonella and campylobacter are very real and can cause serious illness and sometimes death, as per HuffPost. Making sure your chicken is fully cooked can also lead to dry, unpalatable meat, and it can be hard to know precisely where the line is.
Boiling keeps them moist and helps prevent overcooking
Boiled chicken wings recipe
Boiling chicken wings before using them in recipes is a great step to take if you want to make sure your chicken wings are well seasoned, cooked through, and thorough. whether you're grilling, baking, deep-frying, and more.
You may be wondering why you should boil chicken or should I say parboil before cooking. the process of parboiling chicken can make all the difference in your recipes. there are several benefits to this technique, but the main reason is that it helps season and cook your chicken wings thoroughly while removing excess fat.
It's a simple procedure that doesn't take long to complete. all you will need is a couple of pantry staple everyday spices, a large pot, and water.
Related post: how to boil chicken breast to shred and how to boil chicken thighs.
Why you should boil the chicken first before cooking it
Economical and versatile
Simple, quick, and easy, boiled chicken wings can be ready in as little as 20 minutes.
The process will help remove excess fat which makes the wings healthier if you bake them instead of deep-frying
Think of it as a 2-in-1 recipe, you get fat-free chicken wings as well as delicious well-seasoned homemade chicken stock
Parboil vs boiled
You have two choices of boiling your chicken wings, you can either boil or parboil it but what do both words exactly mean
What does parboil mean
the word "parboil" is a term that's used often in culinary cooking. if you're wondering what it means, it's the partial boiling of food to partially cook it or to make it easier to remove the skin, excess starch or fat, or even peel. When you parboil something, you are partially boiling it with the intention of finishing the process using another means or medium.
What does boiled mean
Boiling means to cook something in hot water that's boiling or to be cooked with water until it reaches its boiling point. In this case, If you want the poultry fully cooked then you boil it as opposed to parboiling it. The benefits of boiling chicken wings include flavorful chicken, as well as a delicious stock.
Tools needed
Cooking pot
A sharp knife if you decide to cut the chicken wings before boiling them.
Chopping board
Ingredients for boiled chicken wings
Chicken wings: separated into drumettes and wingettes or whole
Onion
Garlic granules substitute with garlic powder or fresh garlic cloves
Dried parsley
Dried thyme
Bay leaves
Salt and black pepper
How to boil chicken wings
Place chicken wings in a big cooking pot.
Add garlic powder, chopped onions, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper and mix to combine.
Cover the wings with water, just enough to cover it. partially place a lid on the pot and place it on medium-low heat and bring to a gentle boil for about 10 minutes. Check on the chicken, stir to combine then top with about 1 cup of water and continue to boil for another 5-8 minutes or until the wings are tender to your liking.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the wings from the pot and transfer on to a kitchen paper towel to drain excess moisture and let them air dry before you grill, bake, air fry or deep fry them.
Sieve the chicken stock if you would be needing it, once it is cooled, place it in the fridge for the fat rendered to solidify. Scrape the fat with a spoon and use the stock as desired in your dishes.