Grilled chicken wings- the Indian way

About 2 weeks back, we had some friends over for dinner and I did a Mexican theme with buffalo wings, quesadillas, ranch dressing and guava mojitos..a little Cuban influence there, but who cares? 

So having discovered cleaned, skinless chicken wings at another grocery store nearby, I was pretty much over joyed, to say the least. The problem is, they get over really fast (which is probably why I never knew they existed in the first place) and so if you are not lucky (in my case early enough) you may not get it. I had stocked up on 2 sets of wings the last time I chanced upon them and was very happy when the others who came by looking for them were disappointed (yup, totally mean, if you're wondering)

One set I used for the lunch party and the other set, I made some Indian inspired chicken wings which were served with a baked potato and a tomato salad. Now that's my kinda dinner. I have posted a recipe for buffalo wings and quesadillas here, here and here, if you're interested

Recipe has been adapted from here

To marinate

Thick curd- 3/4 cup

Ginger paste- 1/2 tbsp

Garlic paste- 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

Dried fenugreek leaves- 1 1/2 tsp

Ground black pepper- 1/4 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Coriander leaves- to garnish (optional)

Skinless chicken wings, tips removed- 1 kg, cleaned and dried with a kitchen towel

Sauce:

Onions- 1 medium, finely chopped

Tomato- 1 medium, finely chopped

Garlic- 5 largish pods, peeled and roughly chopped

Ginger- 2 inch piece, finely chopped

Salt- to taste

Water- 1/4 cup (optional)

Oil- 1/2 tbsp

Mix together all the ingredients under the 'to marinate' section in a bowl until well combined.

Pour over the chicken wings, toss well, cover and marinate over night or for at least an hour.

When ready to grill, line a baking tray with aluminium foil and place the chicken wings in rows. Don't over crowd. 

Save the remaining marinade for basting and for the sauce

Preheat the grill for about 10 minutes on high and grill the chicken for a total of 10 to 12 minutes. Take it out after about 5 minutes, baste it with more marinade (if required), turn it over and cook for the remaining 5 or 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining wings.

Once they are all grilled, transfer them into a clean mixing bowl.

To make the sauce, heat a frying pan with oil and throw in the onions, ginger and garlic.

Saute on medium-low heat till they are slightly wilted.

Throw in the tomatoes and salt and cook till the oil starts separating. 

Add the remaining marinade from the chicken and cook till oil starts resurfacing again. Do this on low heat to prevent the curds from curdling.

Once completely cooked, pour the sauce over the cooked chicken wings, toss to coat well and garnish with coriander leaves. Alternatively, if the sauce is cooked in a vessel large enough to hold all the wings, then throw in the chicken and toss it around in the same pan itself.

Notes: Grilling chicken on high heat takes no time at all...be careful not to burn it (as you can see, i did manage 2 burn it)

The sauce is completely optional, I didn't want it to be too dry, so opted for a sauce. If serving it dry, then probably a dipping sauce on the side would be a good idea.