Recipe: Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings

JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN WINGS

"Whenever I vacation in Jamaica, I always make sure to eat jerk chicken. It's one of my favorite dishes. This recipe takes me right back to the Jamaican beach. It's not too spicy, but it's full of flavor. If you have time, marinate the wings a day ahead. They taste better that way because they really have a chance to absorb all those amazing seasonings. The jerk mix also works well on salmon. Pair it with a pi a colada and you'll definitely think you're on vacation."

1 tablespoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 Scotch bonnet or serrano chile peppers, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons dark rum (preferably Appleton from Jamaica)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
3 pounds chicken wings
(see note)
Cooking spray

1. In a small dry skillet over medium heat, place the allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Toast the spices, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to a spice grinder and finely grind.

2. In a food processor or blender, combine the ground spices, scallions, soy sauce, lime juice, chilies, rum, oil, thyme, sugar, salt, garlic, ginger, and nutmeg, and process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

3. In a large dish, arrange the wings in a single layer and pour the marinade over them, stirring to coat. Cover the wings tightly with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cover a broiling pan with foil and coat it with cooking spray. Arrange the wings in a single layer on the pan. Spoon the excess marinade on top. Bake the wings in the upper third of the oven 30 to 40 minutes, until cooked through.

Note: Removing Wing Tips To remove the wing tip, use a sharp knife to cut the chicken wing between the first and second joint. The wing tips can be discarded or saved for use in soup or stock.

Makes 6 servings
Excerpted from Cooking for Your Man by Yolanda Banks and Melissa Clark
Copyright 2006 by Yolanda Banks. Excerpted by permission of Broadway, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.