Winging It for Dinner

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Egg flower soup

Chicken Drumettes With Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

Blanched asparagus spears with garlic mayonnaise

Crusty bread

French vanilla ice cream with sliced mangoes

When chicken’s served at the table, some people grab the wings before any other parts of the bird. Chicken wing lovers will find these golden-fried drumettes with a delicious sauce irresistible. Easy to prepare, the wings get done fairly quickly if deep-fried. Dredging them in seasoned flour prevents splattering as well as promote good color and even crisping. Whole wings also work well; if desired, they can be split in halves to speed cooking.

Start the meal with a soothing hot egg flower soup, simply made by slowly dropping one to two beaten eggs onto simmering chicken broth. Another appropriate quick accompaniment is asparagus spears, steamed or blanched until tender-crisp and dipped in bottled garlic mayonnaise.

Sweet ripe mango slices, now conveniently available in jars, go well with French vanilla ice cream for a no-fuss dessert.

Staples

Salt, pepper

Flour

Oil for frying

Sugar

Crushed hot red pepper

1 to 2 eggs for soup

Shopping

24 to 30 chicken drumettes

1 bottle chili sauce

1 small bottle liquid smoke

Optional Shopping

1 bunch asparagus

1 bottle garlic mayonnaise

Chicken broth

Vanilla ice cream

1 jar sliced mangoes

CHICKEN DRUMETTES WITH SWEET-AND-SOUR SAUCE

24 to 30 chicken drumettes

Salt, pepper to taste

Flour

Oil for deep-frying, preferably peanut oil

Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

Season chicken to taste with salt and pepper. Roll in flour to coat. Shake off excess.

Heat oil in deep-fryer or heavy wok at 350 degrees. Deep-fry chicken 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown and done through. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with Sweet-and-Sour Sauce on side. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

Note: Instead of chicken drumettes, use whole chicken wings.

Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 cup chili sauce

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper

Few drops liquid smoke

Combine vinegar, chili sauce, sugar, hot red pepper and liquid smoke in medium saucepan. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.