Harissa & Marmalade Sticky Chicken Wings

When I was recently organizing a casual dinner party for some people I hadn't cooked for before I was faced with the prospect of cooking something that everyone would like. I knew anything to do with seafood, salads, and cheese was out!!!! I was cooking a lamb for main and I didn't want the dinner party to be a total meat feast either. I thought to myself, 'whats more of a crowd pleaser than chicken wings?!!'

EVERYONE loves chicken wings!! Dilemma averted. There was a moroccan theme to the dinner party, so I came up with  Harissa chicken wings! The harissa paste has just the right amount of smoke and heat to give the wings a real kick. But I felt the wings lack that sticky, messy consistency. So last night I made the wings for dinner for myself and my husband, and added some orange marmalade to the marinade. I must say it worked a treat! Napkins and bowl of water of the ready. For me a sign of good chicken wings is sticky fingers that are licked clean.!!!! You could say Finger Licking Good!!!


This recipe of completely simply to make, nothing fussy about it at all; with the end result looking so impressive your diners will think you've been slow cooking and basting for hours.

I teamed the wings with cous cous and a yogurt dressings to be a winning main course, but of course you can leave these out and serve the wings solo, though they are screaming for a cooling sauce accompaniement.

So here it is:

Harissa & Marmalade Wings with Apricot Cous Cous and a Herby Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients

The Wings

• Chicken wings (4-5 per person)
• 2 tbsp of cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp of coarse sea salt
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tsp of harissa paste
• 3 tbsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of orange marmalade
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• Salt/pepper

The Cous Cous

• 200g of cous cous
• 300 ml of boiled water, with saffron strands (saffron optional)
• 5 tbsp of chopped dried apricots
• 5 tbsp of toasted flaked almonds
• Handful of fresh mint, flat leave parsley, & coriander
• 2 tbp of olive oil
• Salt/pepper
• Juice of half a lemon

The Herby Yogurt Dressing

• 125ml low fat natural yogurt
• Handful of fresh mint, flat leave parsley, & coriander
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt/pepper

Method

The Wings

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Line a baking tray with kitchen paper
3. Lay the chicken wings out in a single layer
4. Coat the wings with the cumin seeds and sea salt
5. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes
6. To make the marinade, combine the remaining wing ingredients and stir the mixture well.
7. Pour over the chicken after the 40 minutes has lapsed.
8. Ensure all the wings are covered and bake for a further 30 minutes.
9. Return to the oven once or twice to turn the wings and baste them with the escaped marinade.

The Cous Cous

1. Put the cous cous in a bowl and pour in the oil and salt/pepper
2. Mix with a fork
3. Pour over the boiled water infused with saffron
4. Cover the bowl with cling film or a plate
5. Leave for ten minutes until all the water's absorbed.
6. Fluff up the cous cous with a fork (not a spoon)
7. Add the chopped apricots, herbs, lemon juice and almonds.
8. Stir to mix together well.
9. To serve spoon the cous cous on a wooden board and leave a whole in the centre for the wings. (very Jamie Oliver of me!)

Herby Yogurt Dressing

1. Add all the ingredients into a bowl and stir well to combine.

To Plate Up

1. Place the cous cous on the wooden board
2. Place the chicken wings in a pile in the middle of the board
3. Drizzle with the yogurt dressing liberally and have a small bowl of the remaining dressing for individual use.
4. Scatter lemon wedges and leftover chopped herbs
5. Lots of napkins, and a bowl of warm bowl are necessary to keep the fingers clean.