Heroin Wings (chicken)

Honestly, I didn't come up with the name Heroin Wings for this recipe. Dana Carpender, author of 500 Low-Carb Recipes, writes, "Once you try these, you'll understand the name -- they are utterly, totally addictive!" My husband and I thought they were good, a great replacement for fried chicken, but not that great. He would have liked more cheese or less herbs - either way for more cheese flavor. He did agree that "they also taste great the next day."


As for the preparation and cooking, I disagree with Carpender on those points as well. She writes that they are "a bit messy and time-consuming." I wouldn't call it messy or time-consuming. They take an hour to bake, but to me that's free time for kitchen clean-up, school work, or something else! The foil was a mess after the baking, but contained. Writing of the foil, I would do this differently. I have a great clay non-stick baking pan. I think the chicken would have more easily come off of it than the foil. I advise that you make this decision based on your pan. One last discrepancy I had: I had half the chicken wings so I cut the other ingredients in half. This worked for the butter; it did not work for the cheese and seasonings. I ended up making a full batch of the topping for half the chicken.

Speak up! What is your favorite type of chicken wings?


"Grated Parmesan" Confusion
The recipe calls for "grated Parmesan cheese." I've known chefs who were even confused by this phrase. The shaker-type tube with the crumbly cheese is labeled "grated Parmesan." Usually, as I assumed for this recipe, the type in the tub that actually looks like grated cheese is intended. Since I got my "microplane" grater, which has small holes to produce finely grated Parmesan, I have been loyal to freshly grated Parmesan. People on different sites agree that pre-shredded is okay, but the flavor is held longer and the cheese isn't as dry if you buy a wedge and shred it yourself. For more information on Parmesan, check out what wisegeek and RecipeZaar's Kitchen Dictionary have to say.

This video shows the process of making parmigiano reggiano (a.k.a Parmesan) cheese.




Heroin Wings (to top)
From 500 Low-Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender

4 pounds chicken wings
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the wings into drumsticks, saving the pointy tips [for soup broth].
3. Combine the Parmesan cheese and the parsley, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
4. Line a shallow baking pan with foil. (Do not omit this step, or you'll still be scrubbing the pan a week later.)
5. Melt the butter in a shallow bowl or pan.
6. Dip each drumstick in butter, roll in the cheese and seasoning mixture, and arrange in the foil-lined pan.
7. Bake for 1 hour - and then kick yourself for not having made a double recipe!