Garlic and Parmesan Chicken Wings

The trick to keeping these oven-baked chicken wings crispy, is parboiling the wings in a flavorful liquid, which helps season the chicken and produce a surface texture in the oven that your guests will swear came straight out of a deep fryer.

source	Allrecipes.com
categories	appetizer, poultry
yield	4 pounds chicken wings
prep time	20 mins
total time	1 hr 10 mins

INGREDIENTS

cooking spray

3 quarts cold water

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup salt

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 pinch salt

3 Tbsp olive oil, or as needed

1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

4 lbs chicken wings, separated at joints, tips discarded

2 Tbsp fine bread crumbs

1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat an oven to 450 °F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat foil with cooking spray.

2. Combine water, vinegar, ¼ cup salt, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and rosemary in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add chicken wings, return to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove chicken wings with a slotted spoon to a cooling rack and allow to dry for 15 minutes.

3. Mash garlic and a pinch of salt together in a mortar and pestle until smooth.

4. Combine mashed garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add chicken wings and bread crumbs; toss to coat. Sprinkle with ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 20 to 25 minutes.